39 Iowa 490 | Iowa | 1874
The case presents for onr consideration two questions: First, the right of plaintiff to recover upon the order sued on; second, plaintiff.’s right to recover upon the facts alleged in the amendment to the petition.
Considered as an .order, there is another fatal objection to. the instrument sued on. Section 26, Chapter 172, Laws Ninth General Assembly, provides that the board of directors “ shall audit and allow all just claims against the district, ■* * * and no order shall be drawn on the district treasury until the claim for which it is drawn has been so audited and allowed.” Now it appears, from the report of the referee, that no claim against the district had been audited and allowed, in discharge of which this order was drawn. Upon the contrary, it was drawn in advance of the existence of any claims against the district, for the purpose of being put upon the market and negotiated to raise money to build a school house. And it was, in fact, sold for $800.00.
The court did not err in holding that plaintiff could not recover upon the instrument sued on.
No additional proof was introduced, and the case was determined upon the facts already reported by the referee. The’ claim then which Williams assigned, grew out of the order already referred to, and the assignment of the claim was the transfer of the order. We have already seen that this portion-of Williams’ claim was invalid, the transaction which gave rise to it having created a debt, after the constitutional limitation had been passed. Williams could not have enforced this debt, and his assignee occupies no better position. If Williams or plaintiff, has any right in equity to subject the building erected for the defendant to the satisfaction of the claim against the district, which we do not now determine, this adjudication is without prejudice to such right.
On defendant’s appeal the cause must be
Reversed.