53 Colo. 389 | Colo. | 1912
delivered the opinion of the court:
Action on a surety’s bond. There was a judgment for plaintiff, and defendant is here with its writ of error. The plaintiff below, defendant in error here, brought his action in .the district court against the Denver and Colorado1 investment company to foreclose a mortgage on real estate given by the-latter to secure its promissory note to him. The findings were for plaintiff, and a decree of foreclosure entered. In the decree there was, in one clause,-, an ascertainment of the amount due plaintiff on the mortgage debt,' and another clause reads: “It is therefore ordered, adjudged and.decreed by the court that the plaintiff have and recover from the said defendant the sum of $........, the amount of said mortgage. lien, the sum of $........, attorney’s fees, and the costs of this suit to be taxed by the clerk of the court, and That unless defendant pays the amount of this judgment and costs within 10 clays from the date hereof,.a special execution or order of sale will issue hereunder authorizing and directing the sheriff of this county to sell said premises and all right, title and equity of redemption of said defendant therein as required by law, and make report to this court.” This clause is the one that is material on this review.
From the judgment and decree then entered the investment company prayed, and was granted, an appeal 10 the supreme court, and plaintiff in error here, signed the appeal bond as surety for the investment company. This court thereafter affirmed the judgment of the district court in all respects. The appeal bond which was given and upon which the present action was brought, among other things provides that “whereas, the said Herbert Rudolph did, on the 24th day
It is the contention of plaintiff in error that this appeal bond, although it recites that a personal judgment against defendant in the foreclosure action was rendered by the district court, and that, in case of its affirmance by the supreme court, the obligors shall pay the full amount thereof, nevertheless the instrument should be construed in connection with our statutes in relation to actions for foreclosure of mortgages, which, equitable in their nature, do not contemplate a personal judgment against the defendant," until after sale has been made of the mortgaged premises, and a report made to the court of ‘the amount realized; and that then, and not until then, if at all, is a personal judgment rendered against defendant, and, in such case, only for the balance due. upon
A number of cases from other jurisdictions cited by counsel are said to support' his contention. It is not necessary to examine them. They may be right under the local statutes; but, if they are in point at all here upon the general principle involved we decline to follow them. 1’n this jurisdiction both legal and equitable relief may be given in one action, and in one judgment or decree. In actions under our statute, equitable in nature, for the foreclosure of a mortgage, the court may give Judgment in the first instance, if the finding is in behalf of plaintiff, and coupled therewith may order a sale of the mortgaged property. If the contention of counsel is right, no personal judgment at all could be rendered against the defendant in a foreclosure proceeding, until after the proceeds of the sale had been applied to the mortgage debt, and then only by further order of the court. We do- not think our statute makes that the exclusive practice, though we do not say it might not be followed. The trial court did not exceed its authority' in rendering a personal judgment as it did. -Aside from this, the bond itself recites that a personal