Case Title: Meyer v. Schmidt

Citation: 184 Kan. 21, 334 P.2d 345

Docket Number: 41,054, 41,162

State: kansas

Court: Kansas Supreme Court

Date: 1959-01-24T00:00:00Z

Document:
184 Kan. 21 (1959)
334 P.2d 345
WALTER MEYER, doing business as MEYER CASING CREW, Plaintiff
v.
RICHARD B. SCHMIDT, et al., Defendants; C.B. MURRAY, C.L. HANES and HERBERT B. SHUMAKER, Appellees; HELEN L. VANCE and UNION NATIONAL BANK in Kansas City, Missouri, nonresident, ancillary co-executors of the Estate of W. Harry Vance, also known as William Harry Vance, Deceased, Appellants.
Nos. 41,054 and 41,162

Supreme Court of Kansas.
Opinion filed January 24, 1959.
J. Eugene Balloun, of Russell, argued the cause, and Oscar Ostrum, of Russell, was with him on the briefs for the appellants.
Clifford R. Holland, Jr., of Russell, argued the cause, and Marvin E. Thompson and George W. Holland, both of Russell, were with him on the brief for the appellees.
The opinion of the court was delivered by
JACKSON, J.:
These are two appeals from one case in the court below.
The proceeding in district court involved the settlement of the claims and mechanics' liens growing out of the drilling of an oil well  an oil well which came in as a dry hole.
The well was begun by defendant Richard B. Schmidt, but he stopped his work and joined the armed forces before the well was completed. There were some eighteen other persons who owned interests in the well besides Schmidt. These "interest holders" completed drilling the well after Schmidt ceased work.
The plaintiff Walter Meyer brought suit for the sum of $420 and foreclosure of his lien. All other lien holders, together with Schmidt and the other interest holders, were made parties to the suit.
C.B. Murray, C.L. Hanes and Herbert B. Shumaker, who are the appellees in this appeal, were cross-petitioners below and sought judgment for their claims and foreclosure of their own liens.
*22 The co-executors of the estate of W. Harry Vance, deceased, appeal from orders refusing to vacate the judgment entered against their testator. Harry Vance was one of the interest holders in the drilling venture.
Actually the only question in both of the appeals is as to the jurisdiction of the district court over the person of W. Harry Vance at the time judgment was entered against him in this action. No further notice need be taken of the fact that there were two appeals filed.
Turning to this vital question of jurisdiction, the evidence shows the following facts:
The original petition in the suit was filed by the plaintiff on October 8, 1953. Harry Vance was named as a defendant in the petition along with other interest holders in the oil venture. Vance was a resident of Kansas City, Missouri, and no summons was issued for him. The court takes notice, however, that Vance's executors, the appellants in this appeal, have caused ancillary administration of his estate to be begun in Russell County. Thus, it would seem evident that Vance at all times must have had property subject to the jurisdiction of the court even though he was a nonresident of the state (G.S. 1949, 60-901; G.S. 1957 Supp. 60-2525 [3]).
At the time the action was begun and on November 16, 1953, a meeting of the various interest holders was held in Kansas City and it was agreed that Adolph Kramer, one of their number, should write to Richard M. Driscoll, a lawyer of Russell, and employ him to represent all of the interest holders and endeavor to prevent a personal judgment being entered against them. The evidence is clear that Vance, who was not present at the meeting, was advised of the decision to employ Driscoll and that he approved of such action. Driscoll testified that he had talked with several of the interest holders before this time; that at that time he advised them that he had a bill in his office against the well. They advised him the bill would be paid along with others. Mr. Driscoll accepted the employment and filed a motion for additional time to plead on behalf of all of the interest holders, including Vance, on November 24, 1953. On February 2, 1954, Keltner, one of the interest holders, wrote Driscoll enclosing a check for $50 to cover attorney fees "as per statement."
In February, 1954, the interest holders seem to have paid all the bills due on the well which were incurred after Schmidt left the *23 project. They were maintaining that the bills incurred by Schmidt should be paid by him. The suit for this balance seems to have been continued throughout the years 1954 and 1955, apparently through the efforts of Mr. Driscoll on behalf of the interest holders and awaiting Schmidt's return from the armed services. Finally, it appeared that Schmidt might not return.
On December 9, 1955, Mr. Driscoll wrote Ray Williams, one of the interest holders with whom he had dealt in the past, to the effect that counsel for the creditors were demanding that the case proceed; that it would be for trial in the January, 1956 term of court; that cross-petitioners were contending that the interest holders were joint mining partners with Schmidt. He advised Williams that he would not be interested in representing the defendants at the trial unless he should be paid an attorney fee in advance. He asked that the interest holders get together and decide what they wished to do in the matter and advise him of their desires.
Mr. Driscoll did not hear from Williams or from any of the other defendant interest holders.
The further proceedings in the court below may be gleaned from a portion of the trial court's findings:
It appears that the trial court was fully justified in finding that an entry of appearance had been made for defendant W. Harry Vance and that the court had personal jurisdiction over him at the time of the judgment entered on January 3, 1956.
In Kackley State Bank v. Nichols, 162 Kan. 648, 179 P.2d 186, where it was sought to set aside a judgment on the ground that an attorney who had made an appearance for the defendant was not authorized to do so, this court said:
All other matters have been fully considered, but require no further comment. The orders of the district court should be affirmed.
It is so ordered.