WPC 0G.Yf͑;Z>}#Rμ->{lXP [{V >(P-HCS-5_}5 xKI$KE1hC"MH7+&8\GU$sI"nOй*ef:E]ؠW%ד$'!qD(pX F͙/n&A{?{덉E(`A3 #mֶ#iDŽD2e߅=OJ KDktpgYT ihkb[-7ء:0I ہEl-u%1KiN2ewce':c+EXaIr~o4Y 1x(Bޟ/_'_ _CAq(RR#{#Dv* @B˹M:_(TʇF:Db %\U @b 0U N*^ xw4 z   m     j #0 NEb 0 B 0 D3 D- 0K   AST 0m 0D AU(I Z(Times New Roman (`$.8dd8    ("  Z6Times New Roman RegularL) ;)bk2h C:\PROGRA~1\COREL\WORDPE~1\TEMPLATE\CUSTOM~1\REVISE~1.WPTC:\Program Files\Corel\WordPerfect Office 2000\Template\Custom WP Templates\revised standard opinion.wpt3|xU Level 1Level 2Level 3Level 4Level 5Level 1Level 2Level 3Level 4Level 5Level 1Level 2Level 3Level 4Level 5Level 1Level 2Level 3Level 4Level 5HP LaserJet 4050 Series PCL 5e,,,,0- -(|G2$ !.8dd8         0  M d(|3p$ !.8dd8     VVVV'dxd)!dxdx( $ Figure  1  ^_X`YE<<CLevel 1Level 2Level 3Level 4Level 5(|3p$ !.8dd8     ($$   1  X[Z&OLE 2.0 Box <=8C HKKKK !.8dd8     _  8PXXdd8  @ %INTHECOURTOFAPPEALSOFTENNESSEE  @kk$ATNASHVILLE#%+#Ԉ &   September8,2000Session L XPX #XXP#CUMBERLANDBANK,etal.v.HENRIETTASMITH,etal.XPX  J @@ AppealfromtheChanceryCourtforSmithCounty  J @@No.6398C.K.Smith,Chancellor  6 @@*AV) ` dE<` A   @@TTNo.M200000052_COA_ԄR3CVFiledOctober12,_2000_   AV) ` dE<|` A }     Acreditorfiledanactiontosellaparcelofthedebtorsrealestatetosatisfyajudgmentlienonthe x  property.TheChanceryCourtofSmithCountygrantedthereliefrequested.Thejudgmentdebtor d assertsonappealthattheunderlyingjudgmentanda_nulla_Ԁbonasheriffsreturnarevoid.Forthe P reasonssetforthinouropinionbelow,weaffirmtheactionofthelowercourt. <  Tenn.R.App.P.3AppealasofRight;JudgmentoftheChanceryCourtAffirmed  d   #XPٙ#XPX.BenH.Cantrell,P.J.,M.S.,deliveredtheopinionofthecourt,inwhichWilliamB.Cainand < HollyK._Lillard_,JJ.joined. ( MichaelR.Jennings,Lebanon,Tennessee,fortheappellant,HenriettaSmith.  J._Branden_Ԁ_Bellar_,Carthage,Tennessee,fortheappellee,CumberlandBank.  W OPINION #XXPن#XPX L  #XXPټ #  XPX  TheCumberlandBankfiledthisactiontosellatractofrealestateownedbythedefendant, #`" HenriettaSmith.ThecomplaintexhibitedacopyofaMay1998judgmentfromtheCircuitCourt #L# ofSmithCountyagainst_Cordell_ԀSmithandHenriettaSmith.Thejudgmentshowedthatitwas $8 $ registeredintheSmithCountyRegistersOfficeonMay21,1998.Thecomplaintprayedthatthe %$!% propertybesoldandtheproceedsappliedtothejudgment. &"&   Ms.Smithfiledananswercontainingonlygeneraldenialsandnoaffirmativedefenses.At (#( thetrialMs.Smithscounselorallyraisedseveraldefensestotheunderlyingjudgment,whichthe )$) chancellorpatientlyexploredandfoundtobewithoutmerit.Healsosoughttoavoidthesaleby p*%* attackingtheexecutionreturned_nulla_Ԁbona.Wewillconsidertheissuesonappeal,sinceitappears \+&+ thattheywereactuallytriedinthecourtbelow.SeeRule15.02,Tenn.R.Civ.P. H,',  4-(- @) II.  @TheExclusionofEvidence     First,theappellantassertsthatthetrialcourterredbyexcludinganyoralevidenceofthe t circuitcourtproceedingswhenthebankobtainedtheunderlyingjudgment.Wefailtofindinthe ` record,however,wheretheexcludedevidencewaspreservedforourreview.Tenn.R._Evid_. L  103(a)(2)requiresanofferofprooftopredicateerroronthetrialcourtsexclusionofevidence. 8  Sincewedonotknowwhattheappellantintendedtoproveanditisnotevidentfromthecontext, $ t wecannotfaultthetrialjudgesaction.  ` @^^( III.  8  @TheCircuitCourtJudgment  $    Theappellantassertsthatthecircuitcourtjudgmentisvoid.Shebasesthisassertionon   severalperceivedshortcomingsinthecircuitcourtprocedure.Theonlyrecordwehavefromthe   circuitcourtisacollectiveexhibitintroducedbythebank.Theexhibitcontainsacertificationfrom   thecircuitcourtclerkthattheincludeddocuments appearsofrecordinmyoffice.Thecertificate p doesnotsaythattheexhibitcontainstheentirerecord,butthechancellorapparentlyacceptedthe \ recordasbeingcomplete. H   TheexhibitcontainsacomplaintfiledonNovember12,1997against_Cordell_ԀSmithand  p HenriettaSmithdemandingjudgmentonanoteexecutedonDecember13,1996.Thesheriff  \ returnedasummonsservedoneachofthedefendantsonNovember15,1997.OnMarch5,1998, H thebankfiledanamendedcomplaintthatdescribedsomecollateralsecuringthenoteandprayedthat 4 thebankbeallowedtorepossessthecollateralandsellit.Noanswerhadbeenfiledbythe   defendants.     OnMarch6,1998,thebankfiledanoticethatitwouldappearbeforethecourtonApril3  toseekanorderofpossessionforthecollateral.Apparentlythathearingdidnottakeplace,because  thebankfiledanothernoticeonMay12,1998thatitwouldseekanorderofpossessiononMay21. l ThenextentryintherecordisaMay21,1998judgmentagainstbothdefendantsintheamountof X  $69,761.16. D!   ThedefendantsfiledajointmotiontoreconsiderandsetasidetheMay21judgment.They #l! allegedthattheyhadnonoticethatafinaljudgmentwouldbesoughtattheMay21hearing;thatthe $X" onlyrelieftheywereawarethatthebankwasseekingwaspossessionofthecollateral,andtheydid $D # notappearbecausetheyhadnoobjectiontoanorderofpossession.Thebankfiledaresponse %0!$ pointingoutthatneitherdefendanthadansweredthecomplaintandthatthebankhadnonoticethat &"% HenriettaSmithwasrepresentedbycounseluntilshefiledthemotiontosetasidethejudgment. '#&   ThecircuitcourtheldahearingonJune22,1998anddeniedthemotiontoreconsiderand )$(  setasidethejudgment.Thecourtsorderrecites Upontheargumentofcounselandtheproof |*%) reflectedintherecord,thecourtfoundDefendantsmotionnotwelltakenandtherebyoverruledthe  same.     OnJune23,1998,thedefendantsfiledajointansweradmittingthematerialallegationsof t theamendedcomplaint.TheansweralsocontainedacounterclaimbyHenriettaSmithallegingthat ` shewaspersuadedtosignhersonsrenewalnoteinrelianceonthebanksfalsestatementsthather L  signaturewasnecessarytosecureadditionalcreditforhersontopurchaseatruck.Shesoughta 8  rescissionorcancellationofthenote. $ t   Thedefendantsfiledanoticeofappealfromtheorderrefusingtosetasidethejudgment,but  L  