Cohn v. Pitzele

117 Ill. App. 342, 1904 Ill. App. LEXIS 234
CourtAppellate Court of Illinois
DecidedDecember 15, 1904
DocketGen. No. 11,650
StatusPublished
Cited by6 cases

This text of 117 Ill. App. 342 (Cohn v. Pitzele) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Appellate Court of Illinois primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Cohn v. Pitzele, 117 Ill. App. 342, 1904 Ill. App. LEXIS 234 (Ill. Ct. App. 1904).

Opinion

Mr. Presiding Justice Ball

delivered the opinion of the court.

Appellants filed a bill in the Superior Court to foreclose a trust deed executed and delivered by appellees to appellant Neuberger as trustee, dated March 28, 1900, conveying certain premises therein described, to secure the payment of a note for the sum of $2,000, of even date, due in three years, with interest at six per cent per annum, payable half yearly, evidenced by coupon notes. The principal note and the coupons are severally to the order of appellant Cohn, and are signed by appellees.

The bill sets up a default in the payment of the interest coupon which fell due March 28, 1901, and alleges that under the terms of the trust deed appellant Cohn, the owner and holder of the notes and trust deed, had elected to declare the whole amount due.

The answer of appellees admits the execution of the notes and trust deed, as alleged in the bill, but denies that they are indebted to said Cohn, and avers- that such notes were made with but any consideration and by means of false and-fraudulent representations made by Cohn to them.

Appellees set up that before the making of this incumbrance there was an action pending between Ascher and Nathan Pitzele, involving a dissolution of partnership between them and an accounting, in which suit a receiver had been appointed; that said Cohn had advanced and disbursed certain sums of money for said Ascher and Nathan Pitzele, in connection with certain real estate belonging to them, including the premises mentioned in this bill; that on the date of the notes and trust deed Cohn fraudulently represented to appellees that he had advanced over $2,000 in connection with said real estate, for which they were indebted to him; and they, confiding in such representations, executed and delivered the said notes and trust deed; that on the last-mentioned date Said Cohn suppressed the fact, of which appellees were ignorant, that he had received certain dividends amounting to $2,113.80, which he should have credited upon the account of the moneys he had so advanced; that although they had frequently asked said Cohn for an accounting, appellees were unable to obtain one; that in the moneys charged by Cohn against said Ascher and Nathan Pitzele is an item of $466.43 for attorney’s fees, which item was personal to Cohn, and for which Ascher and Nathan Pitzele were in no way liable; and that upon a fair accounting it will appear that Cohn is indebted to Ascher and Nathan Pitzele.

The cause was sent to a master, who took the evidence, and June 25, 1903, reported his conclusions of law and of fact to the court. He finds that the notes and trust deed are valid obligations; that default in payment of interest was made as set forth in the bill, and Cohn, as owner and holder of the notes and trust deed, elected to declare and did declare the whole sum due; that there is due thereon $2,243.54, which is exclusive of the above attorney’s fees and a small item of interest, and that appellants are entitled to a foreclosure and a sale of the premises for that amount.

“ Finds there is evidence to the effect that several thousand dollars’ worth of goods were shipped by the appellees from their Dixon house to South Chicago, and from South Chicago to appellant Cohn’s place of business, and that these goods were to be sold by Cohn and the proceeds applied on the indebtedness from, appellees to Cohn. This evidence is all contradicted, and it is impossible to say that the facts claimed by the defendants (appellees) are sustained by a preponderance of the evidence. After they claim to have shipped this large amount of valuable goods, the appellees made the papers sought to be foreclosed, and other notes, and there is no evidence sufficiently conclusive to overcome the presumption raised by these papers regularly and • apparently fairly signed.

It is charged that appellant Cohn entered into a conspiracy with appellees to defraud their creditors by purchasing the property at the receiver’s sale, and having the same turned over to the wives of appellees; appellees’ counsel urges that the court should leave the parties where it finds them, and that no relief should be granted. No collusion with the receiver is shown. Appellant used the1 property in collecting his own debt, which was very large. At the date of the sale there were at least two large mortgages on the property, and it is not reasonable to suppose that any person would have bid more for property so encumbered. At most it can only be said that appellant acted with generosity to appellees’ wives. Finds, therefore, there was no fraud in the transaction such as would bar the appellants from relief in a court of equity.

Finds all the material allegations of the bill sustained, and recommends that the prayer be granted,” etc.

Appellants and appellees filed objections and exceptions to this report. October 15, 1903, the chancellor entered a decree, in which the objections and exception of appellees were sustained, and those of appellants were overruled; and the court finds “ that the complainants do not and did not come into court with clean hands; therefore ordered and decreed that the bill be dismissed for want of equity at the cost of the complainants.” Appellants prayed an appeal which was allowed.

1 For many years prior to October 15, 1898, Ascher and Nathan Pitzele as partners had been doing business as merchants, having one store in South Chicago and another in Dixon, Illinois. During all this time they had bought merchandise in large amounts from the firm of H. Cohn & Son of Chicago, of which appellant Cohn was and is the senior member. On that date, being heavily indebted to H. Cohn & Son, and to other merchants, Ascher Pitzele filed in the Circuit Court of Lee county, wherein Dixon is situate, a bill against Nathan Pitzele to dissolve the partnership of A. & N. Pitzele and to wind up its affairs. On the same day Nathan Pitzele filed an answer, admitting the allegations of the bill and consenting to the entry of a decree dissolving the partnership. Charles II. Hughes was at once appointed receiver of said firm, and as such took possession of all the property thereof, including its real estate. Upon the real estate described in the bill herein there was a first mortgage for $8,000 held or represented by Chandler & Co., and a second mortgage for $5,500 owned by appellant Cohn. Upon another lot, known as the Lange lot, said Cohn had a first mortgage for $5,000, and a second mortgage for $1,250. Upon a third lot, known as the Appel lot, said Cohn had a mortgage for $1,250. All of this real estate was situate in South Chicago. In addition to these mortgages, A.&N. Pitzele then owed said H. Cohn & Son the sum of $2,373.78 upon merchandise account. H. Cohn and H. Cohn & Son proved up these several claims against the estate of A. & H. Pitzele. March 11, 1899," said receiver paid to II. Cohn and LL. Cohn & Son dividends to the amount of $1,630.55; and on October 31, 1899, the further sum of $856.04. These dividends were pro-rated among the several claims and credited accordingly. In the meantime two interest coupons upon the Chandler & Co. mortgage became due, and to protect his underlying mortgage said Cohn purchased them' and had them assigned to his attorney.

The receiver Avas directed by the Circuit Court of Lee County to sell said real estate.

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Bluebook (online)
117 Ill. App. 342, 1904 Ill. App. LEXIS 234, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/cohn-v-pitzele-illappct-1904.