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20 Wend. 605

Peck v. Acker

New York Supreme Court

Decided June 15, 1839

New York Supreme Court · decided 1839-06-15

In this case, which is an action of replevin against the defendant as sheriff of the city and county of New-York, for taking certain property on an execution issued in favor of Gardner Gallup, an application was made in behalf of the plaintiff in the execution, that he be permitted to defend the action by a certain law firm in the city of New-York as his attorneys, and that they be substituted as such attorneys for JV*.

Good law ✅— No negative treatment on recordhow we know

Decided 1839-06-15

How this case has been cited

Cited by 3 later decisions — most recently January 1885

3 state decisions

10183918401850186018701880decided

Later decisions citing this case, by decade. The current decade is in progress, and our corpus holds fewer opinions from the most recent years, so the latest bars are undercounted — not a real decline.

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By the Court, Nelson, C. J.

¶1We are inclined to think the sheriff should be allowed to retain the attorney. Notwithstanding the indemnity, he is still interested in the management of the defence, both as to the amount in controversy and the time when it shall terminate. . A protracted litigation may increase the contingencies as to8the ultimate sufficiency of the security, and am omission properly to defend may swell the recovery far beyond the amount contemplated when the surety was taken." As a general rule the party to the record, and immediately liable for the result of the litigation, should control the attorneyto create an exception, the circumstances should be very strong. If the sheriff should conduct the defence improperly and by reason, thereof a recovery be had against him, the indemnitor can avail himself of such improper conduct in the action against him. Upon the whole, the sheriff should always be permitted in cases-like this to take upon himself the conduct of the defence, and to retain such person as attorney as he sees fit.

¶2Motion denied'.

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