American Employers' Ins. Co. v. Dallas Joint Stock Land Bank

170 S.W.2d 546
CourtCourt of Appeals of Texas
DecidedFebruary 19, 1943
DocketNos. 13357, 13361
StatusPublished
Cited by9 cases

This text of 170 S.W.2d 546 (American Employers' Ins. Co. v. Dallas Joint Stock Land Bank) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals of Texas primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
American Employers' Ins. Co. v. Dallas Joint Stock Land Bank, 170 S.W.2d 546 (Tex. Ct. App. 1943).

Opinion

YOUNG, Justice.

Dallas Joint Stock Land Bank, under terms of a subsisting fidelity bond covering the acts and conduct of H. W. Ferguson, its President, sued appellant for an amount of money or “secret profits,” alleged to be the property of the Land Bank, but appropriated by said official; and upon trial, recovered judgment against the Insurance Company for ¡$7,406.48, with interest at 6% from November 16, 1939 (date of proof of loss). After pleading certain affirmative defenses to the suit of the ’Land Bank, appellant Insurance Company impleaded H. W. Ferguson, Mrs. Anne G. Jones (his former wife) and one C. R. Craddock, as parties to plaintiff’s action; claiming a right of reimbursement from last-named persons in event of liability on the bond. Accordingly, the Insurance Company recovered judgment over against Ferguson in like amount ($8,491.50 at time of trial) ; also an equitable lien was established on 736.8 acres of land in Denton County, the property of Mrs. Jones, upon a finding by the court that aforesaid secret profits, to extent of $6,581.35, had been used in acquiring said lands while cross-defendants (Ferguson and Mrs. Jones) were husband and wife.

All parties have excepted to various parts of the judgment. The appeal of H. W. Ferguson, though presented separately, will be joined in one disposition; and here, we note that cross-defendant Mrs. Anne G. Jones has filed no brief.

The following background of facts to the entire litigation should be stated: H. W. Ferguson was President of Dallas Joint Stock Land Bank on all material dates prior to September 28, 1939, at which time he resigned. Since 1936, a fidelity bond had been held by the Land B'ank, covering the official acts of its President, with conditions of reimbursement to the assured for any financial loss that might be sustained directly or in collusion with others “through failures * * * faithfully to execute, perform and discharge all the duties of his office and position, or faithfully to account for and/ or deliver and pay over to the employer, or person entitled thereto, any and all money, notes, bonds, debentures, securities, documents, records or other properties of any and every kind and character, which belong to the employer, or for which it may be responsible, which may come into his possession or custody, or for which he may be accountable by virtue of his office or position.” The secret profits, which the trial court held to be within the terms of said bond, were funds retained by Ferguson and arising out of realty sales, oil and gas leases and rental transactions in South Texas, between May 12, 1937, and March 3, 1938.

In a non jury trial, the Land Bank had alleged, and the evidence established, that the losses just mentioned were not discovered until after resignation of Ferguson as President, or about September 30, 1939, when it gave telegraphic notice thereof to appellant, furnished due proof of loss on November 16, 1939; and on January 31, 1940, was notified by the Insurance Company that liability was denied.

For several years prior to February 2, 1940, Mr. Ferguson had been the registered owner of 1,855 shares of the Land Bank’s capital stock, but on that day, 928 shares were transferred on the books of the Bank to A. W. Brown, reducing Ferguson’s shares to 927. As of June 1, 1940, the book value of Land Bank capital stock was $200 per share; the market value around $160 per share. Likewise, for a [549]*549considerable time prior to the year 1940, Ferguson had engaged in extensive financial transactions with Wm. Morris, of Dallas, also the Mercantile National Bank; and on June 1, 1940, his obligations to these two creditors stood generally as follows : To the Mercantile Bank, $101,500, secured by first lien on section 19 of 640 acres in San Patricio County, and pledge of the aforesaid 927 shares of stock; to Mr. Morris, a principal debt of approximately $60,000, secured by second lien on the properties just described; also first pledgee’s lien on 49% of the capital stock of Santa Cruz Farms, Inc., a 9,400-acre South Texas company (competent testimony valuing the Santa Cruz pledged stock at $60,000 and Section 19 at $80 per acre).

The total indebtedness above is shown to be $161,500, secured by collateral valued at $259,000.

During all this time, the Land Bank was in process of voluntary liquidation and fully cognizant of above Ferguson indebtedness, with special reference to the 927 shares of his stock pledged with such creditors as security. On May 21, 1940, the Land Bank declared a liquidating dividend of $90 per share, payable June 1, notifying its stockholders thereof, including Mercantile National Bank; one of its officials sending to the Land Bank the pledged 927 shares for dividend credit, requesting check for the amount ($83,430) to be mailed such pledgee. The check in question was thereafter made to H. W. Ferguson, payee, who promptly endorsed it to the Mercantile National Bank and received credit on the particular debt. On August 15, 1940, the 927 shares were sold to A. W. Brown at $76 per share, the proceeds being applied to payment of the Mercantile Bank note in full; also to reduction of the Morris loan to some $12,000. This balance was fully paid later in the year and all liens released by these creditors.

The material facts of this case are not controverted and, predicated thereon, judgment was rendered as already described, viz.: That the secret profits retained by Ferguson, but due the Land Bank, aggregated $6,581.35, and by Ferguson and Craddock, $825.13, for which the Insurance Company was liable under its policy, with interest at 6% from November 16, 1939 (amounting to $1,085.02), or a total rendition at time of trial of $8,491.50, bearing legal interest at 6% per annum until paid. Judgment was also rendered for the Insurance Company against Ferguson and Craddock for $946.28 and against Ferguson for $7,545.22, the two sums being the same as the Land Bank’s recovery against insurer. Further judgment findings were that these secret profits ($6,581.35) had been used in the purchase and improvement of the 736.8 acres of Denton County land, title to which was in cross-defendant Anne G. Jones (formerly Ferguson) who “holds said lands in trust for American Employers’ Insurance Company as subrogee of Dallas Joint Stock Land Bank to the extent of said sum, with interest, and it is entitled to and holds an equitable lien against said lands to the extent of said sum with interest.” The equitable lien so established was to secure appellant in the payment of $7,545.22 (representing said sum of $6,581.35 with interest from November 16, 1939), together with 6% interest thereon from April 25, 1942, the date of trial; the decree specially providing, however, that such equitable lien be not foreclosed until full payment and satisfaction of the primary judgment in favor of the Land Bank against defendant insurer. The latter, as cross-plaintiff, sought personal judgment against Mrs. Jones, which was by the court denied.

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Bluebook (online)
170 S.W.2d 546, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/american-employers-ins-co-v-dallas-joint-stock-land-bank-texapp-1943.