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1 Morris 148

Faulkner v. Campbell

Supreme Court of Iowa

Decided January 15, 1843

Supreme Court of Iowa · decided 1843-01-15

This was a bill in chancery, filed by Valentine Faulkner against William S. Campbell, in the District Court of Louisa county. The complainant states, that he with one Wm. L. McGuire, had executed their joint and several promissory note to the said Campbell, for the sum of $300, which note was the* property of Campbell, and in the the hands of an attorney for collection. That the note was given for a certain “ claim ” upon U. S. land.

Decided 1843-01-15

¶1Per Curiam,

Mason, Chief Justice.

¶2The complainant having suffered a judgment by default, in an action brought against him by Campbell, upon a promissory note, filed the bill in this case, to restrain proceedings^ law, for various reasons therein set forth. We do not find it necessary to consider more than a single point—the negligence of the complainant, in not making his defence at law. If he had no other means of defence, it was incumbent on him to have filed his bill of discovery, in aid of the suit at law. Where a defendant has lain by, and failed to do so, without sufficient excuse, courts of equity have always refused to interfere.

¶3In the present case, no sufficient excuse is shown by the complainant, for not presenting to the court at law, the very matters of defence which he now urges in his bill; and which had they been there substantiated, would have been as available at law as in equity. We think therefore the demurrer should have been sustained, if presented in such a way as to have been considered at all, and of this the District Court was the proper judge. A least, no objection having been made on the ground that the record shows the demurrer to have been considered after making a final decree in the causo without anything to show that the decree had been previously opened, we shall not raise the objection ourselves. The decree of the court will therefore be reversed, the demurrer sustained and the bill dismissed.

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