Freed v. Inland Empire Insurance

166 F. Supp. 873, 1958 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 3620
CourtDistrict Court, D. Utah
DecidedOctober 29, 1958
DocketNo. C-157-55
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 166 F. Supp. 873 (Freed v. Inland Empire Insurance) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, D. Utah primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Freed v. Inland Empire Insurance, 166 F. Supp. 873, 1958 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 3620 (D. Utah 1958).

Opinion

CHRISTENSON, District Judge.

This court ruled initially that the claim of the law partnership of Lewis, Roca, Scoville and Beauchamp against the receiver should be treated as an ordinary claim not entitled to preference. The United States Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit reversed, “ * * * with instructions to allow the claim of the appellant as a preferred claim.” Lewis, Roca, Scoville & Beauchamp v. Inland Empire Insurance Company, 10- C'ir., 1958, 259 F.2d 318. Upon return of the mandate to this court the claimant prepared a form of judgment providing not only for the approval of its claim as a preferred one, but for its immediate payment by the receiver. Upon objection by the receiver, and the filing by it of a petition by way of counterclaim against the partnership, the court declined to- ordei [874]*874immediate payment (without prejudice to a further application), but entered judgment in accordance with the mandate of the appellate court as follows:

“* * -x- that the judgment of this Court heretofore entered on January 23, 1958, be and is hereby reversed and the claim of Lewis, Roca, Scoville & Beauchamp in the amount of Eleven Thousand Six Hundred Twenty-four Dollars and Seventy Cents ($11,624.70) plus interest at six per cent (6%) from October 29, 1957, to the date of payment, and costs * * * is hereby allowed and approved as a preferred claim arising out of a valid attachment lien on bonds deposited by Inland Empire Insurance Company with the Commissioner of Insurance of the State of Kentucky prior to the receivership, which bonds were removed from the State of Kentucky by the receiver after its appointment.”

The claimant has now moved for an order requiring the receiver to immediately pay this preferred claim. The receiver resists on the ground that it has a valid counterclaim against the partnership, growing out of other affairs of the Inland Empire Insurance Company, for substantially more than the amount owing by virtue of the attachment.

A ruling on claimant’s motion is deemed to depend upon the jurisdiction of this court to entertain such counterclaim, an interpretation of the appellate court’s mandate in view of the claims heretofore filed by the claimant and a stipulation between the parties, and (if these factors are favorable to the receiver’s position) the sound and reasonable discretion of the court.

Non-residents who present claims against corporate receivers subject themselves to all consequences that attach to an appearance, including the interposition of a counterclaim against them by the receiver. Alexander v. Hillman, 296 U.S. 222, 56 S.Ct. 204, 80 L.Ed. 192.

The petition for judgment filed by the receiver in the nature of a counterclaim alleges that members of the claimant partnership in the course of its legal representation of Inland Empire Insurance Company and as directors and officers thereof, were guilty of serious breaches of their fiduciary responsibilities, and that as a result of fraudulent acts and manipulations alleged in the petition the company suffered damages of $300,000, for which the receiver prays judgment. Without passing now upon the technical sufficiency of the petition to state a claim against the partnership as such, it does appear that it is one of the kind that could be decided in such a proceeding as this, and that if the allegations of the petition are true, the receiver would be entitled to relief.

The claimant says it has pending no claim against the receiver which affords the court jurisdiction of the counterclaim within the doctrine of Alexander v. Hill-man, supra, for the reason (a) that the receiver’s petition technically is not against the partnership but rather against only some of its members; (b) that any claim filed with the receiver was for specific bonds in which it had a special interest by virtue of its attachment, and was not a claim in the ordinary sense; (c) that the stipulation between the partnership and the receiver had the effect of requiring payment by this court forthwith upon a finding that the claimant’s attachment was valid; (d) irrespective of the stipulation, the result of the circuit court’s reversal of this court’s decision was to entitle the claimant to a judgment for payment “and there can be no counterclaim against a judgment”; and (e) for the court to do anything other than to order payment of the claim forthwith would be to vitiate the judgment of the circuit court.

Most of these contentions can be resolved by references to the record.

On September 14, 1955 claimant filed suit against Inland Empire Insurance Company in Arizona for the amount of $20,127.12 and costs. On October 6, [875]*8751955 a default judgment was entered in Arizona.

On November 8,1955, suit having been brought in Kentucky on this judgment, an attachment was served upon property in the hands of the Kentucky Department of Insurance, including the bonds mentioned in Lewis, Roca, Seoville & Beauchamp v. Inland Empire Insurance Company, supra.

On November 30,1955 an order was entered by this court appointing a receiver for Inland Empire Insurance Company.

June 18, 1956, claimant filed with the receiver claim for $20,127.12, with interest and costs, based upon the Arizona judgment, and describing the status of an appeal from this judgment which was then pending but which later was dismissed. This was an ordinary claim upon a regular proof of claim form.

In 1956 subsequent to the date last mentioned, claimant filed a partial satisfaction of the Arizona judgment to the extent of $10,506.94.

Again in 1956 in a suit brought by the receiver against the Commissioner of the State of Kentucky (of which claimant had no notice) the bonds covered by claimant’s attachment (of which attachment proceedings there is no proof that the receiver had notice) were ordered delivered to the receiver.

October 29, 1957, claimant and counsel for the receiver entered into a written stipulation reciting, among other things, the previous filing of the former’s claim with the receiver, the proceedings in Arizona and Kentucky upon which the claim was based, and that “ * * * claimant has not in fact obtained judgment in Kentucky solely because, in view of the transfer of the assets out of Kentucky as described above, it has seemed a desirable economy both to claimant and to the receiver to avoid the expenditure of funds required for taking further steps in Kentucky; but it is stipulated that the matter may be treated as if the judgment had been obtained in Kentucky.” It was further recited that:

“ * * * Claimant contends that it is a preferred creditor entitled to payment in full in the amount of its original judgment with interest less the amount of the partial satisfaction of judgment filed by it in the Maricopa County (Arizona) Superior Court. This claim is based upon either (a) its Arizona judgment; or (b) in the alternative, upon the Kentucky proceedings and the attachment filed! in connection therewith. Claimant contends that the Arizona judgment is res judicata and that the Kentucky attachment, being prior in date to the institution of this receivership, requires payment in full to it.

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Related

Freed v. Inland Empire Insurance Company
174 F. Supp. 458 (D. Utah, 1959)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
166 F. Supp. 873, 1958 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 3620, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/freed-v-inland-empire-insurance-utd-1958.