In re Hoey

290 F. 116, 1923 U.S. App. LEXIS 1757
CourtCourt of Appeals for the Second Circuit
DecidedApril 2, 1923
DocketNo. 207
StatusPublished
Cited by13 cases

This text of 290 F. 116 (In re Hoey) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
In re Hoey, 290 F. 116, 1923 U.S. App. LEXIS 1757 (2d Cir. 1923).

Opinion

MANTON, Circuit Judge.

Hoey, Tilden & Co., a partnership consisting of Matthew J. Hoey and Edward Tilden, were petitioned in bankruptcy on August 15, 1922. On August 16, 1922, the petitioner obtained a temporary injunction from the Supreme Court of the state of New York restraining the bankrupt and the New York Stock Exchange from transferring the proceeds of a sale of a membership seat formerly held and owned by Hoey and sold by him some days prior to the date of the filing of the "petition. In the action in the state court it was alleged that the petitioner’s assignor, one Trygve Barth, a former president of the petitioner, was the equitable owner of the Stock Exchange seat, and therefore it was entitled, by virtue of an assignment, to the surplus of the proceeds of the sale over and above the claims of the members of the Exchange against the proceeds.

Before the return day of the motion for an injunction in the state court, and on the 29th of September, 1922, an order was issued by the District Court of the United States temporarily enjoining -the further prosecution of the state court suit by the petition and directing it to show cause why such temporary injunction should not be made permanent. After argument, the United States District Court, on November 17, 1922, permanently enjoined the petitioner from proceeding and directed it to consent to the vacation of the temporary injunction obtained in the state court suit. The reason advanced by the court below for this decision was that on the date of the filing of the petition the bankruptcy court or its receiver obtained constructive possession of the surplus funds in the hands of the Stock Exchange. Eater a motion was made for reargument, on the ground that the fund received iri payment of the sale had only reached the hands of the Stock Exchange on August 17, 1922, and was not, therefore, in its possession at the [118]*118date of the petition in bankruptcy. This petition is from an order entered November 28, 1922, in accordance with this decision.

The petition does not advance the claim that it or its assignor has actual title or possession to the seat or its proceeds. An equitable ownership is declared to exist because of dealings between Barth and Hoey in 1918. The sole question presented, to the court below and to us, is: In what tribunal will this question of ownership be tried and determined? On reargument, it was decided that, even though the-funds were not in thq possession of the Stock Exchange until August 17, 1922, it made no difference when the purchaser of the seat paid the price to the Stock Exchange. The alleged agreement. by which an equitable ownership is claimed by the petition is disputed, and therefore 'the title and interest in the seat or its proceeds in dispute must be judicially determined.

It is well established that the federal court of bankruptcy has exclusive jurisdiction over all property held by or for the bankrupt, and not in possession of an adverse claimant. Lazarus v. Prentice, 234 U. S. 263, 34 Sup. Ct. 851, 58 L. Ed. 1305; Acme Co. v. Beekman Co., 222 U. S. 300, 32 Sup. Ct. 96, 56 L. Ed. 208. When' that court once has jurisdiction over a res, no subsequent action of another court can divest it thereof. The filing of a petition in bankruptcy fixed the date from which the jurisdiction attached. Mueller v. Nugent, 184 U. S. 1, 22 Sup. Ct. 269, 46 L. Ed. 405. What then passed to its jurisdiction is property actually or constructively in the possession of the bankrupt, if the legal title thereto is not in a third party. It would also obtain jurisdiction over property in adverse possession of a third party, if the true legal status were that title was in .the bankrupt. Thomas v. Woods, 173 Fed. 585, 97 C. C. A. 535, 26 L. R. A. (N. S.) 1180, 19 Ann. Cas. 1080; Clay v. Waters, 178 Fed. 385, 101 C. C. A. 645, 21 Ann. Cas. 897; Orinoco Iron Co. v. Metzel, 230 Fed. 40, 144 C. C. A. 338. When this seat was sold, the proceeds belonged to its legal owner, Hoey, subject to the claims of the Stock Exchange members against the same. If an equitable ownership existed in favor of the petitioner, it was subject to that claim. The proceeds, amounting to $45,000, were therefore in Hoey’s constructive possession. When the petition was filed, the jurisdiction of the court attached to deal -with it, and to determine controversies arising therefrom. Whitney v. Wenman, 198 U. S. 539, 25 Sup. Ct. 778, 49 L. Ed. 115_ 7.

bankruptcy court, having jurisdiction, may enjoin the prosecution of actions tending to of the debtor’s property in bankruptcy. In re Schermerhorn, 145 Fed. 341. 76 C. C. A. 215; Morehouse v. Powder Co., 206 Fed. 28, 124 C. C. A. 158. In O’Dell v. Boyden, 150 Fed. 731,. 80 C. C. A. 397, 10 Ann. Cas. 239, a firm of stockbrokers assigned their entire interest in their New York Stock Exchange seat to secure past and present advances. Within a few days thereafter the firm went into bankruptcy. The seat was sold by the Exchange and the proceeds held subject to the liens of members. The trustee in bankruptcy, on hearing of a claim of the purchaser to a lien against the surplus, moved in the bankruptcy court for an injunction against a suit by the purchaser against the trustee [119]*119and the Stock Exchange. The purchaser started suit in the state court, in which he sought to have the surplus of the proceeds paid to him. In this state court suit, a temporary injunction restraining the Stock Exchange and directing the paying over of the surplus to the trustee was entered. The difference between the facts in the case at bar and the case cited is that the Stock Exchange seat was sold after, instead of prior, to the filing of the petition in bankruptcy. There the Court of Appeals of the Sixth Circuit said:

•‘There exists no ground for entertaining jurisdiction to adjudicate his claim or lien, unless we shall agree with the court below in holding that the ‘membership’ or ‘seat’ was an asset which passed to the trustee and was in custodia legis when the petition was filed. But we cannot regard the fact that the seat had been sold and the proceeds were in the hands of the New York Stock Exchange when this petition was filed as depriving the bankrupt court of any custody or possession which it had before such sale. * * * If this peculiar kind of property passed to the trustee upon his appointment, and was in his control and possession so far as such property is capable of being possessed,’ the bankrupt court did not lose possession by the steps taken under its direction to bring it to sale. * * * The transfer and assignment preceding bankruptcy may have fastened liens upon the pecuniary results of a valid sale, and transfer which may be effectually enforced in the bankrupt court, but subject to such equitable liens as may result from such prior transfers or assignments. The ‘seat’ or ‘membership’ continued to be the ‘seat’ of Henrotin, and was a pecuniary asset which passed to his trustee. It was as much in his custody and possession as such a species of property is capable of. To deny the trustee’s possession would be to deny the capability of possession of a chose in action or other incorporeal right or equity. The possession may be constructive, and not manual; but it is only so because such property is not capable of a more tangible custody.”

In Murphy v.

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Bluebook (online)
290 F. 116, 1923 U.S. App. LEXIS 1757, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/in-re-hoey-ca2-1923.