Fidelity Building & Loan Ass'n v. Thompson

25 S.W.2d 247
CourtCourt of Appeals of Texas
DecidedFebruary 15, 1930
DocketNo. 10628.
StatusPublished
Cited by3 cases

This text of 25 S.W.2d 247 (Fidelity Building & Loan Ass'n v. Thompson) 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
Fidelity Building & Loan Ass'n v. Thompson, 25 S.W.2d 247 (Tex. Ct. App. 1930).

Opinion

JONES, C. J.

This is an appeal from a judgment entered on the 22d day of May, 1928, in a district'court of Dallas county in two suits pending in said court, which suits had ’been consolidated by an order of the court.

One of the suits was instituted by Fidelity Building &. Loan Association against George W. Stell and wife, for recovery on a building and loan note executed by said Stell and wife to the1 loan association, and to foreclose a deed of trust lien on real estate given to secure the note. F. G. Kune intervened in this suit, alleging that he had theretofore subscribed for 20 shares of the par value of $100 in said loan association, that said shares *249 were fully paid up, and that there existed m his favor a credit'on the boohs of the loan association in the sum of $2,000. Other allegations were made in this plea showing his right to intervene.

The second suit was filed by the Texas Building & Loan Association of Dallas against J. O. Thompson and wife to recover on a building and loan note executed by the Thompsons on April 16, 1928, in the sum of $4,000, and to foreclose a deed of trust lien given to secure the loan. The notes in each of the suits bore interest from date at the rate of 10 per cent, per annum, payable in monthly installments, and maturing when their shares of stoch in the association were fully paid up, or if default of more than 30 days was made on installment payments. Mrs. Maggie McLendon and husband, Jeff D. McLendon, intervened in this suit, alleging that Mrs. McLendon had theretofore .subscribed for 20 shares of stoch, of the par value of $100, in said loan company, that said shares were fully paid up, and that there existed to her credit on the books of said loan company the sum of $2,000, and made further allegations showing her interest in the subject-matter of the suit and her right to intervene. J. Hugh Campbell also intervened in this suit, alleging that he had theretofore subscribed for 10 shares in said association, and had paid. thereon at the time of filing this suit the sum of $20.06, and made other allegations showing his interest in the subject-matter and his right to intervene.

Appellant, Fidelity Building & Loan Association, will hereafter be styled Fidelity Company, and appellee Texas Building & Loan Association of Dallas will hereafter be styled Texas Company. The other appellees will be styled by their respective names.

On January 11, 1929, an attempted consolidation of these two companies was had, and the name of the Texas Company adopted as the name of the consolidated companies. About six months previous to this consolidation, the directors and officers of the Fidelity Company had resigned, and the officers and directors of the Texas Company were elected as directors and officers of the Fidelity Company. The management of the two companies was thereby vested in the same officers, but the two companies were operated as separate and distinct companies until after the consolidation, when they were operated as one company. Both the Texas Company and the Fidelity Company were incorporated as building and loan associations under the provisions of articles 852-881, Vernon’s Ann. Tex. Stats. The Texas Company and the in-terveners in its suit challenged the validity of this consolidation. The Texas Company raised this issue in its pleading because of the fact that it had theretofore, but after the attempted consolidation, secured the opinion of the Attorney General, to the effect that the attempted consolidation of the two companies was void. The two interveners in their respective petitions alleged the invalidity of the consolidation on the same theory that the Attorney General had pronounced the attempted consolidation void. The Fidelity Company, by supplemental pleading in the consolidated case, alleged the validity of the act of consolidating the two companies, stating its ground for so believing, and the interveners in the suit of the Fidelity Company also alleged the validity of the consolidation on practically the same grounds. Thompson and wife, defendants in the suit filed by the Texas Company, do not appear to have filed an answer, but did file assignments of error in the trial-court. Stell and wife, defendants in the suit of the Fidelity Company, filed an answer consisting of a general demurrer and a general denial, a plea of virtual insolvency on the part of the Fidelity Company, alleging that its affairs were being directed by the commissioner of insurance of Texas, and that in justice and equity the suit should be held in abeyance until the Fidelity Company could be restored to a sound business condition.

The case was tried to the court, and judgment entered decreeing the invalidity of the attempted consolidation, and further decreeing that the two companies must be considered and treated as though no consolidation had been attempted, and restoring to the owners the shares of stock that had been originally issued by the respective companies. Judgment was rendered in favor of the Fidelity Company against Stell and wife for the sum of $5,000 as principal of the note, and for unpaid interest thereon in the sum of $239.-58. Judgment was rendered in favor of the Texas Company against J. O. Thompson and wife for $4,500, as principal of the note, and the sum of $362.22, as unpaid interest thereon. There was also rendered judgment foreclosing the deed of trust lien against the parties defendant in each of said suits. As against each defendant, the judgment decreed that it bear interest at the contract rate of 10 per cent, per annum from its date. The judgment further decreed that Stell and wife owned installment stock in the Fidelity Company in the sum of $708.22, and established it as a claim against the disbursements of the assets of the Fidelity Company to be paid when said company is liquidated, and denied the right of set-off against the indebtedness. The judgment also decreed that Thompson and wife owned installment stock in the Texas Company in the sum of $80, and established it as the same character of claim against the Texas Company, as was done in the Stell claim against the Fidelity Company. The judgment further decreed that intervener Kune owned fully paid-up stock in the Fidelity Company in the sum of $2,000, established same as a claim to be paid proportionately with other claimants when the Fidelity Company is liquidated. The judgment further es *250 tablished the claim of J. Hugh Campbell as owner of $20.06 of stock in the Texas Company, and directs its proportionate payment when said company should be liquidated, and the same character of judgment was entered in reference to the claim of $2,000 by inter-vener Mrs. McLendon to be paid by the Fidelity Company in the same way when such company is liquidated.

The court filed conclusions of fact that are not excepted to by any of the parties, and must be treated as a statement of the material facts in this case; there being otherwise no statement of facts. These facts show that the Fidelity Company was insolvent at the time of the attempted consolidation on January 11, 1928, and had been insolvent for some time previous thereto, that the Texas Company was insolvent at the date of the trial, and that neither company is attempting to secure any new business.' At the time of the attempted consolidation, the inference is that the Texas Company was solvent.

At the time of investment in its shares of stock, the Fidelity Company.

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