Eykelboom v. People

206 P. 388, 71 Colo. 318, 1922 Colo. LEXIS 399
CourtSupreme Court of Colorado
DecidedApril 3, 1922
DocketNo. 10,274
StatusPublished
Cited by13 cases

This text of 206 P. 388 (Eykelboom v. People) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of Colorado primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Eykelboom v. People, 206 P. 388, 71 Colo. 318, 1922 Colo. LEXIS 399 (Colo. 1922).

Opinion

Mr. Justice Burke

delivered the opinion of the court.

Plaintiff in error was sentenced to the county jail for contempt of court for failure to produce papers as required by a subpoena duces tecum. To review that order he [320]*320brings error and asks the issuance of a supersedeas.

The Denver State Bank was engaged in a general banking business in the city of Denver and The Guaranty Securities Company in negotiating loans and dealing in bonds and securities. The two concerns occupied the same quarters. One Matthews was president of both and plaintiff in error Eykelboom was secretary and manager of the Securities Company and vice-president in charge of the bank. July 19, 1921, the State Bank Commissioner of Colorado, duly authorized by law, revoked the authority of the bank, took possession thereof, and brought an action against the Securities Company alleging that the business of the two concerns had been “intermingled, jumbled and confused” for the benefit of the Securities Company and tó the detriment of the bank; that said Matthews was president of a similar company in Nebraska and that these men, by the use of these companies and this bank, operated “an elaborate system of kiting of checks” to the detriment and loss of the bank; that the company had many creditors including the bank; that it was unable to pay and threatened with numerous suits. The complaint set out in detail three separate causes of action for $2908.06, $2250.00 and $9000.00 respectively, together with interest, prayed the appointment of a receiver and that all the property and assets of the company be delivered to him, and the company’s officers and agents be enjoined from interfering therewith. This complaint was filed September 15, 1921. Summons was served upon Eykelboom the day before. September 21, 1921, subpoena duces tecum was issued directed to Willis Christian and L. D. Eykelboom commanding them to appear on September 22, at 10:00 a. m. in Division 2 of the Denver District Court “to be examined as a witness” and to “produce at the time and place aforesaid a certain package of letters, originals and carbon copies, passing between Williard V. Matthews and L. D. Eykelboom and between ‘Williard’ and ‘Bob’ identified by the initials ‘F. E. H. 1 to F. E. H. 92’ and T. M. G.’ now in your custody and control * * * and for failure to attend, you [321]*321will be deemed guilty of a contempt of court” etc. This subpoena was served the same day. September 22, 1921, Samuel J. Sackett was appointed receiver and-qualified.

September 10, (Saturday) 1921, Eykelboom was in New Mexico and had left his Denver office in charge of said Willis Christian. On that day Christian was served with a writ of replevin issued out of J. P. court under which a constable took the file of letters in question, and on the same day Christian obtained the file under a re-delivery bond and returned the documents to a drawer of Eykelboom’s desk where they were usually kept, and closed and locked the desk. Prior to their return they had been initialed as described in the subpoena. Eykelboom returned to Denver Sunday evening, talked with Christian at the banking room Monday September 12, and on the day following the latter left for his former home in Wolcott, New York, where he has since remained.

When Eykelboom appeared in court September 22, in response to the subpoena, he was sworn and examined. He stated, among other things, that he did not have the letters; that upon his return from New Mexico they had disappeared ; that he did not know where they were; that he had no conversation with Christian about them; that he did have such a conversation; that he had consulted with his attorney Kelley about appearing in answer to the subpoena; and that he did not consult Kelley about appearing in answer to the subpoena. During this examination Kelley was not present. A recess was taken until 2:00 p. m. of the same day at which time the witness was ordered to return with the missing documents. He did return, accompanied by his attorney Kelley, and was again interrogated about the letters. He said, among other things, that they pertained to private correspondence betwe'en himself and Matthews; that they were about the affairs of the company; and that they contained instructions from Matthews to the witness about the business of the company. The matter was again continued for ten days for Eykelboom to produce the letters and he was placed under a ne [322]*322exeat bond of $1000.00. October 3; the hearing was resumed. Eykelboom testified that he had wired Christian as follows:

“Receiver has been appointed for Guaranty Securities Company. I am accused of having the file of letters which you had in your possession when replevin suit was begun in Justice Court. I have been given ten days to produce the letters. If you have letters send them to Samuel J. Sackett attorney Foster Bldg. Denver who has been appointed receiver for company. If they are not in your possession wire Sackett where they are. If you mail them register package. Don’t fail to act promptly. I will defray all expenses.”

To which Christian answered, “I haven’t the letters”; that while he was in New Mexico Christian was his clerk; that Christian had never been his clerk; that upon his return Christian told him he had the letters in his possession; that Christian did not tell him where the letters were; that Christian had no other papers of the company in his possession because none were missing; that a whole bunch of papers were missing; that he employed Kelley to protect Christian; that he did not employ Kelley to protect Christian; that he did not know if the papers were in existence or were destroyed; that he advised Christian to stay in New York until this suit was determined; that he told Christian not to go away on account of this suit; that he did not know the papers had been examined and initialed; and that Christian told him this had been done. The hearing was thereupon continued to October 13, and again to October 24, and again to November 7. On the latter date McMillan, deputy State Bank Commissioner, testified he had gone to Omaha, had been refused inspection of the records in possession of the trustee in bankruptcy for the Nebraska Company, had obtained an order from the Federal Judge permitting such inspection, had examined all said records and files and found them intact save only the duplicate of the file missing from the Denver office, which duplicate could not be found. Eykelboom was [323]*323again examined and testified that he had gone to Omaha (prior to the visit of McMillan there) ; that he talked with Matthews and told him every detail of the proceeding; that he did not discuss the detail of the file with Matthews; that Matthews was president of the bank in Omaha that failed and president of the Nebraska Securities Company; that no one had a key to the Denver desk save Christian, Matthews and himself; that he went to Omaha on Kelley’s advice to get copies of the papers; that he did not go to get the papers but “to arrange for them to get copies if they wanted to”; that Mr. Webb (formerly personal attorney for Matthews, thereafter trustee in bankruptcy of the Nebraska Company, and who furnished the security on Eykelboom’s ne exeat bond) told him, “If your opponent in Denver wants these copies they can get them at any time through the court — why don’t they get them? I don’t want to give them to you”; that while in Omaha for two days he stayed at Matthews’ house.

The transcript shows that the court found as follows:

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Bluebook (online)
206 P. 388, 71 Colo. 318, 1922 Colo. LEXIS 399, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/eykelboom-v-people-colo-1922.