In Re Production Aids Co.

193 F. Supp. 180, 1961 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 3884
CourtDistrict Court, S.D. Iowa
DecidedMarch 22, 1961
Docket4-517
StatusPublished
Cited by5 cases

This text of 193 F. Supp. 180 (In Re Production Aids Co.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, S.D. Iowa primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
In Re Production Aids Co., 193 F. Supp. 180, 1961 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 3884 (S.D. Iowa 1961).

Opinion

STEPHENSON, District Judge.

This matter originally came before this Court on separate petitions for review filed by the Trustee of the Bankrupt, Production Aids, and by James Winfield, a creditor of the bankrupt, claiming a lien on certain property. After an oral hearing before the Court wherein the claimant, James Winfield, claimed he was not afforded .a full opportunity to be heard before the Referee, the matter was referred back to the Referee by this Court for the purpose of taking further evidence pertaining to the priority between the claimant James Winfield and another creditor-claimant, First Trust and Savings Bank, hereinafter referred to as First Trust.

Subsequent to this Order referring the matter back, James Winfield made a request that the Court determine whether the acknowledgements on certain mortgages made by the bankrupt to First Trust and Winfield, were sufficient under the law. First Trust likewise filed a request for a ruling asking the Court to determine whether or not jurisdiction is vested in the Referee to make a determination of the priority of interest between the two adverse claims, First Trust and James Winfield. First Trust now contends that since the bankrupt through the Trustee abandoned the property, which is the subject matter of these mortgages in the dispute, and no stay of proceedings was requested as to the Referee’s Order pertaining to the possession of the property, the Order having directed that possession be surrendered to First Trust, that the rights of the Trustee would now be limited to following the property and obtaining possession thereof from whomsoever now claims to be the owner.

It now appearing that the issues in this matter could be greatly simplified by the Court ruling in respect to the foregoing matters, the Court makes the following determinations:

The first consideration is the sufficiency of the acknowledgement appearing on Trustee’s Exhibit 6, which is a chattel mortgage from the bankrupt to Cory Machine and Tool Co., subsequently assigned to First Trust, and the acknowledgement appearing on Trustee’s Exhibit 7, which is a chattel mortgage from the bankrupt to James Winfield. These mortgages will be referred to as the First Trust mortgage and the Winfield mortgage respectively. The acknowledgement on the First Trust mortgage appears as follows:

“State of Iowa County of Scott
“On this 26th day of May, 1959, before me, a Notary Public in and for said County, personally appeared Walter J. Long, Vice-President, to me personally known who, being by me duly sworn, did say that he is an agent of said Production Aids Company, (Inc.) and authorized to execute the within instrument and that said instrument was executed in behalf of said Company by due authority of said Walter J. Long, Vice President, acknowledged said instrument to be the free and voluntary act and deed of said Company for the purposes and consideration therein expressed.
“/s/ Mildred E. Cain Notary Public in and for said County”

This acknowledgement was signed by Mildred E. Cain and her Notary Seal-was duly affixed.

*183 The acknowledgement appearing on the Winfield mortgage is as follows:

“State of Iowa 1 L ss. County of Scott |
“On this 18th day of April, A.D. 1957, before me, the undersigned, a notary public in and for Scott County, Iowa, personally appeared Production Aids Inc. by: Walter J. Long, Vice-President to me personally known to be the identical person— named in and who executed the foregoing instrument and acknowledged that they executed the same as their voluntary act and deed.
“/s/ Rosemary Renihan Notary Public in and for said County and State
“My commission expire 7-4-57”

This acknowledgement was properly signed by a Notary whose seal was duly affixed.

The Trustee argues that these acknowledgements are insufficient under the Iowa laws in that Section 558.38, Code of Iowa, 1958, I.C.A., provides:

“If the acknowledgement is made by the officers of a corporation, the certificate shall show that such persons as such officers, naming the office of each person, acknowledged the execution of the instrument as provided in Section 558.39.” (Emphasis supplied)

Section 558.39 provides in part, as pertinent here:

“The following forms of acknowledgement shall be sufficient in the cases to which they are respectively applicable * * *
“3. In the case of corporations or joint-stock associations:
On this-day of-, A. D. 19 — , before me, a
(Insert title of acknowledging officer) in and for said county, personally appeared -, to me personally known, who being by me duly sworn or affirmed did say that he is (insert title of executing officer) of said corporation association , that | the seal affixed to said instrument | is the seal of said Í no seal has been procured by the | said corporation association and that said instrument was signed and sealed on behalf of the said corpOTa«on association by authority of its board of directors trustees and the said acknowledged the execution of said instrument to be the voluntary act and deed of said association I corporation by it voluntarily executed.”

The Trustee reasons that Section 558.38 then makes mandatory the exact form found in Section 558.39(3), or that at least the same elements found in the form of Section 558.39(3) must be found, substantially in the disputed acknowledgement.

First Trust argues that the language of Section 558.39 “shall be sufficient” renders Section 558.39(3) a permissive form and that the acknowledgement appearing on the First Trust mortgage is sufficiently equivalent to this permissive form to be legally effectual. Win-field is not able to as easily dispose of the question of sufficiency of the acknowledgement appearing on his mortgage. He argues that Section 558.30, Code of Iowa, I.C.A., provides mandatory provisions controlling the sufficiency of an acknowledgement. Section 558.30 provides as follows:

“The court or officer taking the acknowledgment must indorse upon *184 the deed or instrument a certificate setting forth the following particulars:
“1. The title of the court or person before whom the acknowledgment was made.
“2. That the person making the acknowledgment was known to the officer taking the acknowledgment to be the identical person whose name is affixed to the deed as grantor, or that such identity was proved by at least one credible witness, naming him.
“3. That such person acknowledged the execution of the instrument to be his voluntary act and deed.”

Winfield argues that Section 558.30 is complied with in each of the three provisions as follows:

(1) The title of the person before whom the acknowledgement was made is shown.

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Bluebook (online)
193 F. Supp. 180, 1961 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 3884, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/in-re-production-aids-co-iasd-1961.