Betz v. New Jersey Refrigerating Co.

231 A.D. 553, 248 N.Y.S. 35, 1931 N.Y. App. Div. LEXIS 16102
CourtAppellate Division of the Supreme Court of the State of New York
DecidedFebruary 13, 1931
StatusPublished
Cited by7 cases

This text of 231 A.D. 553 (Betz v. New Jersey Refrigerating Co.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Appellate Division of the Supreme Court of the State of New York primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Betz v. New Jersey Refrigerating Co., 231 A.D. 553, 248 N.Y.S. 35, 1931 N.Y. App. Div. LEXIS 16102 (N.Y. Ct. App. 1931).

Opinion

Martin, J.

The New Jersey Refrigerating Company, a New Jersey corporation formerly known as Lembeck and Betz Eagle Brewing Company, was in process of voluntary dissolution, which proceedings Were commenced in May, 1923, by filing with the New Jersey Secretary of State a consent of stockholders. Thereupon, by virtue of the statutes of New Jersey, its directors became liquidating trustees.

Dissensions arose among the trustees to such an extent that they could not function, and on June 13, 1923, the New Jersey Court of Chancery appointed Edward H. Wright and Frank J. Bock as receivers with power to collect the debts and property belonging to the corporation, to prosecute and defend suits, to take into their possession all the property of the corporation and to execute deeds thereof. The corporation owned over one hundred parcels of real property in the State of New Jersey, worth upwards of two million dollars, and twenty separate parcels of real property and other valuable property and property rights in the State of New York.

The receivers proceeded to arrange for the sale of the real property [555]*555and actually sold many of the New Jersey parcels. They attempted to convey one of the New York city parcels situated, at First avenue and Forty-third street, but were unable to do so because of the refusal of the title company to approve the title because ancillary receivers had not been appointed in New York State. Thereupon the present plaintiffs commenced an action to have such ancillary receivers appointed. After all the real property has been sold they now question the right of the court to appoint such receivers. In that action the summons and complaint were served on Arthur McAleenan, the designated agent of the corporation in New York, on July 11, 1924. The defendant appeared, served an answer and an amended answer. The case being thus at issue, these plaintiffs moved for judgment on the pleadings, asking that judgment be entered appointing ancillary receivers. The defendants consented and the motion thus made by the plaintiffs Was granted.

About the same time all of the New York stockholders of the corporation intervened in the action and, upon affidavits made by them, as well as upon the pleadings, prayed for an order appointing ancillary receivers. These New York stockholders owned approximately one-half of the entire amount of stock outstanding. All of the New York stockholders objected to the selection of Messrs. Bock and Wright as ancillary receivers, charging them with gross incompetency and grave derelictions in the discharge of their duties as domiciliary receivers and asking that the court appoint ancillary receivers of its own selection, suggesting that the appointees be citizens of New York, who would at all times be amenable to the process of the New York court.

The plaintiffs’ motion for judgment appointing ancillary receivers, being consented to by the defendants, was granted. The motion made by the New York stockholders was also granted, the court holding that sufficient reasons appeared for appointing citizens of this State and that ample reason was shown for not appointing Messrs. Bock and Wright. Thereupon the court selected Mr. James J. Frawley and Mr. Henry Clay Greenberg as the ancillary receivers.

The sole objection to such appointment appears to have been that the court selected the ancillary receivers and refused to appoint those selected by the plaintiffs, to whose selection one-half of the stockholders objected.

