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6 Wend. 632

In re Pulver

New York Supreme Court

Decided May 15, 1831

New York Supreme Court · decided 1831-05-15

The recorder of Hudson, on the application of Pulver, for a discharge under the insolvent act to exempt his body from imprisonment, made an order for the creditors of Pulver to shew cause before him, at his office, on the tenth day of December, 1828, at ten o’clock in the forenoon, why such discharge should not be granted.

Cited by 1 later decisions — most recently July 1848

1 state decisions

Good law ✅— No negative treatment on recordhow we know

Decided 1831-05-15

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¶1By the Court,

Savage, Ch. J.

¶2The only question in this matter is, whether the judge or commissioner, to whom an insolvent applies for a discharge, is obliged to wait any time after the hour appointed for the creditors to appear and shew cause.

¶3In this case a creditor appeared thirty minutes after the time; the order for the assignment had been made, the assignment executed, and the discharge was signed but not delivered. It is contended that the officer, in a case like this, should wait one hour. In Shufelt v. Cramer, 20 Johns. R. 309, this court said a justice was bound to wait a reasonable time, and that one hour was such reasonable time. They say, “This is in conformity to the practice on a summons, to shew cause before a judge.” The English practice on summons is to wait half an hour. 2 Arch, 278. One hour is no more than a reasonable time to wait for creditors to appear and shew cause; but my difficulty is as to the power of this court to interfere in such matter. The legislature, I have no doubt, intended the creditors should have time *634enough to appear. The language is, that the officer, on recejv¡ng t¡ie petition, &c. shall appoint a day and place; the expression of time and place is also used. In this case the officer did not proceed until after the hour: and he adopted, , . . . , . r • what was his usual practice, to proceed within a tew minutes after the hour, when he had not been informed of any opposition. The proceedings cannot be said to be irregular, the commissioner had authority to proceed ; and I am in favor of permitting such officers to exercise their own discretion as to their own practice.

¶4I think the proceedings should be affirmed.

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