Bridgeport National Bank v. McCausland Motors, Inc.

27 Pa. D. & C.2d 589
Pennsylvania Court of Common Pleas, Chester County·Decided July 21, 1961·No. No. 70·Published

Opinion

Harvey, J.,

This matter is before the court on exceptions to the sheriff’s schedule of distribution of the proceeds from the sale of real estate owned by defendant, McCausland Motors, Inc., herein called “McCausland.” Exceptant is Farmers and Mechanics National Bank of Phoenixville, a judgment creditor of McCausland.

Execution proceedings were instituted to the above term and number by the Bridgeport National Bank on [591] judgment entered in favor of the bank against McCausland in an action of mortgage foreclosure, the mortgage having been recorded in the office of the recorder of deeds in and for this county on November 5, 1956, in mortgage book S-21, vol. 517, p. 418, covering two certain lots or parcels of ground with improvements thereon erected, situate in Schuylkill Township, this county. A writ of levari facias was issued, a levy made on the real estate described in the mortgage, and sheriff’s sale held on September 30, 1960. The real estate was sold to exceptant for $44,000. Distribution of this fund is now in question.

As required by Pa. R. C. P. 3136, the sheriff filed a proposed schedule of distribution, as follows:

Sheriff’s costs ............. $435.29

Transfer tax on deeds due the Commonwealth .......... 440.00

Transfer tax on deeds due the Township of Schuylkill and/or the School District of Schuylkill Township ...... 440.00

Commonwealth, Department of Revenue, Bureau of Sales and Use Tax v. McCausland Motors, Inc.............. 9,358.04

Commonwealth, Department of Labor and Industry, to the use of the Unemployment Compensation Fund, v. McCausland Motors, Inc..... 151.25

United States of America v. McCausland Motors, Inc. entered August 17, 1960, in Docket 1 as No. 2068 ...... 543.50

Corporation taxes due the Commonwealth, Department of Revenue, Harrisburg ..... 96.62

[592] Municipal lien for water rents for the years 1957 to 1960 inclusive. The Burgess and Town Council of the Borough of Phoenixville v. McCausland Motors Inc., entered Sept. 30, 1960, at 10:10 A.M. in Mechanics Lien Docket U page 584 . . 283.92

1959 Real estate taxes due the County of Chester........ 950.59

1960 County real estate taxes due County of Chester .... 115.48

1960 School and township real estate taxes due the Township of Schuylkill......... 788.19

The Bridgeport National Bank v. McCausland Motors Inc. and United States of America entered August 29, 1960 of July term, 1960, no. 70 .................. 25,391.89

Farmers & Mechanics National Bank of Phoenixville v. William H. McCausland and McCausland Motors, Inc., entered August 23, 1957 in Docket Q-4 p. 33 ........ 5,005.23

$44,000.00

As further required by subsection (c) of that rule, a list of liens upon the property was attached to the schedule of distribution and certified by the proper officers. Many such liens appear of record against defendant, but we are here concerned only with the following, which are set forth in the order of their entry of record.

[593] November 5, 1956, mortgage of Bridgeport National Bank, plaintiff, amount due ............................ $25,391.89

August 23, 1957, judgment of Farmers & Mechanics National Bank of Phoenixville, exceptant, amount due .... 18,232.00

June 26, 1959, lien of Commonwealth, Bureau of Sales and Use Tax...... 6,031.92

September 2, 1959, lien of the Commonwealth, Bureau of Sales and Use Tax 1,590.28

October 23, 1959, lien of the Commonwealth, Bureau of Sales and Use Tax 395.01

May 2, 1960, lien for 1959 real estate taxes, amount due................ 950.59

May 25,1960, lien of the Commonwealth Bureau of Sales and Use Tax...... 288.60

June 2, and June 3, 1960, lien of Commonwealth, Department of Labor and Industry to the use of Unemployment Compensation Fund, total amount due 151.25

June 15, 1960, lien of the Commonwealth, Bureau of Sales and Use Tax 569.19

August 17, 1960, lien of the United States of America for Federal W. & E. taxes, amount due................ 543.50

September 30,1960, municpal lien of the Burgess and Town Council of the Borough of Phoenixville, for water rents for 1957, 1958, 1959 to July 1960, amount due ..................... 283.92

Additionally, there are the following:

Commonwealth of Pennsylvania for corporate taxes, amount due . . ........ 96.62

1960 real estate taxes, due County of Chester and Township of Schuylkill and School District of Schuylkill Township, total amount due............. 903.67

[594] Exceptant has filed six exceptions to the sheriff’s proposed schedule of distribution. In essence, they are as follows: 1. To the allowance of liens and to the proposed priority over exceptant’s judgment lien given the various liens of the Bureau of Sales and Use Tax of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania; 2. The allowance of the lien and the proposed priority over ex-ceptant’s judgment lien given the lien of the Department of Labor and Industry to the use of the Unemployment Compensation Fund of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania; 3. The allowance of the lien and the proposed priority over exceptant’s judgment lien given to the lien of United States of America; 4. The allowance of the lien and the proposed priority over ex-ceptant’s judgment lien given to the lien of the burgess and the town council of the Borough of Phoenixville for water rent, covering the years 1957-59, and to July, 1960; 5. The failure of the sheriff to give priority on distribution to the judgment lien of exceptant over all but sheriff’s costs, realty transfer taxes due the Commonwealth and the Township of Schuylkill and the School District of Schuylkill Township, corporation taxes due the Department of Revenue of the Commonwealth, real estate taxes due for the years 1959 and 1960 and the mortgage; 6. To the failure of the sheriff to propose distribution to exceptant of the balance of the funds remaining after the payment of the items hereinbefore set forth in paragraph 5, which exceptant admits have priority.

We were orally advised by counsel for exceptant and by his brief that exception number 2 is withdrawn.

Exceptant, in the same manner, concedes that the Borough of Phoenixville has the right to file a municipal lien or claim against the subject property for water rent furnished to the property.

Exceptant does not specifically concede, but we are led to believe that it does not seriously press its argu[595] ment that the municipal claim for water rents here involved is not entitled generally to a priority over exceptant’s judgment lien.1 The difficulty arises when the status of this claim is considered vis-a-vis ex-ceptant’s lien and the lien of the United States, as hereinafter discussed.

The real and difficult question is that raised by the first exception involving exceptant’s judgment versus the liens of the Bureau of Sales and Use Tax of the Commonwealth, insofar as priority is concerned.

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Bridgeport National Bank v. McCausland Motors, Inc., 27 Pa. D. & C.2d 589 (Pa. Super. Ct. 1961).

27 Pa. D. & C.2d 589 (Bridgeport National Bank v. McCausland Motors, Inc.) — published by Counsel Stack Legal Research, free access to 12M+ legal documents.

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