While this litigation was in progress, Messrs. Frawley and Green-berg managed the New York property, but because of the differences between these plaintiffs and Messrs. Bock and Wright, it was difficult to effect sales of the New York real estate, or to convey title thereto. Liquidation in Mew York of the assets was impossible under the then existing conditions. Finally, to remedy this [556]*556condition, the ancillary receivers, Messrs. Frawley and Greenberg, through their counsel, Messrs. Bondy and Schloss, proposed a plan of harmonious action, and, after many conferences, they obtained and caused to be executed a stipulation or agreement which provided that the appeal from the judgment appointing Messrs. Frawley and Greenberg as ancillary receivers would be discontinued; that both the domiciliary receivers and the ancillary receivers would join in deeds to purchasers of New York real estate; that $70,000 would be retained by the ancillary receivers to cover their commissions and the fees of their counsel; that all cash above that amount would be remitted forthwith to the domiciliary receivers; that purchase-money bonds and mortgages paid to the ancillary receivers on sales of New York property would be made out to the domiciliary receivers; and that all of the foregoing would be without prejudice to any claims for commissions or allowances.

The ancillary receivers and their counsel obtained the approval of the New York Supreme Court to the contracts of sale theretofore made and arranged for the sale of all other parcels. Most of the sales were made by contract, through brokers, some were sales at auction. Until titles were closed, the ancillary receivers continued to manage and operate the properties. They and their counsel protected the interests of stockholders in numerous litigations which were in progress affecting property of the corporation in various parts of New York State; reduced all of the New York assets to cash and were engaged over a period of nearly three years in the necessary Work of the receivership. Before this' work ended, and on September 1, 1926, Mr. James J. Frawley, one of the ancillary receivers, died. Thereupon, by consent, an order of this court Was made and entered providing that from and after the death of Mr. Frawley, Mr. Henry Clay Greenberg should be the sole ancillary receiver in New York and from that time he acted in that capacity.

When all of the New York real estate had been sold, and all other New York assets reduced to cash, Mr. Greenberg and his counsel prepared an account which was submitted to the court for approval, together with an application for proper allowances to the receiver and to his counsel. The account, and the report which was made part thereof, showed that a gross estate of $307,291.45 had been administered by the ancillary receivers, and the report and petition showed in detail the work that had been done by the counsel for the ancillary receiver.

The court approved the account and made its order allowing the receiver the sum of $5,364.47 as his commissions, and to his counsel the sum of $15,000 as counsel fee, both being in addition to allow[557]*557anees previously made, from which order the present appeal was taken.

It is now contended by appellants that the court was without power to make the original order appointing the ancillary receivers. There is no doubt that when the appellants’ attorney applied for the appointment of ancillary receivers in this State, because of the fact that there were upwards of twenty pieces of real property in the State of New York, to which it is said the domiciliary receivers could not give satisfactory titles, the court had a right to appoint ancillary receivers for the protection of that property and the preservation of the assets. (Horton v. McNally Co., 155 App. Div. 322; Mitchell v. Banco de Londres Y Mexico, 192 id. 720; Glines v. Supreme Sitting Order of Iron Hall, 20 N. Y. Supp. 275, 277; Andre v. Beha, 211 App. Div. 380, 392.)

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

Related

Jakubowicz v. A.C. Green Electrical Contractors, Inc.
25 A.D.3d 146 (Appellate Division of the Supreme Court of New York, 2005)
Gasser v. Infanti International, Inc.
358 F. Supp. 2d 176 (E.D. New York, 2005)
Eastrich Multiple Investor Fund v. Citiwide Development Associates
218 A.D.2d 43 (Appellate Division of the Supreme Court of New York, 1996)
Coronet Capital Co. v. Spodek
202 A.D.2d 20 (Appellate Division of the Supreme Court of New York, 1994)
New York State Mortgage Loan Enforcement & Administration Corp v. Milbank Site One Houses, Inc.
151 A.D.2d 424 (Appellate Division of the Supreme Court of New York, 1989)
Oliner v. American-Oriental Banking Corp.
252 A.D. 212 (Appellate Division of the Supreme Court of New York, 1937)
Mackenzie v. Marine Midland Trust Co.
247 A.D. 750 (Appellate Division of the Supreme Court of New York, 1936)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
231 A.D. 553, 248 N.Y.S. 35, 1931 N.Y. App. Div. LEXIS 16102, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/betz-v-new-jersey-refrigerating-co-nyappdiv-1931.