Court Opinion

ID: 9865300
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-09-25 16:30:57.932605+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T12:38:23.686237
License: Public Domain

*414
On Rehearing.

Mr. Justice Adams
specially concurring.
The Fire Association, Zorn and Lanning stipulated as stated in the opinion. Zorn’s pleadings and evidence shoAV that he Avas induced to sign it and to agree to a less amount than he believed that he was entitled to, because he understood the Fire Association Avould be out of the case, and Avould make no further defense to his claim, that is, that the contest Avould be reduced to the respective claims between Zorn, Lanning and the government. This seems to be wholly natural, and is borne out by the fact that the Fire Association was eliminated — discharged from further attendance. But after that, the Fire Association voluntarily came back, and asked to be reinstated. This was granted. Now it seeks the benefit of that part of the stipulation that Avas favorable to it, i. e., the limitation in the compromise agreement as to the amount of its liability, but without performing its own-part, or the part that induced Zorn to consent to such reduced amount. The Fire Association claims a failure of consideration for its original agreement, which may be true, but if so, under this state of facts, there was a like failure of consideration for what Zorn agreed to do. In other words, if the stipulation failed as to one, it failed as to both. This was the view that the trial court took of it, and it Avas right. The court could not release one from its obligation and enforce it as against the other.
Counsel for the Fire Association inquires as to Avhat else it could do when later sued in the federal court for the same debt. Answering the question, when the United States refused to submit to the jurisdiction of the state court to determine its claim for a revenue tax lien, perhaps one might have thought of a plea in abatement in the state court, pending the determination of the association’s liability in the federal court, if such a plea would lie, which Ave need not determine, but whatever the reme*415dy, the suit in the federal court was no fault of Zorn, and did not justify the Fire Association’s partisanship in favor of Lanning as against Zorn, nor its taking up the cudgel against him, the very thing that he sought by his compromise to avoid. This is what the Fire Association did as soon as it was re-admitted to the case on its own motion. In the prayer of its answer it said: “Wherefore, this defendant, having fully answered, prays the judgment of the court that the money so paid by it into the registry of this court be repaid to it; that this action be dismissed because of having been prematurely brought, that this defendant have and recover of and from the plaintiff its costs incurred herein, and that it have and secure such further relief in the premises as to the court shall seem meet.” Counsel for the Fire Association interposed technical objections to Zorn’s pleadings, that there was an alleged departure and the like; the Fire Association’s answer favored Lanning as against Zorn; the Fire Association, through its counsel, demurred ore tenus to Zorn’s pleading and evidence, supplementing it with this remark of its counsel: “By submitting these demurrers to both the pleading and the evidence I am not, and do not wish to be understood, as conceding that any right has been established as against the defendant Lanning.” Joint assignments of errors were filed in this court, by the Fire Association and Lanning, represented by the same counsel. We are not criticising counsel for representing these two clients — their interests were not adverse — they were quite in accord. But they were both opposed to Zorn, which the Fire Association had no right to do, and at the same time claim the benefit of the compromise agreement for one side only. The Fire Association employed all its ability and resourcefulness to prevent Zorn from getting anything. It should not complain because the trial court would not let it voluntarily reenter the court for the second time, get all its money back and trounce Zorn with his hands tied. Good sportsmanship alone would forbid it.
*416The above being true, the stipulation was waived, and the evidence as to what the adjusters found the actual loss to be became admissible. It was supplemented by other evidence, also admissible, which the court found to be sufficient. The judgment was for the exact amount found by the adjusters to be the Fire Association’s proportionate share of the loss, and is for only $225 in excess of the amount that the Fire Association admits is due someone. Lanning does not ask for a rehearing, and the association is not entitled to it.
I am authorized by Mr., Justice Sheafor, who wrote the opinion, and the other justices concurring therein, to say that they agree with the above.
Petition for rehearing denied.