Central States Life Insurance v. Simmons

105 S.W.2d 1077, 194 Ark. 184, 1937 Ark. LEXIS 308
CourtSupreme Court of Arkansas
DecidedJune 7, 1937
Docket4-4654
StatusPublished

This text of 105 S.W.2d 1077 (Central States Life Insurance v. Simmons) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of Arkansas primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Central States Life Insurance v. Simmons, 105 S.W.2d 1077, 194 Ark. 184, 1937 Ark. LEXIS 308 (Ark. 1937).

Opinion

Smith, J.

Appellee prayed and was granted relief by way of a decree directing the specific performance of a contract to convey to Mm two farms in Arkansas county, and tMs appeal is from that decree.

Appellee bad purchased the farms from different owners, and both were encumbered by a mortgage. He was a customer of the Bank of G-illett, to which institution he had become largely indebted. Portions of the paper evidencing this indebtedness were indorsed and delivered to the American Bank of Commerce & Trust Company as collateral by the Bank of G-illett. To assist in the collection of this collateral the American Bank of Commerce & Trust Company began making advances to appellee to enable him to cultivate and market his rice crops, and this practice was continued by the American Southern Trust Company, which succeeded the American Bank of Commerce & Trust Company. Foreclosure decrees of the liens upon the lands were rendered, pursuant to which both farms were sold and conveyed to W. A. Bucks, trustee, by the commissioner appointed for the purpose of maMng the sales. The deed under the first decree was executed November 27, 1922, and the consideration for this deed was $5,076.67. The second commissioner’s deed to Hicks as trustee was executed March 10, 1925, and the consideration therefor was $14,373. It was not recited in either deed for whom or for what purpose Hicks was trustee.

The testimony establishes the fact that it was agreed between appellee and Hicks, as the representative of the American Bank of Commerce & Trust Company, that appellee should have the right to purchase both farms for the prices paid by the bank, with taxes and other carrying charges added. It was contemplated that such payments would be made out of the proceeds of the sale of appellee’s rice crops, but the balance then due by appellee to the bank and the current advances were first to be paid.

On September 3, 1925, Hicks, as trustee, conveyed both farms to the Home Realty Corporation, which appears to have been organized to take over numerous tracts of land to which the hank had acquired title. Hicks was in fact trustee for the bank. On September 1, 1926, the Home Realty Corporation executed a deed of trust to the American Southern Trust Company to secure an issue of bonds in the sum of $500,000. The lands here in question were included in this deed of trust.

These bonds were sold to various persons and corporations, and $100,000 of them were redeemed and canceled. The Home Life Insurance Company became the holder and owner of $360,000 of the bonds, and the title to and the ownership thereof passed to the Central States Life Insurance Company when that company absorbed and succeeded the Home Life Insurance Company. Much of the history leading to this result is recorded in the opinions in the cases of American Southern Trust Co. v. McKee, 173 Ark. 147, 293 S. W. 50, and Central States Life Ins. Co. v. State, 190 Ark. 605, 80 S. W. (2d) 628.

The Home Realty Corporation was adjudged a bankrupt, and S. M. Dent was named as trustee in bankruptcy. In a proceeding before the referee in bankruptcy it was found and adjudged that $400,000 of the $500,000 bond issue was outstanding and unpaid, and that the Central States Life Insurance Company was then the owner and had in its possession $335,000 of the unpaid bonds. The ownership of the remainder was also, declared. The referee further found that “The value of the security held by the trustee in said deed of trust for the benefit of said bondholders was and is $287,000.” The Home Realty Corporation had given its check for $457,323.22 to the American Southern Trust Company in payment of the lands, and those here involved were valued in the deed to it at the sum of $19,000.65. It was ordered by the referee in bankruptcy that the trustee in bankruptcy convey all the lands to Burk Mann as trustee for the bondholders, and such deed was executed November 24,1931. Mann as trustee was made a party, and he alleged in his answer how and for what purpose he had acquired title. The answer of the Central States Life Insurance Company alleges conveyances to it from Mann as trustee and from the trustees and owners of the bonds not held and owned by the Central States Life Insurance Company, so that it is now the real party in interest adverse to appellee.

It was alleged in the various answers that Mann as trustee had acquired the title as an innocent purchaser; but this was denied by appellee, for the alleged reason that he was and had been in possession of the lands at all times under his contract with Hicks as trustee for the repurchase of the lands. Much of the testimony in the voluminous record before us relates to this possession; but we do not review and recite it here for the reason that the case will be-disposed of upon another issue.

' The transactions between appellee and the American Bank of Commerce & Trust Company and the successor of the latter were very extensive, covering many advances for various purposes and numerous credits, consisting principally of rice sold by the bank for the credit of ap-pellee. Annual statements showing the balance due at the end of each crop year were furnished appellee, and the amount became larger until on January 12, 1927, the balance then due was over $36,000. The records of the bank and the testimony in regard thereto show that the balance did not include the purchase price of the farms which Hicks, trustee, had originally agreed should be reconveyed to appellee upon the condition hereinabove stated.

The bank took chattel mortgages upon appellee’s rice crop each year and upon all appellee’s personal property used in connection with the cultivation and marketing of the rice to secure current advances^ and balances carried forward.

Appellee was himself adjudged a bankrupt, and the schedule of his assets there filed was offered in evidence here. Included in the list of his assets was a tract of land not here involved, but the lands here involved were not included. The proceedings there are pleaded here as res adjudicate/,; but it does not appear that any transcript of the actions and orders of the bankruptcy court has been brought into this record, and the plea cannot, therefore, be sustained. Crow Oil & Gas Co. v. Drain, 171 Ark. 817, 286 S. W. 971; Williams v. Manors, 179 Ark. 110, 14 S. W. (2d) 1104; Drew Gravel Co. v. Stell, 180 Ark. 16, 20 S. W. (2d) 609.

The failure, however, of appellee to include the lands here involved in his schedule of assets is a circumstance which cannot be disregarded in determining whether ap-pellee had paid for the lands and is entitled to have the title vested in him. His creditors were entitled to know what, if any, interest he had in the lands, and if it were substantial, as appellee now says it is, then it was a fraud to' conceal that fact from his creditors. Appellee attempted an explanation of the omission, the substance thereof being that he depended upon the attorneys in the case, and that the bank was his principal creditor and he had settled with it by turning over all the mortgaged personal property and had been given a receipt in full.

The court entered a decree granting appellee the relief prayed, but found that beginning with the year 1926 the Central States Life Insurance Company had. paid taxes amounting to $2,233.88, for which amount a lien was adjudged against the land.

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Related

Drew Gravel Co., Inc. v. Stell
20 S.W.2d 609 (Supreme Court of Arkansas, 1929)
Williams v. Masters
14 S.W.2d 1104 (Supreme Court of Arkansas, 1929)
Central States Life Insurance v. State
80 S.W.2d 628 (Supreme Court of Arkansas, 1935)
American Southern Trust Co. v. McKee
293 S.W. 50 (Supreme Court of Arkansas, 1927)
Crow Oil Gas Company v. Drain
286 S.W. 971 (Supreme Court of Arkansas, 1926)

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Bluebook (online)
105 S.W.2d 1077, 194 Ark. 184, 1937 Ark. LEXIS 308, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/central-states-life-insurance-v-simmons-ark-1937.