Cartwright v. Bamberger, Bloom & Co.

99 Ala. 622
CourtSupreme Court of Alabama
DecidedNovember 15, 1892
StatusPublished
Cited by3 cases

This text of 99 Ala. 622 (Cartwright v. Bamberger, Bloom & Co.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of Alabama primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Cartwright v. Bamberger, Bloom & Co., 99 Ala. 622 (Ala. 1892).

Opinions

HEAD, J.

The demurrers to the bill were determined adversely to the appellant when this cause was before us at a former term.—90 Ala. 405. We see no reason to depart from the ruling then made.

Isaac Pinkus, by the name of I. Pinkus & Co., did business, as a merchant, at Decatur, Ala., from April 7th, 1888, to March 3d, 1890. Appellant, Cartwright, was employed as chief clerk in the store from January 1st, 1888, to the latter date. On that day, March 3d, 1890, he, Cartwright, claiming to be a creditor of Pinkus in the sum of $9,500.00, sued out an attachment against him, for that sum, on the ground that he, Pinkus, had money, property or effects liable to satisfy his debts which he fraudulently withheld; and, on the same day, the attachment was levied by the sheriff on all the goods then in the store. The goods so levied on, taken at cost, invoiced at $12,000 to $14,000. Two days thereafter, to-wit, March 5, 1890, appellees, Bamberger, Bloom & Co., likewise sued out an attachment against Pinkus to recover a debt owing them of $3,893.83, and caused the same to be at once levied on the same goods. The claims of Herbert Cartwright, which his attachment seeks to enforce, consisted of an alleged claim contracted originally with him by Pinkus, amounting, at the date of the attachment, without interest, to the sum of $2,959.40, and the claims of three other persons alleged to have been purchased by Cartwright on the day of the attachment, viz., Hannah Pinkus, the mother of Isaac, the debtor, amounting to $2,285.71, Abe Spitzer, [626]*626amounting to $2,700, and the Eirst National Bank of Decatur, amounting to $1,400. On March 5th, 1890," complainants, appellees, filed this bill to set aside the appellant’s attachment as collusive and fraudulent. The particular averment upon which the equity of the bill rests, as contained in the 6th paragraph of the amended bill, is, that if Pinkus was indebted to appellant it was only in a small sum, the amount of which is to complainants unknown; that Pinkus and appellant combined and confederated to procure from the mother of Pinkus and from one Abe Spitzer, the intended brother-in-law of Pinkus, a transfer of .the claims held by them, respectively, against said Pinkus, to enable said Cartwright to procure an attachment against the property of Pinkus for the purpose thereby of hindering, delaying and defrauding the other creditors of Pinkus, and that said alleged claims of the mother and of Spitzer were and are simulated and fraudulent. It is alleged generally, in the original bill, that the claim upon which Cartwright’s attachment was issued was simulated. The insolvency of Pinkus, and appellant’s knowledge thereof, at the time of the purchase of these claims by Cartwright and the issuance of his attachment, are averred. Appellant’s answer fully denies all the charges of fraud and collusion; alleges the bonafides of all his asserted claims, as valid subsisting demands owing by Pinkus, and. sets forth the consideration of each debt, when contracted and how evidenced. He admits he knew Pinkus was indebted, but denies that he was fully informed of the amount of his indebtedness.

Thus we see, the important and controlling inquiry is, whether or not appellant’s claims were all just and subsisting debts owing by Pinkus at the time the attachment was sued out. "We will examine each of them in the light of the evidence.

1. It is not denied, but conceded, that the claim of the Eirst National Bank of Decatur was and is valid, and was purchased by and transferred to appellant on the day of the attachment.

2. Appellant’s own claim. This claim, amounting to $2,959.40, is evidenced as follows : Two promissory notes made by Pinkus to appellant, the one on May 22, 1889, for $1,000, payable one day after date, and the other on the next day, May 23, 1889, for $1,250, payable Jany. 1, 1890, with interest from date ; and two due bills made by Pinkus to appellant, one on Nov. 16, 1889, for $250, and the other on Jany. 1, 1890, for $409.40. Both Pinkus and appellant testify positively and with emphasis, that the two notes and [627]*627the due bill for $250, were given to appellant by Pinkus, on their respective dates, for the amount of money respectively stated in each, then actually loaned to Pinkus by appellant; and that each of said notes and due bill were actually due, owing and unpaid to appellant on March 3d, 1890, when the attachment was sued out. On the first of January, 1889, appellant entered the service of Pinkus as a clerk, at a salary of $100 per month, and continued therein until he sued out the attachment. Both he and Pinkus testify that on January 1st, 1890 they had a settlement on account of salary, and ascertained a balance in appellant’s favor, for the preceding year’s work, of $409.40, and that the due bill of that date and amount was given therefor, and was actually due and owing on March 3d following. Pertinent to the validity of these claims is the inquiry, what were appellant’s means and ability to make these alleged.loans? It is shown that on May 9th, 1887, appellant being then not quite twenty years of age, but haying had his disabilities of infancy removed, M. T. Cartwright, his father and legal guardian, made final settlement of his guardianship in the Probate Court of Morgan county, Alabama, wherein a balance of $2,313.19 was ascertained in appellant’s favor, and the same was then paid to him. These facts are shown by a certified copy of the settlement, as well as by the testimony of M. T. Cartwright and appellant. Appellant testifies that this was the money he loaned to Pinkus; that before loaning it he kept it, the greater portion of the time, in an iron drawer in his father’s safe, to which drawer he had access at all times, and carried a key to it. It was also, he says, for a time placed in the iron drawer, in connection with some deeds and mortgages of his father, and placed in the bank. He swears that this money was not invested from May, 1887, to May, 1889, and was not at any time deposited in bank to hiá credit. In the final account of M. T. Cartwright as guardian, he charged himself with an item: “Nov. 30,1886. To amount from W. B>. Peck on land $1,500.00.” In his deposition, in this cause, he testifies that he sold the land of his ward for $2,200, and reported $1,500 in his account on final settlement, and that his son afterwards collected the balance of $700, but it nowhere appears when he collected it, or what disposition was made of it. So far as the record informs us, it may have been collected subsequent to March 3d, 1890. Speaking of the $2,313.19 paid on the final settlement, M. T. Cartwright further testifies as follows: “I know he [his son] put the money in my safe, and I told him to use his money as he saw proper. He had most of his money in my safe [628]*628for a year or so; lie kept it in an iron drawer in the safe until I carried it to the bank and put it in the vault of the bank, and it staid there, I don’t know how long. I had some notes and mortgages also in the drawer and some cash. Herbert Cartwright put that money, I believe, in an envelope, and put it in my safe. He made no investment with this money that I know of. He did not purchase any property, that I know of, with this money. This money probably remained in my safe and private box at the bank four or five months. I went and got the box out of the bank. I wanted to get some papers, and I put the iron box back in my safe. Herbert Cartwright said to me one day that Pinkus wanted to borrow some money and asked me how I thought it would do to loan him some money. I told him that I regarded him good, that he could do as he pleased about it.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
99 Ala. 622, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/cartwright-v-bamberger-bloom-co-ala-1892.