In re Sheridan

34 F. Supp. 286, 1940 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 2794
CourtDistrict Court, D. New Jersey
DecidedAugust 1, 1940
StatusPublished
Cited by10 cases

This text of 34 F. Supp. 286 (In re Sheridan) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, D. New Jersey primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
In re Sheridan, 34 F. Supp. 286, 1940 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 2794 (D.N.J. 1940).

Opinion

FORMAN, District Judge.

Matilda H. Sheridan, filed a petition in bankruptcy in this court August 7, 1939, which indicates that she was, employed as a school teacher in Nutley, N. J., and was receiving a salary of approximately $2,280 per annum. Her total indebtedness appears to be around $3,500 of which $780.94 was secured to an indeterminate extent. Objections to her discharge were filed by the Morris Plan Industrial Bank of New York, a creditor hereinafter designated Bank, upon two specifications: First, that the bankrupt obtained a loan of money on February 3, 1938, from it by means of a financial statement in writing which was materially false. Second, that the bankrupt on May 25, 1938, obtained a loan of money from the Chester-Neal Company of Providence, Rhode Island, hereinafter designated Chester Company, by means of a financial statement which was materially false.

These specifications are based upon Section 14, sub. c(3), of the Act, 11 U.S.C.A. § 32, sub. c(3), which provides as follows: “The court shall grant the discharge unless satisfied that the bankrupt has * * * obtained money or property on credit, or obtained an extension or renewal of credit, by making or publishing or causing to be made or published in any manner whatsoever, a materially false statement in writing respecting his financial condition * * * Provided, That if, upon the hearing of an objection to- a discharge, the objector shall show to the satisfaction of the court that there are reasonable grounds for believing that the bankrupt has committed any of the acts which, under this subdivision c, would prevent his discharge in bankruptcy, then the burden of proving that he has not committed any of such acts shall be upon the bankrupt.”

The hearing on objections was held before one of the Referees in Bankruptcy of this court. The objecting creditor now comes before this court for a review of the-order of the Referee overruling the specifications and granting a discharge to the bankrupt.

At the hearing it was shown that the-bankrupt on February 3, 1938, obtained a loan of money from the Bank which in[288]*288corporated a renewal of a past loan. Her application for this loan contains the following :

“Are you making instalment payments on a loan or for merchandise? If so, to whom [Answer] Hoffman Furniture Co.

“Original Am’t [Answer] About $250.

“Payments [Answer] $12 Per Mo.

“Unpaid balance [Answer] $75.

“What is the total amount of your debts [Answer] About $300.”

On May 28, 1938, the bankrupt obtained a loan from the Chester Company. In the application therefor the following questions and answers are found:

“Do you owe any individual, loan company, finance company or bank for borrowed money? [Answer] Yes. If so, give name and amount due each and how repayable [Answer] General Motors Acceptance Corporation for car — about $275 still due — $25 a month.

“Have you any other indebtedness than that listed above? [Answer] Yes. If so, state total amount and what it is for [Answer] Hoffman Furniture Co. — $40 still due on living room furniture.”

It is observed at the outset that the second of the above applications for loans fails to disclose the indebtedness to the Bank. The explanation offered by the bankrupt for this omission was that the money received under this loan was .turned over to her husband who was head of the Janitorial Staff of the Summer Avenue School, Newark, N. J. He had signed as a comaker of a note securing the loan, and she stated that- he had agreed to assume payment of the obligation. The bankrupt also testified that she was of the impression that the loan was insured against the death of -cither her or her husband, and that since her husband had died the latter part of March, 1938, she not only considered the debt his debt, but that it was paid by virtue of his death. No legal evidence is contained in the record disclosing any .such insurance status.

It was also shown that the Newark Teacher’s Credit Union, William P. Hed-don, brother of the bankrupt and the Household Finance Corporation were creditors -of the bankrupt, that their names were ■omitted as creditors in both of the above applications for loans, and that each of -them was listed as a creditor in the schedule .accompanying the petition for bankruptcy in the sum of $287.70, $482.50 and $221.73 respectively.

The bankrupt justified her omission of the Newark Teacher’s Credit Union on the ground that the money obtained by the loan went entirely to her husband, and that she considered this debt that of her husband and not of herself. This loan was evidenced by a note from her husband as maker together with herself as co-maker, dated October 15,, 1937, in the sum of $500, and was secured by an assignment of his salary in writing of even date with the note to which she had appended her signature on a line designated “Husband or Wife”.

The obligation to William P. Heddon seems to have arisen in this fashion — The bankrupt owed money at a bank which was secured with stock. Heddon paid this debt and secured a loan from a bank for himself and put up this same stock as collateral. The bankrupt agreed to repay him from time to timé. She justified the omission of this creditor on the ground that this was just an “agreement” between her and her brother that did not require periodic payments, and, hence, was not the type of obligation required to be disclosed in the applications to the loan companies. Her brother, on friendly terms with her, testified candidly that she had given him only authority to hypothecate the stock, and that on February 1, 1938, she owed him $482.50.

The only explanation offered for the failure to list the Household Finance Corporation was that there was not enough space in the margin following the question in the application.

The objecting creditor does not take issue with the Referee’s statement of the applicable rule of law herein. The issue resolves itself in the application of that rule. The certificate of the Referee states that it is necessary that the objecting creditor -prove that a materially false statement was intentionally made by the bankrupt, and that credit was extended in reliance thereon, citing Morimura, Arai & Co. v. Taback, 279 U.S. 24, 49 S.Ct. 212, 73 L.Ed. 586; Gerdes v. Lustgarten, 266 U.S. 321, 45 S.Ct. 107, 69 L.Ed. 309; and In re Krulewitch, D.C., 60 F.2d 1039. In addition, the cases Local Loan Company v. Hunt, 292 U.S. 234, 243, 54 S.Ct. 695, 78 L.Ed. 1230, 93 A.L.R. 195; Williams v. United States Fidelity & G. Co., 236 U.S. 549, 35 S.Ct. 289, 59 L.Ed. 713; and Royal Indemnity Company v. Cooper, 4 Cir., 26 [289]*289F.2d 585, were cited for the proposition that the Bankruptcy Act should be liberally construed in favor of the bankrupt. Following this statement of law, the Referee ■concluded that there was no .evidence to indicate that either the Bank or the Chester Company relied upon the statements herein. He then discussed the alleged falsities in the statement to the Bank, but only the omission of the Newark Teacher’s Credit Union and William Heddon as creditors.

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Bluebook (online)
34 F. Supp. 286, 1940 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 2794, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/in-re-sheridan-njd-1940.