Alfred Hazlett, Receiver v. Thomas A. Woodhead.

67 A. 736, 28 R.I. 452, 1907 R.I. LEXIS 69
CourtSupreme Court of Rhode Island
DecidedJune 28, 1907
StatusPublished

This text of 67 A. 736 (Alfred Hazlett, Receiver v. Thomas A. Woodhead.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of Rhode Island primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Alfred Hazlett, Receiver v. Thomas A. Woodhead., 67 A. 736, 28 R.I. 452, 1907 R.I. LEXIS 69 (R.I. 1907).

Opinion

Dubois, J.

Since the rendition of our opinion in these cases, which is reported in 27 R. I. 506, the plaintiff has attempted to remedy the defects, therein referred to, by amending his declarations in said actions. The defendants have demurred to the amended declarations, and the Superior Court has sustained these demurrers; to this action of the Superior Court the plaintiff has duly excepted, and is prosecuting his bills of exceptions in this court.

It becomes important to consider the amendments that have been made to the declarations in these cases, to determine whether or not the objections made to the originals have been cured thereby.

In the plaintiff’s declarations against the first and second *454 named defendants the first amendment consists of the use of the words “in equity” as descriptive of the cause of action in which the American Bank of Beatrice, Nebraska, was adjudged to be insolvent. The second amendment is contained in the words “and wherein also this defendant duly appeared by attorney” and also refers to the equity cause aforesaid. The third amendment is purely technical, consisting of the words “and by” between the words “under” and “the laws of the State of Nebraska.” The fourth amendment is a correction of a clerical error by substituting the word “receiver” for “bank.” The fifth amendment is a supplemental allegation to the one setting forth that on the 27th day of June, 1898, an order was duly made, in the equity cause hereinbefore referred to, finding and adjudging that the assets of said bank had all been exhausted and the proceeds paid out and applied by the receiver pursuant to the order of said court and authorizing the receiver to bring suit against the stockholders of said bank, and reads as follows: “that in pursuance of said order this plaintiff as recéiver of said Bank did on December 16th, 1901, file a petition with said Court in the case of Lynus Knight et al., vs. American Bank of Beatrice, Nebraska, wherein he set forth that he had sued and recovered judgment in the case of Hazlett vs. Ainsworth et al., against all stockholders of said Bank resident or having' property within said State of Nebraska for their additional double liability, and that by reason of the insolvency of many of said stockholders the amount received from said judgments and which might be received therefrom would not exceed fourteen thousand ($14,000) dollars, and also setting forth that the amount of indebtedness of said bank exceeded forty-two thousand ($42,000) dollars, and that of the non-resident stockholders so many were insolvent that it was necessary to sue all non-resident stockholders for the full additional amount up to the par value of the shares of stock held by each respectively, and wherein he prayed for leave to sue all stockholders of said Bank for their additional liability up to an amount equal to the full par value of the shares of stock held by each respectively, of which petition four weeks notice, the same being due and legal notice, was given by publi *455 cation in a newspaper as ordered by said Court to all stockholders, including this defendant, and by which notice all stockholders resident and non-resident were ordered to appear on or before the 24th day of February, 1902, and show cause, if any they had, why the prayer of said petition should not be granted The sixth amendment, which is merely descriptive, comprises the italicized words in the following statement of the averment in the declaration next after the fifth amendment, viz.: “that on the 27th of March, 1903, upon a further report and showing to said District Court of the county of Gage, in said case of Lynus Knight et al., vs. American Bank of Beatrice, Nebraska, of which report and showing as above set forth, notice has been given to said American Bank and all stockholders thereof, including this defendant, and upon full proof of the facts stated in the preceding paragraph of the condition of the bank, further decree was made and entered in said cause finding and adjudging that it was necessary in order to pay the liabilities of said defendant bank to bring action against the non-resident stockholders of said bank for the full amount of their statutory liability, to wit, the par value of the amount of their stock in said bank held by each respectively, and it was further ordered by said court that the plaintiff as such receiver should bring action in his own name against each of the non-resident stockholders of said bank for the full amount of the par value of the shares of stock held by each of them.” The seventh amendment changes the date from “June 27,1902,” to the same month and day, 1898. The eighth makes a similar correction so that “March 27th, 1902,” becomes the same time in 1903. The ninth amendment inserts the word “and” between the word “State” and the words “is entitled to enforce and collect from the defendant the full amount of the par value of the shares of stock held by him.” And the tenth and last amendment merely corrects an error in the date from which interest will run against the defendant, to wit, March 27th, 1903, instead of 1902.

The second amendment is omitted in the declarations against the third and fourth defendants; otherwise the amended declarationsjare substantially identical. The first amendment *456 shows that the action was brought in a court usually having jurisdiction over proceedings in insolvency and of receivers. The second amendment affecting the first and second named defendants alleges that they duly appeared in said equity suit by attorney. The third and fourth amendments have no material effect. The fifth amendment does set forth that notice of the plaintiff's petition for leave to sue all stockholders of the bank was given, by publication in a newspaper, as ordered by said court, to all stockholders resident and non-resident, including these defendants, to appear on or before the 24th day of February, 1902, to show cause why the prayer of said petition should not be granted. And the sixth, seventh, eighth, ninth, and tenth amendments require no further comments than those they have already received.

The demurrers of the defendants hereinbefore referred to are based upon the following grounds:

First. It does not appear in the declaration that the plaintiff was appointed receiver of said American Bank in proceedings brought in conformity with chapter VIII, section 34, Compiled Statutes of Nebraska, 1895.

Second. A receiver appointed under proceedings in the State of Nebraska has no right to sue in the courts of the State of Rhode Island.

Third. It does not appear that the defendant was a party to, had due and legal notice of, or is in any way bound by the decree rendered by the Nebraska court in the case of Lynus Knight et al. v. American Bank.

Fourth. It does not appear that the constitution or statutes of the State of Nebraska authorizes a receiver to sue to recover from a stockholder upon his liability as such.

Fifth. The law of Nebraska as laid down in Farmers Loan and Trust Co. v. Funk, and German National Bank v. Farmers and Merchants’ Bank,

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Related

German National Bank v. Farmers & Merchants Bank
74 N.W. 1086 (Nebraska Supreme Court, 1898)

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Bluebook (online)
67 A. 736, 28 R.I. 452, 1907 R.I. LEXIS 69, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/alfred-hazlett-receiver-v-thomas-a-woodhead-ri-1907.