Eagan v. Clasbey

5 Utah 154
CourtUtah Supreme Court
DecidedJanuary 15, 1887
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 5 Utah 154 (Eagan v. Clasbey) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Utah Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Eagan v. Clasbey, 5 Utah 154 (Utah 1887).

Opinion

HENDERSON, J.:

The complaint in this cause avers that on the eleventh day of September, 1885, the plaintiff was the owner of an undivided one-fourth of the property known as “Martin’s Horn Silver Mine;” that the plaintiff and the other owners of said property, having in contemplation the formation [155]*155of a corporation under tbe laws of tbis territory, and passing tbe title to said property thereto, in payment for tbe stock subscribed, by tbe incorporators thereof, the plaintiff and defendant entered into tbe following contract:

“Salt Laee City, Eleventh September, 1885.
“Tbis agreement, entered into on tbis eleventh day of September, 1885, by and between Ed. D. Eagan, party of tbe first part, and James T. Clasbey, party of tbe second part, and both of Salt Lake City, Utah Territory. That said Ed. D. Eagan, party of tbe first part, does hereby agree to deliver to James T. Clasbey, party of tbe second part, stock in tbe mining claim, at present known as ‘Martin’s Horn Silver Mine,’ and situated near Lava Beds, Idaho Territory, the amount of said stock to be of tbe value of five thousand dollars, at its original cost; and it is further agreed that, if said stock is not issued, the said Ed. D. Eagan, party of tbe first part, does agree to deliver to said James T. Clasbey, party of tbe second part, a deed for a portion of tbe aforesaid mining property, said deed to be equivalent to stock of tbe amount of five thousand dollars. E. D. Eagan.
J. T. Clasbey.”

That on tbe fifteenth day of September, 1885, pursuant to such intention, said corporation was formed upon tbe basis of $10,000,000 as tbe capital stock, divided into 100,000 shares of tbe face or par value of $100 each; that in forming such corporation it was agreed that said contract between plaintiff and defendant should be recognized, and that defendant should be permitted to subscribe for such amount of said stock as tbe $5,000 so paid by him would entitle him to under said.agreement, and that such subscription should be in full execution of said contract between plaintiff and defendant; that tbe original cost of said stock was 62J cents per share, being $62,500 in the aggregate for such entire stock; that plaintiff was entitled under said agreement to 17,000 shares of such stock, and tbe defendant to 8,000 shares thereof, being together one-fourth of the entire stock; and that it was [156]*156agreed betwe^p plaintiff and defendant tbat sucb was the cost and proper division of sncb stock.

The complaint further alleges that, in drawing up and reducing to writing the said articles of incorporation, the person who prepared the same, by inadvertence and mistake, in the subscription paragraph thereof, erroneously stated therein the number of shares to said plaintiff as 15,000, and to defendant 10,000 shares; that plaintiff, upon hearing said articles read, and before executing, noticed said error, and called the attention of defendant thereto, and that, to save delay in redrafting said articles, it was agreed between plaintiff and defendant that they would execute said articles as drafted, and receive each the number of shares as therein stated, but that such mistake should be rectified after such stock was issued, by defendants assigning and transferring to plaintiff 2,000 shares of such stock; that said articles were executed, and said stock issued, as set forth therein; that thereafter said defendant transferred to said plaintiff 525 shares of such stock, but refuses to transfer the balance thereof, but has converted to his own use 1,475 shares of such stock, of the value of $3 per share, and demands judgment for the sum of 14,425 against defendant.

The answer and counter-claim of the defendant denies the making of any agreement or understanding between plaintiff and defendant, except the written contract set forth in the complaint, or that the original cost of said stock was 62-| cents per share, or that there was any error in drafting said articles of incorporation, or that there was any agreement or understanding to reconvey any portion of said stock, and denies that said plaintiff under said agreement was entitled to 17,000 shares of said stock, and said defendant only 8,000 shares thereof; but, on the contrary, avers that the original cost of said stock was only 50 cents per share, being $50,000 for the whole thereof; that at the time of making said contract said plaintiff held an executory contract for the purchase of one-fourth of said property, but that, being without the means .sufficient to make the payments required thereunder, he applied to the defendant to contribute $50,000 to the [157]*157purchase thereof, with the understanding that defendant should share in such purchase in such proportion as the 85,000 should bear to the cost of such purchase, and thereupon he paid plaintiff the $5,000, and said contract was executed; that thereupon the plaintiff perfected such purchase, and at once thereafter said incorporation -was formed, but that defendant did not then know the actual cost of such purchase, and did not then know what the proper ratio of division of said one-fourth of said stock, as betweeu him and plaintiff, should be, but that said articles were executed with the understanding that the amount of subscription by plaintiff and defendant was only approximately correct, as between them, and that the proper distribution and adjustment thereof was left to future adjustment under their contract; that afterwards, and before any such adjustment, and before the defendant was aware of the cost of said stock, plaintiff requested defendant to assign to him 525 shares of such stock to enable plaintiff to fulfill a contract of sale he had made, and that defendant assigned such stock to plaintiff; that under said contract defendant was entitled to have 10,000 shares of saM stock, and plaintiff 15,000 shares thereof; that, after learning such fact, the defendant demanded of plaintiff 525 shares of said stock, which plaintiff refused, and claimed' that the original cost was 62^ cents per share, and that plaintiff included in such original costs certain amounts, which were loaned by said plaintiff to said corporation, and which said corporation had repaid to him out of its net profits; that such claim was unjust and fraudulent; that the defendant, under said contract, is entitled to 525 shares of said stock from the plaintiff, which plaintiff has converted to his own use; avers that said stock is worth three dollars per share, and demands judgment against the plaintiff for the sum of $1,575.

The cause was tried before the court without a jury, and the following findings of fact, and conclusions of law • thereon, were found by the trial judge:

“(1) The plaintiff and defendant, on the eleventh day of September, 1885, entered into the written contract exhibited in the complaint, whereby plaintiff, in considera[158]*158tion of tbe sum of $5,000, then delivered to him by the defendant towards the purchase of one-fourth undivided of the Martin’s Horn silver mine, at Era, Idaho, agreed to deliver to the defendant stock in such mining claim in amount equal to $5,000, at its original cost; and, further, that, if such stock was not issued, he would deliver to defendant a deed to be equivalent to stock of the amount of $5,000.

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Bluebook (online)
5 Utah 154, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/eagan-v-clasbey-utah-1887.