thiscourtdismissedtheappealwhenthedefendantsfailedtofileabondasrequiredbyRule6,Tenn.  8  R.App.P.Thecircuitcourtjudgment,therefore,becamefinal. $    Basedonthecircuitcourtrecordtheappellantassertsthatthejudgmentisvoidbecauseshe   hadnonoticethatthecasewastobetriedonMay21,1998andbecauseajudgmentfordefault   requiresatleastathirtydaynoticeunderRule55.01,Tenn.R.Civ.P.Inouropinionthisamounts   toacollateralattackonthecircuitcourtjudgmentonthenotionthatthecircuitcourtviolatedMs. p Harrisrighttodueprocess. \   Acollateralattackonapriorjudgmentmaybesuccessfulifthejudgmentisvoidbecausethe 4 courtrenderingthejudgmentactedinamannerinconsistentwithdueprocessoflaw.See47Am.  p _Jur_.2dJudgments916.Butajudgmentisnotsubjecttocollateralattackformereerrorsor  \ irregularitiescommittedbythecourtintheexerciseofitsjurisdiction.Id. Errorsotherthanlack H ofjurisdictionrenderthejudgmentmerelyvoidable,Cookv.Cameron,733S.W.2d137,140(Tex. 4 1987);andavoidablejudgmentcanonlybechallengedondirectappeal,_Tigrett_Ԁv.UnionPlanters   NationalBank,973S.W.2d208(Tenn.Ct.App.1997),Hammv.Hamm,204S.W.2d113(Tenn.   Ct.App.1947).    Wethinktheirregularitiescomplainedofinthecircuitcourtprocedureresultedinajudgment  thatwasatmostvoidable.Theappellantsremedyforthecircuitcourtsallegederrorswasan l appealtothiscourt.Whenshefailedtoperfectherappealshewaivedherrighttocomplainabout X  thejudgmentonwhichthebankbroughtthisaction. D!   @dd) IV. #l! @TheChanceryOrderofSale  $X"   Theappellantattacksthechancerycourtsorderofsaleonthegroundthattheexecution %0!$ shouldhavebeenleviedonthepropertyof_Cordell_ԀSmith(principal)firstbeforesubjectingthe &"% propertyofHenriettaSmith(Surety).SeeTenn.CodeAnn.263105(a).Butthestatutedoesnot '#& applywherethejudgmentdoesnotrecitethatitisagainstaprincipalandsurety,Tenn.CodeAnn. (#' 263107;_Beeler_Ԁv.Hall,30Tenn.445(1850),andthestatuteisdirectoryonly._Sellars_Ԁv._Fite_, )$( 62Tenn.131(1873).Ifthesheriffviolatesthestatutetheexecutionisstillgood,butthesuretymay |*%) haveanactionagainsttheofficer.Id. h+&* Ї  Theappellantalsoattacksthe_nulla_Ԁbonareturnoftheexecutionbecausetheofficerdidnot  makeanadequateinvestigationtofindtheappellantspersonalproperty.SeeTenn.CodeAnn.  263101.Asthetrialjudgefound,ifthesheriffsreturnwaserroneousthatisamatterbetweenthe  sheriffandMs.Smith,butthejudgmentcreditoronlyhasthirtydaysafterthe_nulla_Ԁbonareturnto t fileanactiontopreservethejudgmentlien.SeeTenn.CodeAnn.255104.Thecreditorhasthe ` righttorelyonthesheriffsreturn.If,infact,Ms.Smithhassufficientpersonalpropertysheshould L  paythejudgmentandliftthelienfromherrealestate. 8    ThejudgmentofthetrialcourtisaffirmedandthecauseisremandedtotheChanceryCourt  ` ofSmithCountyforanyfurtherproceedingsnecessary.TaxthecostsonappealtoHenriettaSmith.  L     `     h   _________________________________________      `     h   BENH.CANTRELL,PRESIDINGJUDGE,M.S.