Central Trust Co. of New York v. Cincinnati, J. & M. Ry. Co.

58 F. 500, 7 Ohio F. Dec. 263, 1892 U.S. App. LEXIS 2111
CourtU.S. Circuit Court for the District of Northern Ohio
DecidedNovember 1, 1892
DocketNo. 975
StatusPublished
Cited by7 cases

This text of 58 F. 500 (Central Trust Co. of New York v. Cincinnati, J. & M. Ry. Co.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering U.S. Circuit Court for the District of Northern Ohio primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Central Trust Co. of New York v. Cincinnati, J. & M. Ry. Co., 58 F. 500, 7 Ohio F. Dec. 263, 1892 U.S. App. LEXIS 2111 (circtndoh 1892).

Opinion

TAFT, Circuit Judge.

Complainant exhibited its hill praying for foreclosure of two mortgages upon the property of the Cincinnati, Jackson & Mackinaw By. Company, and a sale of the road. Decrees of foreclosure and sale have been passed, the entire corpus of the defendant company has been sold, and the sale confirmed. The questions now to be decided arise upon distribution, and are presented on two motions to that end, made by certain intervening judgment creditors, whom we may shortly call Schaffer ct al. The defendant company was a consolidation of the Jackson & Ohio Railroad Company, owning and operating a road running from Michigan into Ohio, and the Cincinnati, Van Wert & Michigan Railroad Company, whose road lay wholly within Ohio. These constituent parts we shall call hereafter, the one the Jackson Division, and the other the Van Wert Division. Before the union, the Van Wert road had placed two mortgages on its property; the first [502]*502to secure an issue of bonds amounting in round numbers to $1,150,-000, and the second to secure an issue of income bonds of •which there were outstanding at the foreclosure $363,000. After the union, the new company issued a mortgage to secure bonds amounting to more than $2,000,000. This mortgage covered its whole road, including the Van Wert Division, but its lien on that division was, of course, subsequent to that of the two mortgages above stated. The two divisions of the road were, by order of court, sold separately. At the first sale of the Jackson Division it was struck off to the reorganization committee of bondholders and stockholders of the defendant company at' their bid of $2,525,000, to secure the completion of which they deposited $25,000. The Van Wert Division was struck off to A. V. Rice and associates at $1,640,-000, and $15,000 was deposited as security. After obtaining one or more extensions, both purchasers declined to complete their bids. A resale was ordered, and the reorganization committee bid in both divisions; the Jackson Division at $2,250,000, and the Van Wert Division at $150,000. On motion Rice’s deposit of $15,000, less the expenses of the first sale, was returned to him by order of the court.

The first motion of Schaffer et al. is for an order requiring the committee of reorganization to pay into court $250,000, which, with their deposit of $25,000, already in the registry of the court, would make up the difference of $275,000 between their first and second bids for the Jackson Division. The committee still hold $150,000 of first mortgage bonds applicable to the purchase price under the decree for sale, and the effect of the order asked, therefore, would be to require a further payment of $100,000 in cash.

The second motion is for distribution of this fund to pay the judgments of Schaffer et al., aggregating $18,000.

If there are no other creditors of the road entitled to share in this distribution, it is apparent that the fund of $25,000 already in court will suffice to pay Schaffer et al. in full, and the order upon the committee, moved for, need not be made.

As to the first motion, the committee contend that, not only should they not be required to make up the deficiency on the resale of the Jackson Division, but that the deposit of $25,000 already made should be returned to them. They urge that, as Rice-was relieved from the loss of his deposit on his default, the samé measure of mercy ought to be extended to them. We are of the, opinion that the circumstances of the Rice bid and the bid of thé committee are very different. Rone of the parties resisted Rice’s motion. He made his bid to secure himself and associates from severe losses arising from their investment in the original con-' struction of the road. He made it with the reasonable hope that he might be able to complete it, but he failed only from lack of; funds. The committee failed to complete their first bid, not from want of funds, but because they concluded that the price they had. contracted to pay was too high. They had not made as good a» bargain as they could make if they were given a second chance.. [503]*503We do not see anything in the.situation that appeals strongly to the mercy of the court, and we do not see why, if unsecured creditors will derive advantage from the contract of purchase which the authorized representative of the committee deliberately made, the court ought not to fully enforce it for their benefit. Nor is there any doubt, in regard to the power of the court to do so. The supreme court of the United States, in the case of Camden v. Mayhew, 129 U. S. 73, 9 Sup. Ct. 246, decided that:

“When a decree of a court of equity for the sale of a tract of land requires the sale to he made upon the ¡.erais ‘cash in hand upon day of sale,’ and the person bidding for it at the sale is the highest bidder, and as such is duly declared to be the purchaser, no confirmation of the sale by the court is necessary to fix liability upon him for the deficiency arising upon a resale' in case he refuses without cause to fulfill his contract, and, if the purchaser refuses to pay the amount bid, The court, without confirming the sale, may order the tract to be resold, and the purchaser shall pay the expenses arising from the noneompletion of the purchase, the application, and the resale, and also any deficiency in the price in the resale.”

We have at bar a stronger ease than the one cited, for here the sale was confirmed. The sale was what is known as a cash sale, though the cash was not to be paid on the day of sale; but this difference does not affect the application of tlie principle laid down by the supreme court. If there are any creditors whose claims have not been paid, they are entitled, therefore, to an order upon the reorganization committee, or their successor, the company now in possession of the road, requiring the payment, into court of the deficiency in the resale.

As to the motion by Schaffer et al. for distribution, the point at issue between them and the reorganization committee is whether the latter, as holders of all the first mortgage bonds on the Van Wert Division, may share in the distribution as unsecured creditors to the extent of §1,000,000, the difference between §1,150,000, the face of their bonds, and §150,000, the proceeds of sale of their mortgage security. The consolidated company, by thev union, of course assumed the payment of the Van Wert bonds; and, unless these bonds have been paid or extinguished, the claim of the committee would seem to be well grounded. If so, the amount to be received by Schaffer et al. on their judgments will be inconsiderable. They maintain that the claim of the committee in this behalf cannot be sustained, because by the carrying out of the reorganization plan and agreement, to which all the Van Wert first mortgage bondholders were parries, their bonds were fully satisfied as against the old company. Here is presented the chief point of discussion on these motions: Has the execution of the reorganization plan under the agreement extinguished the bonds of those who accepted its benefits? The plan and agreement were made before the foreclosure proceedings, but the details of the plan were somewhat modified from time to time. The plan was that the road should be bought in by the committee at the foreclosure sale, a new company organized, (if necessary,) and that new securities be issued to “take up” the old securities. The details of the plan [504]*504finally adopted and carried out, as stated in a circular of the committee, were as follows:

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Bluebook (online)
58 F. 500, 7 Ohio F. Dec. 263, 1892 U.S. App. LEXIS 2111, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/central-trust-co-of-new-york-v-cincinnati-j-m-ry-co-circtndoh-1892.