Goodhope v. Overgaard

227 N.W. 380, 56 S.D. 28, 1929 S.D. LEXIS 232
CourtSouth Dakota Supreme Court
DecidedNovember 8, 1929
DocketFile Nos. 6514, 6515
StatusPublished
Cited by4 cases

This text of 227 N.W. 380 (Goodhope v. Overgaard) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering South Dakota Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Goodhope v. Overgaard, 227 N.W. 380, 56 S.D. 28, 1929 S.D. LEXIS 232 (S.D. 1929).

Opinions

FULLER, C.

On November 7, 1923, T. B. Goodhope took judgment for -d'ebt against Mads N. Overgaard in the amount of $3,445.70, no part of which was thereafter paid except $28. On September 25, 1924, Lyle S. Spencer procured a like judgment against Overgaard for $8,270. On May 6, 1924, Spencer commenced one of the instant actions to- set aside certain- transfers of real estate made ;by the debtor, and his action for this purpose was followed by a similar suit commenced by the creditor Goodhope. From an adverse judgment and order denying motion for a new trial, each party appeals and their appeals, being submitted on the same record here, will be considered together, with our mention of the appellant having reference respectively to- both appellants. The respondents here include Mads N. Overgaard, the debtor, and Clifford N. Overgaard, Mary Overgaard, and Cora M. Overgaard, his transferees who were defendants prevailing in the trial below.

The principal matter for review is whether the evidence is sufficient to sustain the trial court’s finding's that the debtor was not insolvent at the time of nor rendered insolvent by the conveyances complained of, and that those conveyances were not made by the debtor with actual intent to hinder, delay, or defraud his creditors. The transfers of respondent Mads N. Overgaard, sought to be vacated, were of four lots in the city of Sioux Falls, one of which was occupied by a store building and the others by dwelling houses. Two- of the lots were conveyed January 2, 1923, to the respondent Clifford N. Overgaard1, a son of the' respondent Mads N. Overgaard, for the assumption -by the purchaser of a debt of $10,000 owing by Mads N. Overgaard to the wife of his brother. The debt was partly paid and the balance secured by a settlement satisfactory to and accepted by the creditor. Another lot was conveyed on that date to a daughter-in-law of Mads N. Overgaard in satisfaction of a debt of $6,500 by him owing to her husband. The fourth lot was covered by a third conveyance of March 1, 1923, to Clifford- N. Overgaard, in satisfaction by him of an indebtedness of $1,000 owing from Mads N. Overgaard, and the assumption of a mortgage of $3,000 against the property.

To recover below the appellant was obliged to establish, under his burden of proof and by a preponderance of the evidence, either the fact of actual fraud on the part of respondent Mads N. Overgaard or those facts which would establish constructive fraud, [31]*31according to the provisions of Laws 1919, c. 209, §§ 4 and! 7 (9 U. L. A. pp. 127, 129) reading- as follows:

“Section 4. Conveyances by Insolvent. Every conveyance made and every obligation incurred by a person who is or will be thereby rendered insolvent is fraudulent as to creditors without regard to his actual intent if the conveyance is made or the obligation is incurred without a fair consideration.”
“Section 7. Conveyance Made with Intent to' Defraud. Every conveyance made and every obligation incurred with actual intent, as distinguished from intent presumed in law, to hinder, delay, or defraud either present or future creditors, is fraudulent as to both present and future creditors.”

Our first concern under section 4, supra, pertains to the value of the debtor’s property on January 2, 1923, the date of the first two transfers covering three of the .Sioux Falls properties. At that time Mads N. Overgaard owned six large apartment houses in the Twin Cities, four in Minneapolis and two in St. Paul, the gross income from' which, it was testified by one witness, had been $10,000 per month. Those properties were incumbered to the aggregate amount of $640,000, leaving an equity, according to the testimony of certain witnesses, of about $180,000. The trial court found! that, on the last-named date, Mads N. Overgaard was worth $200,000 in excess of the Sioux Falls property here in dispute and at least $150,000 above all debts and obligations. In February, 3:923, this defendant exchanged his equities in the apartment properties for a note of $200,000 given by one Streeter indorsed by one Rogers. A vigorous attack is made by appellant upon the testimony of these witnesses to the effect that Streeter, at least, was solvent, and that Rogers had not ceased to make substantial payments upon his debts. But the trial court seems to have agreed with appellant in this contention, for it was found below that, on March 1, 1923 (the date of the third.transfer covering the fourth lot above mentioned), Mads N. Overgaard was insolvent and had been swindled out of his property by the said Streeter and Rogers. This finding is equivalent to a decision that the $200,000 note was worthless.

With respect to the transfers of January 2, 1923, the question as to the solvency of Streeter and Rogers and the value of the $200,000 note is not of controlling importance. It is true [32]*32that, if it were shown that Mads X. Overgaard intentionally and knowingh- traded his equity in the apartment properties for a worthless note, in February, 1923, the tact might cast its shadow backward upon his knowledge of a lack of value in his equities on January 2, 1923. But there is nothing in this record to support that reasoning. There was no occasion for the fabrication by the debtor of evidence of a fictitious value of $200,000 in the property. The amount of the judgments here involved approximate $12,000 and interest, no other debts being established except those satisfied by the transfers in dispute.

If we were to concede with appellant that the valuation of $200,000, as fixed by the trial court upon the combined equities in the-apartment houses, on January 2, 1923, was without substantial support in the .evidence, we would yet be unable to declare that appellant had been prejudiced by that erroneous valuation unless it further appeared that these equities were not of value equivalent to the indebtedness of Mads N. Overgaard on that date. As the plaintiff in the court 'below had the burden of proving the insolvency of the debtor, at the date of the transfers, or that he was rendered insolvent thereby so, in this court the plaintiff, as appellant, must establish that the finding of the trial court was not only opposed by a clear preponderance of the evidence, -but that the error was prejudicial.

An excessive valuation of the property owned by the debtor cannot be said to be material, for the purposes of appeak unless the clear preponderance of the evidence establishes that the debtor’s property was not worth the amount of his debts. This record has been searched in vain for evidence according to which it might justly be said, or fairly demonstrated, that the combined equities in these six apartment houses on January 2. 1923, were worth less than the amount of ■( Ivergaard’s indebtedness. If there is doubt under the record as to the true and actual valuation, the responsibility is certainly not upon the respondents to dissipate that doubt or to show that they took over the burden of proof in the trial court to affirmatively prove the fact of solvency. Indeed, if any effort were now made to express a judgment as to the value of these properties, other than that found by the trial court, the effort would involve the contradiction of witnesses and, in fact, the credibility of witnesses. In short, it is not clear from this record that [33]*33the debtor was insolvent on the date of the conve)'ances in January, 1923, or that he was insolvent after making the conveyances. For this reason it becomes unnecessary to discuss whether the consideration received by Mads N.

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Bluebook (online)
227 N.W. 380, 56 S.D. 28, 1929 S.D. LEXIS 232, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/goodhope-v-overgaard-sd-1929.