70 Md. 29 | Md. | 1889
delivered the opinion of the Court.
A mortgage was made to a partnership in the partnership name; and the principal question in this case depends on the effect and operation of this form of conveyance. The mortgage stated that it was made by Elizabeth M. Berger to secure the payment of her indebtedness to the “ co-partnership firm of Wehr, Hobelman and Gottlieb of Baltimore City.” It embraced certain real and leasehold estate in the City of Baltimore, and sundry personal chattels; and was made subject to the sections of Article four of the Public Local Laws relating to mortgages, and it also-contained a power of sale under Article 64 of the Public General Laws. The mortgagees were describéd as “the firm of Wehr, Hobelman and Gottlieb,” and in no other way. A petition was filed by the mortgagees in the Circuit Court of Baltimore City for a sale of the mortgaged property, and a decree was passed ordering it to be sold. The real and leasehold property was sold under the decree, and the sales were
There was undoubtedly error in the decree, in so far as it ordered the sale of all the mortgaged property. There is no authority in the statute to decree the sale of personal chattels. It was decided in Williams vs. Williams, 7 Gill, 302, that an appeal would lie from a decree of this character, notwithstanding the assent embodied in the mortgage. If an appeal had been taken, the decree would have been necessarily reversed in part. Ho appeal was taken, and the present question arises exclusively on the exceptions. The seven hundred and eighty-sixth section of the fourth Article of'the Public Local Laws is as follows: “Any allegations may he made, and proof under the orders of the said Court exhibited, and a trial of the allegations had as the Court shall prescribe, to show that the sale ought not to have been made.” Of course if the decree was erroneous, it could not he held that the sales ought to have been made. But there was no error in that portion of the decree which ordered the sale of the real and leasehold estate; and there has been no attempt to execute the portion which related to the personal chattels. There could he no reason or propriety in-
Let us consider the second exception. In mercantile dealings promissory notes are constantly made payable to partnerships, and bonds are frequently made payable in the same manner. A partnership is an association of individuals; hut what is due to the partnership is due to all the partners collectively, and what is due by the partnership, is due by all the partners collectively; and suits by and against them must he prosecuted in the names of the individuals composing the firm. A contract by or with a partnership is a contract by or with all the partners. By the common law it was not necessary that a deed should contain the name of the grantee; hut a sufficient description of him was always indispensable. Lord Coke says: “But purchases are good in many cases by a known name, or by a certain description of the person without either surname or name of baptism, as to the wife ,of I. S., or his first horn son, or his second horn son, &c. &c. &c., or to the right heirs of I. S.” Co. Littleton, 3a.
And even in the ’case of corporations a misnomer of the grantee does not defeat the grant; provided it can he shown by proof what corporation was intended to he designated by the parties to the deed. In the case of the Mayor and Burgesses of Linne Regis, 10 Coke, 122, a bond was given to the plaintiff, a corporation; but the corporate name was misdescribed- in the bond; it being however,"found by special verdict that the bond was given to the plaintiff by the erroneous description,.
Some of the questions which we have been considering were decided in Schaidt vs. Blaul, 66 Md., 141; hut the circumstances of this case required a more full discussion of them than they then received.
We will affirm the order of the Circuit Court.
Order affirmed.