In the Matter of Muntz Tv Inc., Debtors. Jay Milin and Sara Milin v. C. Wylie Allen, Floyd G. Dana and Robert Friedlander, Trustees of Muntz Tv Inc.

229 F.2d 228, 1956 U.S. App. LEXIS 4384
CourtCourt of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit
DecidedJanuary 26, 1956
Docket11510_1
StatusPublished
Cited by13 cases

This text of 229 F.2d 228 (In the Matter of Muntz Tv Inc., Debtors. Jay Milin and Sara Milin v. C. Wylie Allen, Floyd G. Dana and Robert Friedlander, Trustees of Muntz Tv Inc.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
In the Matter of Muntz Tv Inc., Debtors. Jay Milin and Sara Milin v. C. Wylie Allen, Floyd G. Dana and Robert Friedlander, Trustees of Muntz Tv Inc., 229 F.2d 228, 1956 U.S. App. LEXIS 4384 (7th Cir. 1956).

Opinion

MAJOR, Circuit Judge.

On March 3, 1954, an involuntary petition to reorganize Muntz TV under Chapter X of the Bankruptcy Act, 11 U.S.C.A. § 501 et seq., was filed in the District Court (two other corporations not here involved were parties to the proceeding). Appellees, C. Wylie Allen and Floyd G. Dana, were appointed trustees and will be subsequently referred to as such. The trustees, on October 19,1954, filed a petition entitled “Petition for Turn-Over of Leasehold Deposit from Jay Milin and. Sara Milin” (the last two named parties are appellants and will be referred to as such, or in some instances as defendants). The property described in the petition was the sum of $16,000, deposited with the defendants under circumstances to be subsequently related. Defendants entered their special appearance for the purpose of contesting the court’s summary jurisdiction. The issue thus raised was referred to a Special Master who held that the court had summary jurisdiction and recommended the order which the trustees sought. The court approved the report and recommendation and, on April 29, 1955, entered an order directing defendants to pay over forthwith to the trustees the sum in controversy. From this order defendants appeal.

The controversy arises by reason of a real estate lease executed October 17, 1952, between Muntz and the defendants, in which Muntz was lessee and defendants lessors of certain real estate located in Detroit, Michigan. The period of the lease was from January 1, 1953 to January 1,1958, for a term rental of $240,000, payable at the rate of $4,000 per month. The lease as originally executed required Muntz to furnish a surety bond in the sum of $24,000, to guarantee performance on its part. However, on March 2, 1953 (one year previous to the filing of the involuntary petition), a substitute provision was agreed to by the parties and incorporated in the lease, designated as paragraph 37. This paragraph is lengthy, but in view of the nature of the controversy we think it should be set forth. It provides:

“The Landlord herewith acknowledges the receipt of the sum of Sixteen Thousand Dollars ($16,000.00) from the hereinbefore mentioned Tenant as deposited with said Landlord by said Tenant, by its check *230 Number 13070 dated February 27, 1953, as drawn on the American National Bank and Trust Company of Chicago, of Chicago, Illinois, payable to the order of M. E. Arden Company, and by them endorsed payable to the order of the aforementioned parties of the First Part, the Landlord, which sum the said aforementioned Landlord is to retain as .security for the faithful performance of all of the covenants, conditions and agreements as contained and set forth in the Lease herein-before referred to between said parties, but in no event shall the Landlord be obliged to apply the same upon rents or other charges in arrears, or upon damages for the Tenants’ failure to perform the said covenants, conditions and agreements; the Landlord may so apply the security at their option; and the Landlord’s right to the possession of the premises for non-payment of rent or for any other reasons shall not in any event.be affected by reason of . the fact that the Landlord holds this security. The said sum, if not applied toward the payment of rent in arrears or toward the payment of damages suffered by the Landlord by reason of the defendant’s breach of the covenants, conditions and agreements of the aforementioned referred-to Lease, is to be returned to the. Tenant when said Lease is terminated, according to the terms therein set forth, and in no event, is the said security to be returned’ until the Tenant has vacated the premises and delivered possession thereof to the Landlord. Said security is to draw . no interest* In the event that the Landlord repossesses themselves of • the said premises because of the Tenant’s default or because of the Tenant’s failure to carry out the covenants, conditions and agreements of the hereinbefore referred-to Lease, the Landlord may apply the said security upon all damages suffered to the date of said repossession and may retain the said security to apply upon such damages as may be suffered or shall accrue thereafter by reason of the Tenant’s default or breach. The Landlord shall not be obliged to keep the said security as a separate fund, but may mix the said security with their own funds.”

The principal contested issue here, as before the Master, is whether the District Court had summary jurisdiction over the subject matter or the parties with respect to the $16,000 in dispute. There is the further issue arising from the trustees’ contention that in any event defendants by their acts and conduct in connection with the proceeding waived any objection to such jurisdiction. As already noted, the Master, sustained by the court, concluded that the court had summary jurisdiction. At the same time, the Master held that there had been no waiver on the part of the defendants.

In view of the conclusion which we have reached, we find it unnecessary to discuss or relate the facts relative to the issue of waiver. It may be'pertinent to note that the trustees, on May 27, 1954, filed a petition to reject the lease in question and that on the same date the court entered an order of rejection effective as of March 4, 1954.

' Defendants’ argument appears to be premised upon what we think is an erroneous theory, that the $16,000 was not deposited with them as security for obligations assumed by Muntz, and this notwithstanding that the lease specifically stated, “which sum the said aforementioned Landlord is to retain as security for the faithful performance of all of the covenants, conditions and agreements ás contained and set forth in the Lease,” as well as numerous other references to the deposit as security. Moreover, in the proof of claim filed by the defendants the $16,000 deposit was specifically designated “as security, under the provisions of said Lease.” Defendants, consistent with their theory that this was not a security deposit, argue that Muntz retained neither .possession nor title to *231 any specific property but that possession and title were obtained by defendants from the outset. That argument could be valid only if the deposit was not made for security purposes. Moreover, the quoted provision provides that the deposit, if not used for the purposes therein stated, “is to be returned to the Tenant when said Lease is terminated.”

A study of the relevant provision leads to the inescapable conclusion that the deposit was made with defendants by Muntz solely for the purpose of securing payment of the latter’s obligations as provided in the lease. It is true that defendants acquired possession of the money, but only for the purpose stated and, in our judgment, title remained in Muntz. It is also true, as pointed out by the defendants, that there was no specific property to which the turn-over order could be directed; in fact, the lease permitted the defendants to “mix the said security with their own funds.” We attribute no significance, however, to this facet of the situation. Certainly the case would be rare where a deposit of money for security purposes or any other would be kept segregated from all other funds. Even if such funds were deposited in a bank in a separate account, they would become mingled with those of the bank and the specific property would not be identifiable.

The Master treated the $16,000 item as a security deposit, and we think correctly so.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
229 F.2d 228, 1956 U.S. App. LEXIS 4384, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/in-the-matter-of-muntz-tv-inc-debtors-jay-milin-and-sara-milin-v-c-ca7-1956.