Hamblett v. Board of Savings & Loan Associations

472 F. Supp. 158, 1979 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 14100
CourtDistrict Court, N.D. Mississippi
DecidedFebruary 28, 1979
DocketNo. DC 76-97-S
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 472 F. Supp. 158 (Hamblett v. Board of Savings & Loan Associations) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, N.D. Mississippi primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Hamblett v. Board of Savings & Loan Associations, 472 F. Supp. 158, 1979 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 14100 (N.D. Miss. 1979).

Opinion

MEMORANDUM OF DECISION

ORMA R. SMITH, District Judge.

Plaintiffs filed this class action on September 8,1976. At that time, each plaintiff and each member of the proposed class was a depositor or investor in the Bankers Trust Savings and Loan Association (hereafter “defendant Association”).

The class which plaintiffs seek to represent, consists of approximately 60,000 persons, who are said to hold deposits or investments in defendant Association aggregating approximately $210,000,000.00. When this suit was filed, the main office of defendant Association was situated at Jackson, Hinds County, Mississippi, and had numerous branch offices throughout the state.

In an action filed against defendant Association by a depositor and his wife in the Chancery Court, Hinds County, Mississippi, a Chancellor of the court, without notice or hearing, appointed a receiver for defendant Association. This occurred on Friday, May 7, 1976. The next day, Saturday, May 8, 1976, the appointment was vacated by the court.

This action was given extensive publicity and triggered what is commonly referred to as a “run” on defendant Association, resulting in the exhaustion of its liquidity.

Defendant, the Board of Savings and Loan Associations of the State of Mississippi (hereafter “State Board”), acting pursuant to Mississippi Statutory Law, directed its Executive Officer to apply to the Chancery Court for appointment as receiver of defendant Association.

The Chancery Court of the First Judicial District of Hinds County, Mississippi, acting upon the Executive Officer’s application, on May 20, 1976, entered an order making the appointment. During the pendency of the depositors suit and the receivership proceedings, the Mississippi Legislature was called by the Governor into special session to consider the financial crisis then existing in the state. The legislature promptly adopted Senate- Bill No. 2001. Miss.Code Ann. §§ 81-11-91 et seq. (1978 Cum.Supp.). The statute was signed into law the day of its enactment, June 20, 1976.

The statute provided for appointment of a conservator by the Chief Justice of the Mississippi Supreme Court, or, in his absence, the Presiding Justice of the court, for all state chartered associations subject to the newly enacted law. Honorable Neville Patterson, Presiding Justice of the Mississippi Supreme Court, in the absence of the Chief Justice, appointed Robert W. Warren conservator pursuant to statutory provisions.

Mr. Warren immediately entered upon the duties of the office and was in the process of reorganizing defendant Association when the action sub judice was initiated.

During the pendency of the action sub judice, the court entered an order staying the proceedings. The order was entered January 17, 1977. The stay was effective until September 17, 1977. The court directed the conservator to keep the court currently informed on all developments in the reorganization of defendant Association.

One exception to the stay related to consideration by the court of the question of subject matter jurisdiction. The court previously, sua sponte, at a hearing on December 20, 1976, questioned the court’s subject matter jurisdiction of the action. The order of January 17, 1977, provided for submission of briefs on the jurisdictional question. These were received in due course.

Mr. Warren has subsequently submitted reports to the court and the court notes [161]*161that a successful reorganization of defendant Association has been accomplished. The details of the reorganization need not be here stated. They do not, in any way, relate to the jurisdictional issue.

After the commencement of the action sub judice, defendant Bankers Trust Company was adjudicated a bankrupt in the United States District Court for the Southern District of Mississippi. Bankers Trust Company is now in the process of reorganization under Chapter X of the National Bankruptcy Act (U.S.C. Title 11, Chapter X (§§ 501-676.)

Recognizing the exclusive jurisdiction of the Bankruptcy Court over the estate of the Bankers Trust Company, an order has been entered herein dismissing said defendant from the action sub judice. The order is dated September 28, 1978.

A controversy arose over the right of the Conservator to proceed with the reorganization of defendant Association outside of the bankruptcy proceedings since all of the issued and outstanding capital stock of defendant Association was owned by Bankers Trust Company and was a part of the bankrupt estate.

The matter was litigated in the United States District Court for the Southern District of Mississippi. On appeal, the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit determined that defendant Association was not subject to the Bankruptcy Act and that the reorganization should proceed outside the bankruptcy court pursuant to state law. Judge Ainsworth’s excellent opinion in the case on appeal1 contains a concise and lucid recital of events involved in the matter.

During the progress of the reorganization of defendant Association, plaintiffs Audie Hamblett, Paulette W. Baddley, Thomas Burse, Robert J. Swanton, Richard C. Watkins and Walter Huffman, filed the action sub judice. Plaintiffs alleged that they invested various amounts of funds in defendant Association and had suffered damages on account of its closure which resulted from mismanagement and other illegal activities on the part of defendants acting in concert with each other. Plaintiffs sued the Board of Savings and Loan Associations of the State of Mississippi, Brad Dye, Evelyn Gandy, A. F. Summer, W. D. Coleman, Hamp King and Heber Ladner, individually and in their official capacity as members of the Board; Walter Bullock, individually and as an officer of said Board; Bankers Trust Company; Bankers Trust Savings and Loan Association; American Savings and Insurance Company, Charles Carter, individually and as the representative of a class consisting of all officers, directors and stockholders of Bankers Trust Company; C. D. Shields, individually and as representative of a class consisting of all officers and directors of the Bankers Trust Savings and Loan Association, and Chester Simms, individually and as the representative of a class consisting of all officers, directors and stockholders of the American Savings and Insurance Company.

The complaint contains ten (10) counts.

Count I charges a violation by defendant Association of the Securities Exchange Act.

Count 2 charges dereliction of duty by the State Board and its individual members and staff.

Count 3 charges coercion by the State Board and its individual members which resulted in the merger of defendant Association with other insolvent savings and loan associations.

Count 4 charges fraudulent and deceptive misrepresentations by the members of the State Board.

Count 5 charges unjust enrichment by the members of the State Board and its staff.

Count 6 charges certain illegal activities on the part of Bankers Trust Company.

Count 7 charges mismanagement of defendant Association by its parent company, Bankers Trust Company, its officers, directors and stockholders.

Count 8 charges mismanagement of defendant American Savings and Insurance Company.

[162]

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Related

Hamblett v. BD. OF SAV. AND LOAN ASSOCIATIONS, ETC.
472 F. Supp. 158 (N.D. Mississippi, 1979)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
472 F. Supp. 158, 1979 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 14100, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/hamblett-v-board-of-savings-loan-associations-msnd-1979.