Opinion ID: 4526524
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: facts

Text: A judgment against Midwest Renewable was transcribed in Nebraska in 2010. This is the second appeal brought by Midwest Renewable disputing the ownership of that judgment. In its first appeal,1 Midwest Renewable argued that Western Ethanol had no interest in the judgment because the judgment had been assigned to Vind. Midwest Renewable argues in the present appeal that there was no valid assignment to Vind. The following background describes the two different cases, which involve the same judgment, and the circumstances which led Midwest Renewable to assert contradictory positions when it filed appeals with this court. Western Ethanol was a limited liability company formed under Nevada law and registered in California. In September 2010, Western Ethanol obtained a judgment against Midwest Renewable in California for attorney fees in the amount of $30,066.59, plus interest. In November 2010, pursuant to the Nebraska Uniform Enforcement of Foreign Judgments Act, Neb. Rev. Stat. §§ 25-1587.01 to 25-1587.09 (Reissue 2016), Western Ethanol filed an action in Nebraska and transcribed the California judgment. Western Ethanol then filed a writ of execution on the judgment and attempted to execute upon the judgment multiple times to no avail. In 2013, Western Ethanol dissolved and distributed its assets to its members. In September 2014, Midwest Renewable filed a quiet title action against Western Ethanol, and other entities, which claimed an interest in Midwest Renewable’s ethanol manufacturing facility located in Lincoln County, Nebraska. When Midwest Renewable moved for partial summary judgment against Western Ethanol, an affidavit executed by Vind was entered into evidence which alleged that Western Ethanol had transferred the California judgment to him. There was no assignment of judgment in the record, and Vind had not been made a party to the litigation. The district court overruled the 1 See Midwest Renewable Energy v. American Engr. Testing, 296 Neb. 73, 894 N.W.2d 221 (2017). -5- Nebraska Supreme Court Advance Sheets 305 Nebraska Reports WESTERN ETHANOL CO. v. MIDWEST RENEWABLE ENERGY Cite as 305 Neb. 1 motion for partial summary judgment. Midwest Renewable settled with the other parties, and the matter proceeded to trial against Western Ethanol as the only remaining defendant. Following trial, the court found that Western Ethanol had transferred its interest to Vind and that the judgment lien was valid and subsisting. Thus, the court dismissed the quiet title action against Western Ethanol. Midwest Renewable appealed to this court and argued that the district court erred by failing to quiet Western Ethanol’s claim. Midwest Renewable argued that “Western Ethanol has no interest in the judgment because it transferred all of its assets, including the judgment, to Vind and its other members on or before December 31, 2013.”2 In our opinion disposing of that appeal, issued in March 2017, we concluded that the judgment against Midwest Renewable was assignable and that “if Midwest Renewable is correct in arguing that Western Ethanol’s judgment was assigned, then . . . Vind would be the only party capable of enforcing or defending the judgment and judgment lien against Midwest Renewable.”3 We determined that Vind was an indispensable party; that the court erred in failing to make Vind a party to the action before rendering a decision; and that without Vind’s presence, the court lacked subject matter jurisdiction to make a determination as to the owner of the judgment and the judgment lien. We vacated the district court’s decision with direction to order Vind be named a party to the action. Following remand in the quiet title action, Midwest Renewable unsuccessfully attempted to personally serve Vind with a summons. The court then permitted service by publication, which Midwest Renewable completed. Vind filed an answer, and Midwest Renewable served Vind with discovery requests. We have no further information in our record regarding the status of the quiet title action. 2 Id. at 86, 894 N.W.2d at 234. 3 Id. at 88, 894 N.W.2d at 235. -6- Nebraska Supreme Court Advance Sheets 305 Nebraska Reports WESTERN ETHANOL CO. v. MIDWEST RENEWABLE ENERGY Cite as 305 Neb. 1 In June 2017, in the present registration and enforcement of a foreign judgment case, Western Ethanol filed an “Acknowledgment of Assignment of Foreign Judgment.” The document was signed by Vind as managing member and trustee on behalf of Western Ethanol. It stated, “PLEASE TAKE NOTICE that [Western Ethanol] does hereby acknowledge assignment of all interest, right and title to the foreign judgment entered against [Midwest Renewable].” Western Ethanol then filed an amended acknowledgment of assignment which clarified that the judgment had been assigned to Vind. Without filing a formal pleading or motion to enter the case, Vind, as assignee, filed a praecipe for writ of execution. The praecipe stated that based on the amount of the judgment plus interest, Midwest Renewable owed Vind $51,156.64. Vind requested execution on Midwest Renewable’s real estate. The clerk of court issued a writ of execution in conformance with the praecipe. Midwest Renewable filed a motion to quash the execution. The motion argued that (1) no assignment of the judgment to Vind had been recorded with the court, (2) any assignment of the judgment was improper because Western Ethanol had dissolved, (3) Vind lacked authority to enforce the judgment, and (4) the validity of the judgment was under litigation in the quiet title action. At the hearing on the motion to quash, Vind’s counsel appeared, without objection from Midwest Renewable, and argued against the motion. Vind’s counsel argued that the acknowledgments of assignment provide notice of the assignment to Midwest Renewable and the public. After reviewing evidence and the parties’ briefs, the court entered an order finding that the amended acknowledgment of assignment was sufficient to establish that Vind was the successor in interest to the foreign judgment. The court further found that the judgment was not dormant, and it overruled the motion to quash. Midwest Renewable filed a motion to alter or amend which asserted that Vind lacked standing and is not -7- Nebraska Supreme Court Advance Sheets 305 Nebraska Reports WESTERN ETHANOL CO. v. MIDWEST RENEWABLE ENERGY Cite as 305 Neb. 1 the real party in interest, requesting a hearing pursuant to our holding in Jacobs Engr. Group v. ConAgra Foods.4 Following a hearing, the court found that Vind is the real party in interest and overruled the motion. Midwest Renewable appealed, and Vind appeared as appellee. We moved the appeal to our docket pursuant to our statutory authority to regulate the caseloads of the appellate courts of this State.5