Drainage Dist. No. 17 of Mississippi County v. Guardian Trust Co.

52 F.2d 579, 1931 U.S. App. LEXIS 3743
CourtCourt of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit
DecidedSeptember 14, 1931
DocketNo. 9031
StatusPublished
Cited by2 cases

This text of 52 F.2d 579 (Drainage Dist. No. 17 of Mississippi County v. Guardian Trust Co.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Drainage Dist. No. 17 of Mississippi County v. Guardian Trust Co., 52 F.2d 579, 1931 U.S. App. LEXIS 3743 (8th Cir. 1931).

Opinions

YOUMANS, District Judge.

This is an appeal under section 129 of the Judicial Code (section 227, title 28, U. S. C. [28 USCA § 227]) by drainage district No. 17 of Mississippi county, and R. C. Rose, B. A. Lynch, and 0. W. Afflick, as directors of said district, from an order of the District Court appointing a receiver for said district. The case had been removed from the chancery court of Mississippi county to the United States District Court. Prior to the removal, a receiver had been appointed by the chancery court. A motion to remand was filed in the District Court, which was overruled. In the same order overruling the motion to remand, the District Court appointed a receiver other than the one appointed by the state court. The receiver appointed by the state court had taken possession of certain moneys, records, books, and other property belonging to the district. Upon those facts counsel for appellants in their reply brief make the following statements:

[580]*580“Notwithstanding the fact that the property and affairs of the district were in the custody of the state chancery court, the district court appointed a receiver of the same property and affairs, and directed him to apply to the state chancery court for an order to turn them over to the federal receiver. The application was made, but the chancery court refused to make such an order.

“The present appeal is from the order appointing a receiver, and wrestiijg the possession of the property and affairs of the district from the custody of the state chancery court. The propriety of this order is the sole issue involved; This question is fully argued in appellant’s original brief, where the pertinent authorities are cited.

“But appellees say that the district court acquired possession of the property and affairs of the district through the alleged removal of the Harper ease, and that there was, therefore, no breach of the comity that should obtain between courts of concurrent jurisdiction. We wish to analyze this contention, with perfect frankness, and without any indulgence in refinements or subtleties.

“We concede that the removal of a receivership cause from a state court to a federal court carries the receivership with it, and transfers the’Custody of the property from the state to the federal court; and that the federal court can retain the receiver appointed by the state court, or replace him with one of its own choosing. We also concede that if the federal court denies a motion to remand, its judgment cannot be questioned collaterally, even though it appears on the face of the record that the cause was not removable. In making these concessions, we are stating a much stronger ease for the appellees than they have stated themselves. If, therefore, the record presented a case within the purview of the principles which we concede, the appellant could not ask this court to reverse the order appointing the receiver, on the ground that the property of the district was in the custody of the state chancery court, and the federal court had no right to wrest its possession from the state court.”

In the same brief counsel for appellant also make the following statement: “Unfortunately, no appeal can be prosecuted from the order of the district court denying the motion to strike the record in the Harper case from the file, or in the alternative, remanding the case. It may be that if the order appointing a receiver is set aside, the district court may see fit to appoint a receiver in the Harper ease. If so, an appeal could be prosecuted from that order, and the question of the removability of that ease be finally determined.”

While it is thus conceded that the order overruling the motion to remand cannot be appealed from, yet for a full understanding of the case it is necessary to give its history from the beginning, including the removal proceedings.

On August 1, 1930, E. Harper and C. E. Crigger filed a complaint in equity in the Mississippi county, Ark., chancery court, Chickasawba district, against drainage district No. 17 of Mississippi county, Ark., and R. C. Rose, B. A. Lynch, and C. W. Affliek, as commissioners of said district.

The allegations of the complaint are that drainage district No. 17 of Mississippi county was created by Act No. 103 of the General Assembly of the state of Arkansas in 1917 (page 485) for the purpose of constructing and maintaining a system of levees, canals, and ditches to protect and drain the lands in the district, that the district issued, sold, and delivered its negotiable bonds aggregating $3,985,500, which “were sold to various parties and were finally purchased and now are owned by the investing public,” and that benefits were assessed and levied upon each tract of land in the district and the entire revenues of the district were pledged as security for the bonds issued and sold.

The complaint contained also the following allegations:

“On account of the failure of the owners of large bodies of lands to pay the annual drainage taxes as they accrued, the tax lien was foreclosed, and the district was compelled, in the absence of any purchasers of said lands, to bid them in for the district. The total acreage thus bid in by the district, and now owned by the district, is approximately Fifteen Thousand. The district has been wholly unable to sell any of these lands, though it has made an effort to do so, and there is no market for them at the price the district is required by law to charge for them.

“The ownership of these lands by the district and the consequent failure of the lands to contribute to the revenues of the district, has shifted the tax burden disproportionately on the paying lands, thereby destroying the uniformity of taxation among the landowners, and causing the forfeiture of large bodies of additional lands each year that otherwise could and would have paid the drainage tax, thus rendering the district progressively less able to meet its obligations and to [581]*581accomplish the purpose for which it was created.

“The delinquencies referred to have reduced the revenues of the district to such an extent that the district is wholly unable to meet its outstanding obligations, and it was compelled to default in the payment of the interest on its bonds, including- the interest on the bonds held by the plaintiff, E. Harper, due August 1, .1930, such interest amounting in tho aggregate to $120,000.00. The district has not sufficient funds on hand and will not have sufficient funds during the present year, to' pay this interest, nor will it have sufficient funds to pay either principal or the interest on its bonds as they severally accrue.
“The district has done no maintenance work whatever. As a result, parts of the canals and ditches have filled up, and a condition is fast approaching in which, for lack of proper maintenance, the entire system will cease to function. If this happens, the improvement will be a total failure, and there will be an irreparable loss to the landowners, the creditors, and the public alike.
“The district has $90,000 in cash on hand, a part of which should be used for maintenance. This is imperatively demanded in order to protect enormous bodies of cultivated lands in the district which will be overflowed in the event of high water if the ditches which are now stopped up are not cleaned out. The balance of the funds on hand should be applied pro rata, to the payment of tho past duo interest on the outstanding bonds.

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Bluebook (online)
52 F.2d 579, 1931 U.S. App. LEXIS 3743, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/drainage-dist-no-17-of-mississippi-county-v-guardian-trust-co-ca8-1931.