Clements v. Coppin

72 F.2d 796, 1934 U.S. App. LEXIS 4691
CourtCourt of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit
DecidedAugust 29, 1934
DocketNo. 7306
StatusPublished
Cited by6 cases

This text of 72 F.2d 796 (Clements v. Coppin) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Clements v. Coppin, 72 F.2d 796, 1934 U.S. App. LEXIS 4691 (9th Cir. 1934).

Opinion

GARRECHT, Circuit Judge.

This is an appeal from an order of imprisonment and commitment for civil contempt. The main case from which the contempt proceedings emanate was a suit in equity to fasten a trust upon certain funds of the Mintex Corporation which it was alleged came into the hands of appellant, a part thereof to her individually and the remainder as administratrix of the estate of Ralph L. Clements, her deceased husband. This litigation resulted in a deeree in favor of the appellee declaring an involuntary trust as to the funds in question and granting a reference for an accounting to' a special master.

The special master filed a report, to which no exceptions were taken, and which was regularly heard, allowed, and confirmed by the District Court. Among other things, the order recites:

“It is further ordered that defendant, Ethlyn B. Clements, pay into- the hands of the clerk of this court, subject to the further order of this court, said sum of eleven thousand nine hundred seventy-nine dollars ($11,-979.00) and four thousand eight hundred five and 20/100' ($4,805.20) dollars, respectively, belonging to the estate of said bankrupt, the Flintex Corporation, now in the possession and under the control of said defendant, within 10 days from the date of service hereof, and that jurisdiction is retained by this court to make such further orders and/or decrees as may be meet and proper.”

At the expiration of said ten days, appellant filed an answer to this turn-over order, denying possession or control of the trust funds here involved. The appellant having failed to comply with the said turnover order within the time indicated therein, the court issued an order directing appellant to appear on the 19th, day of June, 1933, and show cause why she should not bo adjudged guilty of contempt. Appellant appeared as directed and made an informal motion for a re-referenee to the special master to reopen the hearing so that she might present evidence which she had failed to disclose before the issuing of said turn-over order. The character of the evidence sought to be introduced was not revealed, nor was any reason assigned why suel evidence was not presented at the hearing. Other than this motion no reply was made by the appellant to the said order to- show canse by way of affidavit or otherwise. The motion was denied to which denial no exception was taken.

Upon the failure to present any evidence as above indicated, the court made and entered an order adjudging the appellant to be guilty of contempt, and directed that she be confined in the county jail of the city and county of San Francisco, until she complied with said turn-over order. From this order, the defendant has prosecuted the present appeal.

The appellant urges two contentions on this appeal, one, that her verified answer presented an issue at the time of the hearing to show cause, upon which she was not accorded a hearing, the other, that the order of commitment is void for the want of a finding that at that time she was able to perform and pay thb money.

As heretofore stated, no objections were made or exceptions taken to any of the rulings of the District Court in the contempt proceedings. Under the long-settled rule of federal appellate practice, as evidenced by a uniform course of decision, matters will not be considered on appeal unless objections are made and exceptions taken to the rulings thereon at the time of the trial or hearing. For that reason the contentions now submitted by appellant are not cognizable in this court. Texas Co. v. Brilliant Mfg. Co. (C. C. A. 3) 2 F.(2d) 1; Ritz-Carlton Restaurant & Hotel Co. v. Gillespie (C. C. A. 3) 1 F.(2d) 921; Fuller Process Co. v. Texas Co. (C. C. A. 8) 16 F.(2d) 108; In re Morgan (C. C. A. 6) 26 F.(2d) 183; Southern Kraft Corp. v. Parnell (C. C. A. 5) 65 F.(2d) 785; H. P. Cummings Const. Co. v. Marbleloid Co. (C. C. A. 3) 51 F.(2d) 906; Ex parte Keizo Kamiyama (C. C. A. 9) 44 F.(2d) 503; Northwest Theatres Co. v. Hanson (C. C. A. 9) 4 F.(2d.) 471; Callan v. U. S. Spruce Production Corp. (C. C. A. 9) 28 F.(2d) 770; Fleischmann Const. Co. v. United States, to Use of Forsberg, 270 U. S. 349, 46 S. Ct. 284, 70 L. Ed. 624; Topliff v. Topliff, 146 U. S. 156; 12 S. Ct. 825, 36 L. Ed. 658; Matheson v. U. S., 227 U. S. 540, 33 S. Ct. 355, 57 L. Ed. 631.

For the reasons above stated, this court is not obliged to proceed any further in this case, however, in disposing of the matter it might be well to examine the purported defense set up by appellant upon the hearing on the contempt proceedings, and also the ruling of the District Court on appellant’s motion to reopen the hearing before the special master.

An unchallenged turn-over order entered pursuant to the finding of a referee or [798]*798special master to which no exception is taken is conclusive as to the possession of property-ordered to be turned over, and cannot be collaterally attacked in a contempt proceeding occasioned by the failure to comply therewith. Clark v. Milens (C. C. A. 9) 28 F.(2d) 457; In re Magen (D. C. N. Y.) 14 F.(2d) 469. Furthermore, the presumption of continuing ability to comply with the turn-over order prevails until it is shown to be otherwise, and the only issue which the court may entertain on the contempt proceedings is evidence of inability to comply with the said order from causes arising subsequent to the making thereof. Oriel v. Russell, 278 U. S. 358, 49 S. Ct. 173, 175, 73 L. Ed. 419; Sarkes v. Wells (C. C. A. 6) 37 F.(2d) 339. The record discloses that the answer filed by appellant to said turn-over order consisted of a mere naked denial of possession of the money in question, and, not only did it fail to present evidence that inability to comply therewith had arisen since the issuance of the said order, but it entirely omitted any explanation of any kind whatsoever as to what occasioned the alleged inability or when such inability arose. In view of the presumptions mentioned above, the mere allegation of inability to comply ewith the turn-over order is wholly insufficient, and, there being no proof or pretense of proof of inability arising subsequent to the entering of said order, practically nothing remained for the court to do but adjudge the disobedient party guilty of contempt. In re Goldstein (D. C. N. Y.) 52 F.(2d) 853; In re Black (D. C. N. Y.) 30 F.(2d) 523.

In Oriel v. Russell, supra, the Supreme Court, quoting from In re Epstein (D. C.) 206 F. 568, said:

“In the ease in hand the consequence is, that, as the order to pay or deliver stands without sufficient reply, it remains what it has been from the first — an order presumed to be right, and therefore an order that ought to be enforced. In the pending case, or in any other, the court may believe the bankrupt’s assertion that he is not now in possession or control of the money or the goods, and in that event the civil inquiry is at an end; but it is also true that the assertion may not be believed, and the bankrupt may therefore be subjected to> the usual pressure that follows willful disobedience of a lawful command, namely, the inconvenience of being restrained of his liberty.”

Continuing, the court went on to state:

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Bluebook (online)
72 F.2d 796, 1934 U.S. App. LEXIS 4691, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/clements-v-coppin-ca9-1934.