Farnsworth v. Muscatine Produce & Pure Ice Co.

177 Iowa 21
CourtSupreme Court of Iowa
DecidedJune 29, 1916
StatusPublished
Cited by16 cases

This text of 177 Iowa 21 (Farnsworth v. Muscatine Produce & Pure Ice Co.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of Iowa primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Farnsworth v. Muscatine Produce & Pure Ice Co., 177 Iowa 21 (iowa 1916).

Opinion

Gaynor, J.

The plaintiff brought this action in equity to rescind the sale of certain stock purchased by her and her husband from the defendant company, and to recover the consideration paid. It was alleged in her petition that the officers of the company, for the purpose of inducing plaintiff and her husband to invest in the stock, made certain false and fraudulent representations; that they relied upon these representations and were induced to purchase the stock; that the representations were false, and so known to be by the defendant, and made for the purpose of inducing them to purchase the stock and part with their money. Plaintiff further prayed that the court establish an equitable lien upon [23]*23certain property owned by the corporation at the time of the transaction, to secure the payment of her claim. Upon that issue, the cause was tried to the court below, and plaintiff’s petition dismissed. From the action of the court, she appealed to this court; and, on the 3d day of June, 1913, the action of the lower court was reversed, and direction given to enter judgment for the plaintiff for the amount of her claim against the defendant, with costs. In this court, the right to a lien upon the property for the amount of the judgment ordered was not determined on that hearing, for the reason, as the court held, that the proper parties for the determination of that issue were not before the court. See Farnsworth v. Muscatine Produce & Pure Ice Co., 161 Iowa 170.

As the prayer for an equitable lien upon the property was not granted by this court, the court, upon rehearing, filed a supplemental opinion as follows:

“The cause is remanded, with direction to the district court to, enter judgment against the defendant corporation for $1,000, with interest at six per cent from August 9, 1910, and for costs . . . , with leave ... to plaintiff to amend and bring in new parties, that the court may hear all parties as to whether the plaintiff is, or is not, entitled to a lien on the property described in her petition for the judgment herein directed. ’ ’

See supplemental opinion, Farnsworth v. Muscatine Produce & Pure Ice Co., 177 Iowa 20.

When the case reached the lower court for further proceeding in accordance with the decision of this court, judgment was entered for the plaintiff against the defendant, Muscatine Produce & Pure Ice Company, for $1,204, being the amount of plaintiff’s claim, with interest, and with $227 costs. Thereupon, an amendment to plaintiff’s petition was filed, in which all parties interested in the matter remanded for retrial were brought before the court. In this amendment, plaintiff alleged that, on the 28th day of January, 1911, her original petition was filed; that, on the 22d day of March, [24]*241911, an application was made to the court alleging the insolvency of - the defendant, and asking the appointment of a receiver; that, on said day, a receiver was appointed of all the property of defendant corporation, and, at the same time and in the same order, the receiver was directed to sell all the property of the corporation on April 6, 1911, at public sale; that said order provided for no appraisement of the property, and made no provision for notice to anyone, and no notice was served on this plaintiff; .that, on the said 6th day of April, all the property of the corporation was sold at public auction, for the sum of $47,800, to one Henry Umlandt.

On the 7th day of April, the receiver made a report of the sale, stating to the court that all the property had been sold, and stating, so far as material to this suit, that, immediately upon his appointment, he gave bond, took possession of the entire property of the corporation, sent a large number of advertisements of .sale to persons likely to be interested in the purchase, and, on the 6th day of April, in accordance with the order of the court, sold the entire property of the corporation; that he received a $10,000 deposit down upon the sale, and asked that the sale be approved. In- this report, the receiver gave an itemized statement of the amount at which each particular portion of the property was sold that was offered for sale. This report was approved and confirmed by the court, and the receiver directed to execute conveyance of all the property of the corporation to the purchaser. This report indicates that the bids were made by E. M. Warner and the property declared sold to him. Thereafter, on the 13th day of April, the receiver filed his final report in the following words:

“As heretofore all of the property of the company was, in conformity to the order of this court, sold at public auction for the sum of $47,800, and the deed of conveyance therefor has been duly approved by the court. And the receiver now reports to the court that he has paid out all the money received by him by the sale of the said property in liquidation of the [25]*25debts of said corporation. He reports that all of the debts have been paid, with the exception of one in the sum of $52.77 claimed by the Buffalo Cold Storage Company, to be due their concern. The managing officers of the Muscatine Produce & Pure Ice Co. dispute the correctness of this claim and have entered into an arrangement whereby the sum actually due may be ascertained, and whereupon the said officers undertake and agree to pay. The receiver reports that the property was sold to a number of persons who heretofore have been stockholders of the corporation. These persons are sureties ' upon the notes of the corporation and upon its other debts in a considerable sum. These persons' have arranged with the outstanding creditors of the concern to the end and. effect that the debts heretofore due by the Muscatine Produce & Pure Ice Co., shall hereafter be the debts of the persons referred to, and the said corporation fully released from all liability thereon. There being no reason why the receivership shall be longer continued, and the best interests of the property require that the receivership be terminated as soon as possible, the receiver prays that this his final report be approved and that the court fix compensation for the services rendered by him, together with a reasonable fee for his attorneys, and that this receiver be discharged and his bond exonerated.”

This report was approved by the court on the day of its filing, and the receiver and his bondsmen discharged.

Henry Umlandt testified that he was president of the defendant company for some time before its dissolution; was present at the time Mrs. Farnsworth bought her stock.

“I had Mr. Warner buy for me the property sold by the receiver. I don’t know whether I figured up the indebtedness of the company before the sale or not. We went over a list of the debts of the company and agreed to. pay the amounts on that list. I knew at the time I purchased this property, and at the time we arranged for the payment of the debts, that Mrs. Farnsworth’s claim was then pending in [26]*26court. We talked about the lien occasionally, to the effect that, if the lien were established against the property, it naturally would have to be paid. The property was good for it. We paid all debts except this claim of Mrs. Farnsworth’s. There was nobody in the new corporation that was not a stockholder in the old corporation. The arrangement between me and the other stockholders with reference to continuing the business was that, if there was nobody came here to buy it, - why we would buy it in and continue the business. When I bought this property from the receiver, I bought all the assets of the corporation of every kind.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
177 Iowa 21, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/farnsworth-v-muscatine-produce-pure-ice-co-iowa-1916.