Arbuthnot v. Richheimer & Co.

72 So. 251, 139 La. 797, 1916 La. LEXIS 1628
CourtSupreme Court of Louisiana
DecidedMay 9, 1916
DocketNo. 20816
StatusPublished
Cited by9 cases

This text of 72 So. 251 (Arbuthnot v. Richheimer & Co.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of Louisiana primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Arbuthnot v. Richheimer & Co., 72 So. 251, 139 La. 797, 1916 La. LEXIS 1628 (La. 1916).

Opinion

LAND, J.

Plaintiff, a commercial firm of the city of London, through Chas. Dittman, a resident of the city of New Orleans, sued to be decreed the owners of 500 bags of coffee, marked “R. H. H.,” shipped by C. F. De Lima & Co., of Santos, Brazil, under certain conditions, in substance as follows:

On June 19,1912, plaintiff company, against said coffee, issued a letter of credit for 2,030 pounds, and on July 30, 1912, received from defendant Richheimer & Co., of Chicago, a trust receipt, wherein the said company agreed to hold said coffee on storage as the property of the plaintiff company.

The petition further represented that said coffee was in the Standard Warehouse Company, of the city of New Orleans, owned by the defendant Stonewall Jackson, who had, at the instance of said Richheimer & Co., issued negotiable receipts therefor.

Plaintiff prayed for a writ of sequestra[800]*800tion to protect its rights in the premises, and for judgment against Richheimer & Co., in the sum of 2,030 pounds sterling, with interest from judicial demand, maintaining the sequestration, and declaring the plaintiff to be the owners of the property seized under said writ. The 500 bags of coffee were seized under the writ.

The National Bank of the Republic of the City of Chicago, filed a petition of intervention, and third opposition, claiming to be the pledgee of the said 500 bags of coffee, being the holder of certain warehouse receipt dated August 5, 1912, bearing the number 3,527, and issued by the aforesaid warehouse to the defendant, for said coffee, and which was delivered to the intervener and third opponent in consideration of a loan to defendant of $107,621.56, said 500 bags of coffee being part and parcel of 3,152 bags of coffee pledged by defendant to intervener and third opponent as collateral for said loan.

The petition of intervention and third opposition further represented that said National Bank of the Republic was the innocent holder in good faith, for value, of the said receipt, and had a lien and privilege on said property superior to the claim of the plaintiff, and desires recognition thereof and restoration of the property to its possession,, and prayed for judgment accordingly.

The warehouse receipt purports to be a “negotiable warehouse receipt,” issued under Act No. 156 of 1888, and acknowledges the receipt of the 500 bags of coffee from Richheimer & Co., on August 5, 1912, “deliverable only on return of this receipt properly indorsed.”

Defendant Stonewall Jackson, for answer to the petition, admitted the storage of the 500 bags of coffee, and that he still held possession of the same. He averred that as against said coffee he had issued negotiable warehouse receipt No. 3,527, and that under the law said goods could not be taken from his custody without the surrender of said receipt, and that he had certain lawful storage charges against said coffee, secured by first lien and privilege and right of retention superior to all others.

This defendant prayed that the proceedings against him he dismissed. He further prayed that, if the coffee be taken from him without the surrender to him of said warehouse receipt, then full and ample security be given to protect him in the premises, and that his claim for storage be recognized and enforced.

Plaintiff answered the intervention and third opposition of the National Bank of the Republic, averring in substance, that the letter of credit stipulated that the bills of lading for the coffee to be purchased should be made out to the order of the plaintiff, and one of them, with the invoice and correspondence, was to be sent to Charles Dittman Co., agent of the plaintiff. For further answer plaintiff averred that by an agreement indorsed on said letter of credit, and signed by Richheimer & Co., the said company admitted plaintiff’s ownership of all goods purchased under said credit, as well as the proceeds thereof, and all insurance on such goods, and all bills of lading, or warehouse receipts given therefor, and that said company, upon the receipt of the merchandise shipped on the faith of the letter of credit, should give such security as plaintiff should demand, and sign and deliver to the plaintiff a trust receipt for said merchandise in such form as plaintiff might require.

