268 P. 830 | Kan. | 1928
The opinion of the court was delivered by
David Smolinsky brought this action against the Federal Reserve Life Insurance Company to recover upon a judgment which had been rendered in his favor against the insurance company by a circuit court of Missouri. The trial in the Kansas court resulted in a judgment for defendant, from which plaintiff appeals, alleging error in the admission of evidence and errors in the findings of fact and conclusions of law.
The plaintiff was a druggist doing business in Kansas City, Mo. A Mr. Hammond and Mr. Rice came to his store on August 9, 1923, and solicited two sons of plaintiff to take out policies of insurance in the defendant company, which they did. Later they interviewed
“Executed the within writ February 12, 1925, in Kansas City, Jackson county, Missouri, by delivering a copy of the same, together with a copy of the petition in the cause, to W. H'. Gregory, president of the defendant corporation, which corporation is not incorporated by virtue of the laws of this state, and not authorized to do business in this state by the superintendent of insurance; that said W. H. Gregory has, during the years 1923 and 1924, and is still, soliciting insurance in the state of Missouri on behalf of said corporation, and has made contracts of insurance and collected and received premiums for insurance in the state of Missouri, on behalf of said corporation, and has aided and assisted in said acts, for and on behalf of said corporation.”
No appearance was made in behalf of the defendant when the case was finally tried and the judgment rendered. In this action the court found among other things that the defendant is a Kansas corporation doing a life insurance business; that it had no author
Plaintiff complains of the ruling of the court in permitting the defendant to contradict the return of the sheriff who made the service on the defendant. The return on its face is regular, and the court of Missouri, after an examination, determined it to be a valid service. In that state the courts have uniformly held that the return of a serving officer, regular on its face, showing the facts and mode of service, is conclusive on the parties and that its truth can only be contraverted in a direct action against the sheriff for a false return. It was said:
“That this rule of law is founded in the necessity of the case, . . . [and that] ‘to permit the parties to an action to contravert the truth of the return of the officer deputed by law to serve the process, would produce great delay and embarrassment in the administration of justice.’ ” (Newcomb v. Railroad, 182 Mo. 687, 704.)
See, also, Realty Co. v. Packing Co., 112 Mo. App. 271, and authorities therein cited.
Again, the Missouri court received evidence upon the motion relating to the service of the summons, and upon these determined that the service was sufficient to vest the court with jurisdiction of the defendant and to give it authority to proceed to judgment. The finding of fact upon testimony is conclusive evidence of the fact and of jurisdiction. (In re Wallace, 75 Kan. 432, 89 Pac. 687; Miller v. Miller, 89 Kan. 151, 130 Pac. 681; Barnes v. Brownlee, 97 Kan. 517, 155 Pac. 962; Smith v. Young, 136 Mo. App. 65.) Recitals in the return of a sheriff as to matters not within the knowledge of the sheriff are not conclusive upon the parties, but it is well settled in this state that recitals within his personal knowledge are not open to contradiction or to be disproved by extrinsic evidence after the rendition of judgment. (Goddard v. Harbour, 56 Kan. 744, 44 Pac. 1055; Orchard v. Peake, 69 Kan. 510, 77 Pac. 281; Ericson v. Charles, 108 Kan. 205, 194 Pac. 652; Duke v. Central State Bank, 120 Kan. 99, 242 Pac. 471.) It will be observed that the return shows personal service on W. H. Gregory by the delivery of a copy of the writ and of the petition in the cause. It is conceded that Gregory was the president of the company when the service was made. Mention was made of the fact that he was in Missouri attending the wedding of his son, but there is no claim that he was
On the facts in the record not open to dispute, it is clear that the Missouri court had jurisdiction to render the judgment involved in this action, and that it was not open to the attack made upon it by the defendant.
It is unnecessary to consider some other questions raised by the plaintiff. The judgment of the district court is reversed and the cause remanded, with directions to enter judgment for the plaintiff.