7 Wis. 542 | Wis. | 1859
By the Court,
This case presents several points of consideration, which were fully argued at bar, and which have been duly considered by the whole court
We shall not now attempt to recapitulate the facts upon which the plaintiff founds his claim to the relief for which he prays. These will, doubtless, fully appear in the statement of the case preceding the report of this opinion. But in considering the equities presented by the pleadings and proofs, it will be necessary to refer to them in order to show clearly the principle upon which our judgment is based. And this principle was fully considered and established in Merritt vs. Baldwin, where, as the result of all the authorities bearing upon the subject, we decided that “equity will prevent a fraudulent, corrupt, or inequitable use of a judgment at law, even though regularly obtained.” (See authorities there cited.) But the facts in this case show that the judgment was fraudulently obtained. Even admitting, (an admission unauthorized by
The answer of Baker is evasive and suspicious. The defendant sets out no facts which constitute a cause of action against Huebsehman. Striving, as he does, to implicate Huebsehman, he fails in his answer to show a cause of action against any person whatsoever upon the merits, as is essential is cases of this kind, when the bill orj’complaint clearly negatives a cause of action.
The rule in equity is indeed true, that the party seeking its aid to enjoin an inequitable judgment at law, must show that the plaintiff in the judgment had in fact no cause of action. This must appear by bill, complaint, or, in short, the pleadings and proofs, or upon interlocutory matters, affidavits, and proofs, according to the nature of the remedy prayed for at the time.
The proofs in this case show not the slightest cause of action on the part of the plaintiff in the judgment at law; he has not exhibited to the court of equity any proof of his claim for damages, though the bill of complaint challenged such defence. The cause of action in the original suit, therefore, stands not only unsustained but totally disproved.
The next point to be considered is, whether the complainant has, by his own laches, forfeited his right to claim the interposition of a court of equity to prevent the perpetration of this wrong, either upon the Indian tribes or their superintendent individually. We think not. His relation to this
Decree affirmed with costs.