Opinion ID: 1804930
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 5

Heading: necessity of bond

Text: Williams argues that the trial court erred in finding her prejudgment attachment invalid. She asserts that the lack of a bond is not fatal to her attachment. However, this court has held that a bond is a statutory requirement. In Vanburg v. Mauel, 131 Neb. 685, 686-87, 269 N.W. 626 (1936), we said: Except where the ground of attachment is that the defendant is a foreign corporation or a nonresident of the state, no order of attachment shall be issued until an undertaking is filed and approved with one or more sufficient sureties to the effect that plaintiff will pay defendant all damages resulting from a wrongful attachment. It is widely accepted that jurisdiction over attachment proceedings cannot be legitimately exercised unless the attaching creditor pursues substantially the essential statutory requirements. See, Ledgebrook Condominium Assn., Inc. v. Lusk Corporation, 172 Conn. 577, 376 A.2d 60 (1977); Fletcher & Son v. Gordon, 219 Iowa 661, 259 N.W. 204 (1935); Jenkins v. First Nat. Bank et al., 73 Mont. 110, 236 P. 1085 (1925); Winfree v. Mann, 154 Va. 683, 153 S.E. 837 (1930). That is, the courts have no authority to attach property but that which has been granted them by statute. See, Bain & Sons v. Mitchell, 82 Ala. 304, 2 So. 706 (1887); Stowe v. Matson, 94 Cal.App.2d 678, 211 P.2d 591 (1949); Ledgebrook Condominium Assn., Inc. v. Lusk Corporation, supra ; Stalvey v. Varn Motors Finance Co., 56 Ga.App. 696, 193 S.E. 627 (1937); Fletcher & Son v. Gordon, supra; Killen v. American Casualty, 231 Md. 105, 189 A.2d 103 (1963); Trinidad Asphalt Mfg. Co. v. Standard Oil Co., 214 Mo.App. 115, 258 S.W. 64 (1924); Edwards v. Stein, 94 N.J.Eq. 251, 119 A. 504 (1923). Since in our statutory scheme no attachment shall be issued without a bond, the requirement of a bond is jurisdictional. See Vanburg v. Mauel, supra. See, also, Martin v. Schillo, 389 Ill. 607, 60 N.E.2d 392 (1945), cert. denied 325 U.S. 880, 65 S.Ct. 1572, 89 L.Ed. 1996; Edwards v. Stein, supra . An attachment issued without proper statutory authority is void ab initio. Stowe v. Matson, supra ; Lunger v. Page, 16 N.J.Misc. 529, 2 A.2d 606 (1938). The trial court, therefore, properly determined that this attachment, issued without a bond, a statutory requirement, was invalid.