City Nat. Bank & Trust Co. of Chicago v. Granada Apartments Hotel Corp.

155 F.2d 882, 1946 U.S. App. LEXIS 2977
CourtCourt of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit
DecidedJune 6, 1946
DocketNo. 8761
StatusPublished
Cited by3 cases

This text of 155 F.2d 882 (City Nat. Bank & Trust Co. of Chicago v. Granada Apartments Hotel Corp.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
City Nat. Bank & Trust Co. of Chicago v. Granada Apartments Hotel Corp., 155 F.2d 882, 1946 U.S. App. LEXIS 2977 (7th Cir. 1946).

Opinion

SPARKS, Circuit Judge.

This action, by City National Bank and Trust Company of Chicago, referred to hereafter as claimant, is based on a claim made by it as successor Trustee under a trust indenture from the debtor to Chicago Trust Company, as trustee, on September 1, 1928, and duly recorded on October 1, 1928, on behalf of such successor trustee, and of the holders of bonds and interest coupons appertaining thereto, issued and outstanding under the indenture. The Chicago Trust Company, the Central Republic Bank and Trust Company, and eventually the claimant, were successively trustees under this first mortgage trust deed, securing the first mortgage bond issue above referred to, on the Granada Hotel, which was the property of the debtor.

Default in the payment of these bonds occurred prior to August 7, 1933, and on that date a foreclosure suit was begun in the Superior Court of Cook County, Illinois, by the Chicago Trust Company, the then trustee. The decree of sale by the Superior Court was entered December 18, 1936, finding there was due claimant certain prior lien items, consisting of its trustees’ and attorneys’ fees and certain costs, all incurred in connection with the foreclosure proceedings. During the pendency of the State court foreclosure proceeding, claimant was operating the property not as a receiver or Court officer, but as trustee in possession under the terms of its mortgage indenture.

The petition under Section 77B of the Bankruptcy Act, 11 U.S.C.A. § 207, was filed April 23, 1937, and approved as properly filed on May 17, 1937, at which time claimant, as trustee in possession, by order of the Bankruptcy Court, turned over the [884]*884property to the trastee in bankruptcy. During the foreclosure proceedings, a bondholders’ committee was organized, which consisted of certain officers of claimant. It tendered a plan of reorganization which was approved on July 15, 1937, and carried into effect. On June 23, 1937, claimant filed a proof of claim in the Referee’s office, and on September 14, 1937, it was filed in the clerk’s office of the Bankruptcy Court. It is referred to as Claim No. 9, paragraph 5 of .which relates to fees of claimant as trustee under the mortgage and the trustee’s attorney fees, and court reporter charges as fixed and allowed in the foreclosure decree. The various items of such alleged indebtedness, as set forth in paragraph 5 of the claim are:

Fees for services as successor trustee .................... $ 2,560.

Solicitor’s fees, less those not rendered at date of decree.... 8,250.

Court reporter’s and stenographer’s fees................. 39.90

$10,849.90

On July 8, 1937, the trustee filed general objections to the claim on the ground that it was informal, lacked the original documents and was unfounded and lacking in merit.

On August 30, 1937, claimant filed in the bankruptcy proceeding a report of its operation of the property, as trustee during its incumbency as such. It disclosed the balance on hand which it had theretofore been directed by the bankruptcy court to deliver to the bankruptcy trustee, and asked that court’s approval of the account.

To this report and petition, Woods, the bankruptcy trustee, on September 9, 1937, filed what he terms an enlargement of his objections filed on July 8, 1937, together with a counterclaim under which he sought to surcharge and falsify certain items in claimant’s account as trustee in possession, and to recover moneys alleged to be due from it.

The remainder of this pleading is divided into three separate headings: (1) “Facts to Sustain Denial of Claims Made Herein by City National, Its Committee and Its Counsel”; (2) “Additional Facts to Sustain Counterclaim by Debtor Estate” ; and (3) “Suggestions Against Account and Report by City National and Its Counsel Filed August 30, 1937 in This Court.”

Under the first heading Woods alleged that the decree of the Superior Court of Cook County is void because claimant and its counsel have sought to serve conflicting interests, and that Granada Hotel Corporation was dissolved more than two years before the complaint to foreclose was filed. He further alleged that as claimant was in possession of the property as owner, it cannot charge for its services or those of its counsel.

Under the second heading, Woods alleged that claimant’s management lacked reasonable skill and diligence; that the incinerator was not kept in repair; that the auxiliary pump of the refrigeration system was left out of repair and that such system was thereby damaged; that needed repairs were not made, nor were tenants sought for vacant lobby space, and that taxes should have been paid to prevent accruing penalties.

Under the third heading objection was made to specific items charged as expense in claimant’s account as trustee in possession, such as payment of a receiver’s certificate, payment on a furniture contract, and the Master’s fee and expenses incurred in Harris v. Tuttle, a prior bankruptcy proceeding.

By such surcharges and counterclaim, the trustee in bankruptcy sought judgment against claimant for $100,000 which he asked to have trebled under the statutes of Gloucester and Marlborough, which he alleged were a part of the common law of Illinois, and which provide that a trustee who commits waste in the administration of an estate is liable for thrice the resulting damage.

On September 18, 1937, claimant answered the counterclaim, denying its guilt of the alleged acta of malfeasance and misfeasance.

[885]*885The sume firm of attorneys which now represent claimant also represented it at all times herein referred to, including the foreclosure of the mortgage in the State Court, and it also represented the bondholders’ committee.

On account of the services rendered in connection with the plan of reorganization which was approved, two petitions for administrative allowances were filed in the bankruptcy court. The first was that of the bondholders’ committee. It asked only for reimbursement of its out-of-pocket expenses incurred by it for the use of the personnel and facilities of claimant. The second petition was by the attorneys for the bondholders’ committee for fees for representing the Committee in the 77B proceedings. Both claims were filed on September 14, 1937.

Of the various issues thus raised, the district judge retained and heard evidence on the court trustee’s counterclaim and claimant’s answer thereto, and that relating to the surcharging and falsifying of claimant’s account as trustee in possession.

The petitions of the bondholders’ committee and i¿s attorney for expenses and services in connection with the plan, and also the claim of City National and the objections of Woods, trustee, to paragraph 5 thereof, were referred to a special master to take and report the evidence without findings of fact or conclusions of law.

The District Court, in its special findings of fact, expressly stated that its trial of the issues formed by the cross-complaint and claimant’s answer thereto constituted a plenary submission. It said: “City National Bondholders Committee and their counsel by pleadings filed, agreements made and evidence offered before the Judge in open court, have all consented to and conducted here a plenary litigation. They have asked the Court to decide a plenary accounting in equity. Upon this record * * * respondents * * * cannot be permitted to say that the proceedings were or are summary. These proceedings are plenary * *

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Bluebook (online)
155 F.2d 882, 1946 U.S. App. LEXIS 2977, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/city-nat-bank-trust-co-of-chicago-v-granada-apartments-hotel-corp-ca7-1946.