Eclipse Oil Co. v. McAlister

103 S.W.2d 420, 1937 Tex. App. LEXIS 414
CourtCourt of Appeals of Texas
DecidedMarch 16, 1937
DocketNo. 3198
StatusPublished
Cited by4 cases

This text of 103 S.W.2d 420 (Eclipse Oil Co. v. McAlister) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals of Texas primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Eclipse Oil Co. v. McAlister, 103 S.W.2d 420, 1937 Tex. App. LEXIS 414 (Tex. Ct. App. 1937).

Opinions

WALKER, Chief Justice.

On the 26th day of September, 1936, G. R. McAlister filed suit in the Sixtieth district court of Jefferson county, hereinafter referred to as the “McAlister suit,” Judge R. L. Murray presiding, against Eclipse Oil Corporation of Delaware, Eclipse Oil Company of Texas, John D. McCall, Marrs McLean, W. D. Gordon, and M. J. Ebberts and J. J. Hebert, alleging the relation of the personal defendants to the corporate defendants, the incorporation of the Delaware corporation, that a fraudulent attempt was being made to transfer the assets of the Texas corporation to the Delaware corporation, and that he owned $10,000 of the capital stock of the Texas corporation; the purpose of the suit was to cancel “an attempted assignment” of all the assets of the Texas corporation to the Delaware corporation. The following was McAlister’s prayer: “Wherefore, premises considered, Plaintiff prays that the Defendants be cited to appear herein in terms of law and that upon a final hearing hereof, he be awarded a judgment nullifying and invalidating the dissolution of the Eclipse Oil Company, and cancelling the instrument assigning all of the assets and properties of the Eclipse Oil Company to the Eclipse Oil Corporation of Delaware; that he also be awarded the judgment of this court appointing a receiver of the Eclipse Oil Company and Eclipse Oil Corporation with full authority to take over the entire management, control, assets and properties of said companies until the matters hereinbefore complained of are adjusted and until the final adjudication as to the title' of Plaintiff’s stock in the Eclipse Oil Company; that he be awarded the judgment of this court enjoining the said M. J. Ebberts, J. J. Hebert, W. D. Gordon, John D. McCall and Marrs McLean from in any manner molesting, interfering with or attempting to exercise dominion or control over any of the assets or physical properties of either of said Defendant corporations during the pendency of said receivership; and that he be awarded all costs in this behalf incurred and for such other and further relief, both special and general, in law and in equity, to which he may prove himself justly entitled.”

The defendants in that suit were duly served with citation. On the 7th day of October, 1936, McAlister filed in that suit an ancillary bill of discovery to require the defendants to deliver the books and accounts, etc., of the corporate defendants to the district clerk of Jefferson county, in order that McAlister and his attorneys might examine the books and accounts to discover the amount of oil that had been converted by the Delaware corporation. On an ex parte review of the bill of discovery Judge Murray entered an order requiring the defendants to appear before said court on the 17th day of October, A. D. 1936, to show cause, why the relief prayed for should not be granted. On the 9th day of October, 1936, the Delaware corporation filed in that suit its petition to remove the cause to the District Court of the United States for the Eastern District of Texas, which was granted when presented, and the suit was transferred to the docket of the District Court of the United States, where it remained until the 27th day of January, 1937, when Judge Bryant, judge of the United States District Court, made his order remanding the case to the state court. On the 25th day of January, 1937, before the remand of [422]*422the McAlister Case, Marrs McLean, defendant in that suit, filed a new suit as plaintiff, in the Fifty-Eighth district court of Jefferson county, Judge Geo. C. O’Brien presiding (hereinafter referred to as the McLean suit), against the two corporate defendants named in the McAlister suit, alleging that the corporate defendants were indebted to him in the sum of $5,642.50. He alleged certain other facts not necessary to bring forward in this opinion and prayed for the appointment of a receiver for the assets of the two corporate defendants. On the day that suit was filed the defendants entered their appearance by answer filed by their attorney, Hon. W-. D. Gordon, agreeing to the appointment of the receiver but denying certain other facts alleged by the plaintiff Marrs McLean. On that date after the answer was filed the plaintiff’s petition was presented to the Hon. Geo. C. O’Brien, judge presiding, who on that date, on an ex parte application, appointed a receiver for the corporate defendants, in all things as prayed for by McLean, fixing the bond of the receiver at $2,500, naming W. M. Campbell receiver; this order recited “upon consideration of the petition and answers and admissions of the defendants in the above entitled and numbered cause, it is ordered that W. M. Campbell, a resident citizen of Jefferson County, Texas, be and he is hereby appointed receiver of all the assets etc., * * * of the Eclipse Oil Company, and of the Eclipse Oil Corporation, a Delaware corporation.” On the 2d day of February, 1937, McAlister, in his cause in the Sixtieth district court, filed his ancillary bill for in-junctive relief, complaining of W. D. Gordon, Marrs McLean, John D. McCall, M. J. Ebberts, J. J. Hebert, E. E. Easterling, A. L. Shaw, and W. M. Campbell, receiver; for ground of relief he alleged all the facts stated above, the filing of the two suits, etc.; he denied that the corporate defendants were indebted to Marrs McLean. He alleged further that the McLean suit was filed in fraud of his rights; that by filing his suit first, with prayer for a receiver, the Sixtieth district court impounded all the assets of the corporate defendants and had exclusive jurisdiction to appoint a receiver; that the appointment of the receiver by Judge Geo. C. O’Brien in the Marrs McLean suit in the Fifty-Eighth district court was brought about by a fraudulent conspiracy between McLean and the personal defendants in that suit; that the appointment of the receiver was absolutely void, etc.; the prayer was as follows: “Wherefore, premises considered, your petitioner prays that a temporary injunction be issued enjoining the said Eclipse Oil Company of Texas, the Eclipse Oil Corporation of Delaware and Marrs McLean, together with the attorneys claiming to represent them in cause No. 49494 styled Marrs McLean, Plaintiff, vs Eclipse Oil Company, et al., Defendants, in the District Court-of Jefferson County, Texas, 58th Judicial District, said attorneys being W. D. Gordon and E. E. Easterling, from further proceeding with or prosecuting said cause. Your Petitioner further prays that said temporary injunction restrain and enjoin the said W. M. Campbell from taking over or administrating any of the assets of either of said corporations, and further restraining and enjoining him from performing any other act or acts which he may claim to be vested in him by virtue of the proceedings in said cause in the District Court of Jeff'erson County, Texas, 58th Judicial District. Your petitioner further prays that said temporary injunction restrain and enjoin the said A. L. Shaw from representing the said W. M. Campbell as Receiver of either of said corporations and further restrain and enjoin the said A. L. Shaw from instituting, prosecuting, or in any manner collecting any claim either for or against either of said corporations as attorney for the said W. M. Campbell in the capacity of Receiver of either of said corporations. Your Petitioner further prays that the Defendants herein be cited and notified to appear and answer, and he further prays that upon final hearing hereof the said temporary injunction be made permanent and for all costs in this behalf incurred, and for all other relief, both special and general, either in law or in equity, to which he may be justly entitled.

On the day that bill was filed it was presented to Judge R. L.

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Bluebook (online)
103 S.W.2d 420, 1937 Tex. App. LEXIS 414, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/eclipse-oil-co-v-mcalister-texapp-1937.