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2 Cal. Unrep. 742

Caswell v. Harris

California Supreme Court

Decided February 23, 1887

California Supreme Court · decided 1887-02-23

This is an action in replevin, brought by B. F. Caswell, appellant, as a pledge-holder of certain personal property, against defendant, who took the said property as sheriff under two writs of attachment. The property belonged to a corporation named the Bear Creek Lumber Company, which turned it over, by way of pledge, to plaintiff, for the benefit of all its creditors except mortgage creditors.

Decided 1887-02-23

THORNTON, J.

¶1Conceding that the court below erred in its direction to the jury, in which it affirmed the power of the president and secretary of the Bear Creek Lumber Company, a corporation, to make a pledge of its property in satisfaction of a just claim of the company, still the jury might have based their verdict on the conclusion that such assignment was void as made with intent to hinder, delay, and defraud creditors. On this issue .certain circumstances were before the jury for their consideration. The jury were the proper triers of the intent, for the fraudulent intent of such an assignment is always a question of fact, and not of law, and is so expressly declared by statute in this state: Civ. Code, see. 3442; see sec. 3449. In this view, the jury might, and no doubt did, find a verdict which was not at all in conflict with any instruction given them. The learned judge of the court below does not appear to have thought that the jury disobeyed any instruction which was given them. The motion for a new trial was denied by him, and we think properly denied. We find no error in the record.

¶2The judgment is affirmed.

¶3We concur: McFarland, J.; Sharpstein, J.

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