80 A.D. 53 | N.Y. App. Div. | 1903
There is no dispute as to the facts involved in this appeal. They are, so far as the same are material, as follows: The plaintiff, through her guardian ad litem, brought this action to recover damages for personal injuries alleged to have been sustained through the negligence of the defendant. She recovered a judgment for a substantial amount, which was affirmed on appeal to this court. Thereafter, the guardian ad litem, through her attorney, asked the defendant to pay the amount of the judgment which it was ready and offered to do, provided the guardian ad Utem would file the security required by section 474 of the Code of Civil Procedure, and rule 51 of the General Rules of Practice. This the attorney refused to do, notwithstanding he admitted no such security had been filed, and he immediately issued an execution upon the judgment to the sheriff of Hew York county. The defendant thereupon made a motion to vacate and set aside the execution, or for leave to pay the money into court. The motion was denied, and from that order defendant appeals.
Here, it is conceded that the guardian ad litem had not given the security required by law, and that fact was known to the defendant when it was asked to pay the judgment. She was not, therefore, authorized to receive the amount of, or to satisfy the judgment, and a payment of it would not have protected the defendant. ( Wuesthoff v. Germania Life Ins. Co., 107 N. Y. 580; Calmbacher v. Neuman, 28 Abb. N. C. 156.) An attorney has no more authority or power than his client. Here, the guardian ad litem being prohibited from receiving the amount of the judgment, her attorney was also prohibited from receiving it, and this seems to be conceded. Both of them being unauthorized to receive the amount of the judgment, it seems to me to necessarily follow, under the provision of the Code referred to, that neither of them could take a single step towards enforcing the collection of the judgment, either by execution or otherwise, until the security had been given as provided in that section. The power to act at all in this respect depended upon the security given. This was a necessary prerequisite to the exercise of any power whatever.
Nor do I see any force in the suggestion that a collection of the judgment may be made through the sheriff, because he is not necessarily required to immediately pay the money to the guardian ad litem or her attorney, and can ultimately only pay it over in accordance with law. If an attorney has power to issue an execution, then, so far as a sheriff is concerned, he is presumed to be authorized to receive the amount called for by the execution. It would be very unreasonable to hold that a sheriff, before he can safely pay over money collected-upon an execution to an attorney who issued it, must ascertain whether the attorney or his client is legally authorized to receive it. How would a sheriff ascertain these facts ? And, in the
I am of the opinion that the order appealed from should be reversed, with ten dollars costs and disbursements, and the motion to vacate and set aside the execution granted, with ten dollars costs.
Van Brunt, P. J., O’Brien and Laughlin, JJ., concurred; Patterson, J., dissented.
Order reversed, with ten dollars costs and disbursements, and motion granted, with ten dollars costs.