73 W. Va. 283 | W. Va. | 1913
In an action before a justice, and on defendant’s appeal to the circuit court, plaintiff obtained judgment against Blessing and favorable rulings on the latter’s motion to quash an affidavit for an attachment and the attachment issued thereon, and on his plea in abatement to the attachment. The writ of error and supersedeas now under examination was granted solely on the petition of Blessing, although the judgment was against him and the sureties on the appeal bond. He seeks relief only from the proceeding by attachment. The judgment on the account is not contested. In fact, it is in the nature of, though not in fact, a confessed judgment.
The real and only vital question is, whether the circuit court erred in its refusal to quash the affidavit and attachment. If it did, the trial of the plea in abatement was futile. Our examination inevitably leads to the conclusion that the circuit court erred in its rulings in this respect. . The affidavit is fatally defective, at least in two particulars, both of which are indispensable to a valid attachment under §193, Ch. 50, Code 1906.
It fails in its attempt to describe the claim on which plaintiff sues. We find no such definite description as the statute authorizing attachments contemplates. Such proceedings are
But the affidavit is equally defective in another particular. The grounds assigned for the attachment are that defendant “has assigned, disposed of or removed his property, or a material part thereof, or is about to do so”, “with like intent to defraud” his creditors. This is the only charge of intent to defraud' appearing anywhere in the affidavit. With what “like intent” is it compared? The averment contains verbatim a copy of the language found in the third clause of §40, Ch. 50, Code 1906, the draftsman evidently deeming it sufficient' for the purpose. But Sandheger v. Hosey, 26 W. Va. 221, Goodman v. Henry, 42 W. Va. 526, and Roberts v. Burns, 48 W. Va. 92, hold similar affidavits in
’. In view of what has been said, and without discussing other assignments, our conclusion is to ' quash the- affidavit and attachment, dismiss the attachment proceedings,' and affirm the judgment rendered' against Blessing and his sureties on the bond for the appeal'from the justice, with costs to plaintiff in error in this behalf expended and damages according to law.
Affirmed in part. -'Reversed in part.