For further answer plaintiff finally averred that on July 30, 1912, the said Richheimer & Co. did deliver to the plaintiff a trust receipt, acknowledging the receipt of the merchandise (coffee) specified in the bill of lading, and agreeing to hold the same “on storage as the property of Messrs. Arbuthnot, Latham & Co.”

[802]*802For further answer plaintiff averred that the said warehouse receipt was wrongfully issued by the said Jackson to the said Richheimer & Co., not being the owners or the agent of the owners, and that the pretended pledge of said receipt by said company to the intervener was fraudulent, was an attempt to pledge the property of another, and the said intervener knew, or should have known, of the existence of said trust receipt.

For further answer plaintiff averred that the defendant Jackson knew, at the time he issued said receipt, that plaintiff, and not Richheimer & Co., was the owner of the coffee, and knew of the existence of the trust receipt, and is bound to indemnify the plaintiff for whatever loss “they” may suffer in consequence thereof. Wherefore the plaintiff prayed, in the event of a judgment in favor of the intervener, for judgment against the said Jackson for the value of the coffee represented by said warehouse receipt.

Stonewall Jackson excepted to the demands contained in this answer of the plaintiff. The exceptions were sustained.

Stonewall Jackson answered the intervention, the National Bank of the Republic admitting the issuing of the warehouse receipt, setting forth the sequestration of the 500 bags of coffee, and averring that he had, in all respects, complied with all of his obligations as warehouseman. Wherefore he prayed to be dismissed from the proceedings, and that the intervener be directed to deposit the warehouse receipt in the registry of the court, and for its cancellation or return to him.

The case was tried, and judgment was rendered in favor of the plaintiff, recognizing said company as the owner of the 500 bags of coffee, and maintaining the seizure.

The National Bank of the Republic, and Richheimer & Co. through its trustee in bankruptcy, have appealed.

After the 500 bags of coffee in controversy reached the port of New Orleans, Charles Dittman Company, agent for the plaintiff, on July 30, 1912, delivered the same to Richheimer & Co., taking their receipt, reading in part as follows:

“And in consideration thereof we agree to hold said merchandise in storage' as the property of Messrs. Arbuthnot Latham & Co., with liberty to sell the same, and account for the proceeds to their said attorneys.
“In case of sale we agree to hand the proceeds when received to their said attorneys, so as to provide for the payment of Messrs. Arbuthnot, Latham & Co.’s acceptance on over (our?) account.
“We further agree to keep the said merchandise insured, etc.; * * * the intention of this agreement being to preserve unimpaired the lien of Messrs. Arbuthnot, Latham & Co.’s said property.”

On August 5, 1912, said S.

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Related

In re Wallace Lincoln-Mercury, Inc.
326 F. Supp. 1243 (W.D. Louisiana, 1971)
Sampsell v. Lawrence Warehouse Co.
167 F.2d 885 (Ninth Circuit, 1948)
John S. Hale & Co. v. Beley Cotton Co.
290 S.W. 994 (Tennessee Supreme Court, 1927)
M. Feitel House Wrecking Co. v. Citizens Bank & Trust Co.
2 La. App. 118 (Louisiana Court of Appeal, 1925)
Arnold v. Peasley
222 P. 472 (Washington Supreme Court, 1924)
Joseph v. P. Viane, Inc.
118 Misc. 344 (New York Supreme Court, 1922)
John M. Parker Co. v. E. Martin & Co.
88 So. 68 (Supreme Court of Louisiana, 1920)
Commercial Germania Trust & Savings Bank v. W. M. Hoyt Co.
205 Ill. App. 352 (Appellate Court of Illinois, 1917)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
72 So. 251, 139 La. 797, 1916 La. LEXIS 1628, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/arbuthnot-v-richheimer-co-la-1916.