Frank v. New York, Lake Erie & Western R. R. Co.

7 N.Y. St. Rep. 814
CourtNew York Supreme Court
DecidedApril 19, 1887
StatusPublished

This text of 7 N.Y. St. Rep. 814 (Frank v. New York, Lake Erie & Western R. R. Co.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering New York Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Frank v. New York, Lake Erie & Western R. R. Co., 7 N.Y. St. Rep. 814 (N.Y. Super. Ct. 1887).

Opinion

Bradley, J.

The question presented is whether the appellant, the New York, Lake Erie and Western Railroad Railroad Company, is to any, and what, extent hable to the plaintiffs for the unpaid interest accrued upon the bonds of the Erie and Genesee Yalley Railroad Company, secured by the mortgage in question, and for the principal of such bonds.

This liability depends npon the existence of some relation assumed by the appellant to the lease made by the E. and G. V. R. R. Co., or to the estate or term conveyed by it, which charges the appellant with the performance of its covenants to pay in behalf of the holders of the bonds represented by the plaintiffs.

By the terms of the covenants in the lease to Woodruff, he undertook to pay the interest as it accrued and the principal at maturity. And by his lease to the Erie railway company he conveyed the entire term and all the rights he had taken by the lease to him, and that company agreed to perform all the obligations he had assumed. And although this was not put in the form of an assignment of the lease and term by Woodruff to the Erie railway company, the legal effect was the same as it embraced all that he had acquired from the original lessor. Stewart v. Long Island, R. R. Co., 102 N. Y., 601; 2 N. Y. State Rep., 557. This fact distinguishes it from the effect of a sub-lease as such, [817]*817and, therefore, the case of Ganson v. Tifft (71 N. Y., 48), cited by counsel, is not applicable to the situation here.

The Erie railway company, therefore., became liable as upon the covenants of the original lease to pay what they required assuming that it was valid.

And that company did pay the interest upon the bonds up to the first day of January, 1875.

The transactions following that time, and their effect as relates to the road in question, and to the relations assumed to the covenants in the lease, constitute the matters for consideration. Early in 1875 an action was brought by the attorney general in behalf of the people against the Erie railway company, its directors and others, to dissolve the corporation and for the usual relief in such cases, amongst which was that a receiver be appointed of its property. And in May, 1875, Hugh J. Jewett, who was president of the company, was appointed in that action receiver of all its property, and vested with ample power to continue the operation of the railroads of the company; and later in the month his powers were enlarged by an order of the court, by which, amongst other things, he was authorized in tlie exercise of a sound discretion to pay rent due and to become due under any leases held by the Erie railway company, but he was not required to “adopt and confirm any such leases that upon due inquiry he shall find not to be advantageous to all parties interested.”

In June, 1875, an action was brought by the Farmer’s Loan and Trust Company to foreclose a mortgage made by the Erie Eailway Company to it, as trustee, of date February 4, 1874, to secure the payment of $40,000,000 of its bonds, of which $25,000,000 had been issued; upon which the company was in default in payment of interest. This mortgage covered all the railways of the Erie Eailway Company, and all its rights and franchises, which seem to embrace the estate and rights of the company under the Woodruff lease. The same person was appointed receiver in that action on June 15, 1875, of all the property covered by that mortgage. And he assumed the possession and operation of the railroads and property, including that in question.

By the judgment of foreclosure, and for the sale of the mortgaged property entered November 7, 1877, it was ad judged that " ‘ the plaintiff shall be at liberty to abandon and disclaim at any time before the sale any leasehold estates or interests embraced and included in the mortgage not deemed to be valuable, by giving notice of such aban - donment and disclaimer to the referee m "writing, and the referee shall not expose the leasehold estates and interests [818]*818so abandoned and disclaimed for sale as part of the mortgaged premises.”

The sale was made April 24, 1878, and it appears by the referee’s report of sale that certain leases, including the. Woodruff lease, were not embraced in the property sold, and that it was by him distinctly announced that they would not be included in the sale, or the estates and interests purporting to be created by them. It also appears by the terms of sale furnished by the referee before it took, place, and by him subscribed, that the property to be sold will consist of the mortgaged property, described as in the mortgage, ‘ ‘ excepting therefrom such portions thereof as-will be declared excepted at the time and place of sale.”

The report of sale was confirmed. And the deed made, by the referee to the purchasers, pursuant to the sale and. of date April 26," 1878, contains the exception from the conveyance of the Woodruff lease, and the certain leases appearing by the report of sale not to have been included in the sale as made. And they are in like manner excepted in the conveyance by the purchasers to the New York, Lake Erie and Wester n Railroad Company, of date April 27, 1878.

The transaction of the sale and the conveyance made pursuant to it to the purchasers, as represented by the report of sale and the deéd. establish the fact that the lease in question was rrot included in such sale and conveyance, nor did it pass by the terms of the deed to the N. Y., L. E. and W. R. R. Co. And inasmuch as all the interest and estate of the Erie Railway Company in the E. and G-. V. R. R. were represented by this lease, it is difficult to see how any estate under it could pass by an instrument wdrich excepted the lease from its operation as a transfer or conveyance. It is said on the part of the plaintiffs that the sale was made to the purchasers pursuant to a scheme for reorganization or reconstruction, by which it was contemplated the company to be organized would practically become the successor of the Erie Railway Company and take property, rights and franchises of which it was possessed; and it is contended that notwithstanding the form given to the sale and the conveyances following it, the term or estate of that company given by the Woodruff lease came within the purpose and intent of the sale and conveyances, and therefore, passed by them, and the appellant was charged as assignee of the lease. And such seems to have been the view of the trial court.

It is true that a plan for the organization of a company was adopted and approved by the order of the court, and the receiver was authorized, so far as consistent with his duties, to aid in its accomplishment. The judgment [819]*819was directed and the sale and purchase made with a view to such reorganization.

And the purchase committee, or trustees, to whom the sale was made, associated with themselves others in the certificate of incorporation, and the appellant was incor ated on the 27th day of April. 1878, pursuant to Laws of 1874, chap. 430, as amended by Laws of 1876, chap. 466. And we think that for the purposes of this action the appellant company must be deemed a new company and a distinct organization from the Erie railway company.

The right given by the terms of the judgment to abandon, disclaim and except from the sale of the mortgaged property certain 'leasehold estates and interests, evidently was designed to relieve the new organization from the burden of such of them as were not deemed valuable.

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Related

Ganson v. . Tifft
71 N.Y. 48 (New York Court of Appeals, 1877)
Bedford v. . Terhune
30 N.Y. 453 (New York Court of Appeals, 1864)
Lawrence v. . Fox
20 N.Y. 268 (New York Court of Appeals, 1859)
Woodruff v. . Erie Railway Company
93 N.Y. 609 (New York Court of Appeals, 1883)
Stewart v. . Long Island R.R. Co.
8 N.E. 200 (New York Court of Appeals, 1886)
Johnson v. Sherman
15 Cal. 287 (California Supreme Court, 1860)
Carter v. Hammett
18 Barb. 608 (New York Supreme Court, 1854)
Quackenboss v. Clarke
12 Wend. 555 (New York Supreme Court, 1834)
Childs v. Clark
3 Barb. Ch. 52 (New York Court of Chancery, 1848)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
7 N.Y. St. Rep. 814, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/frank-v-new-york-lake-erie-western-r-r-co-nysupct-1887.