International Harvester Co. of America v. Union Irr. Co.

90 So. 741, 150 La. 405, 1922 La. LEXIS 2577
CourtSupreme Court of Louisiana
DecidedJanuary 30, 1922
DocketNo. 23287
StatusPublished
Cited by15 cases

This text of 90 So. 741 (International Harvester Co. of America v. Union Irr. Co.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of Louisiana primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
International Harvester Co. of America v. Union Irr. Co., 90 So. 741, 150 La. 405, 1922 La. LEXIS 2577 (La. 1922).

Opinions

DAWKINS, J.

In its inception this was, in effect, a consent proceeding placing the Union Irrigation Company in the hands of a receiver. The plaintiff’s petition contained the usual .allegations of default by the corporation on its obligations, which were admitted by the defendant, and the lower court thereupon appointed Messrs. William Eden-born, of New Orleans, and J. Eranklin Schell, of Washington, La., coreceivers, with authority to continue the business of the company as a going concern. About 10' days after his appointment Schell resigned, and Henry P. Dart, Sr., of New Orleans, was, at the instance of certain bondholders, appointed in his stead.

The Union Irrigation Company (hereafter referred to as the Irrigation Company) owned a large irrigation plant, costing many thousands of dollars, together with several thous- and acres of rice lands, in St. Landry and Evangeline parishes, including some 35 miles of canals and laterals, and, at the date of appointing, the receivers, more than 2,000 acres had been prepared for planting. Seed rice of the value of several thousand dollars had arrived on a bill of lading, with sight draft attached, and this, with other circumstances, was such that the lower court deemed it' advisable to authorize the issuance of receiver’s certificates to finance the planting and harvesting of a rice crop. This was accordingly done in the order making the appointment and the issue was fixed at $50,000.

Much difficulty was experienced in negotiating the certificates, but a temporary arrangement was made with the Planters’ National Bank of Opelousas, La., whereby it loaned to the receivers the sum of $5,000, on [409]*409certificate No. 1, for a period of SO days.These funds were used to release the seed rice and to pursue the planting operations. The receivers then made numerous efforts with the banks at Opelousas and in the city of New Orleans to get them to handle the remainder of the certificates but failed. Finally Edenborn induced Ms sister, Mrs. Lina Mann, a lady of some means, to lend the receivers some money, which was done only after Edenborn and Dart had added their individual guaranties to such amounts of the certificates as might be taken by Mrs. Mann.

The first inventory taken by the receivers showed the Irrigation Company in possession of assets slightly exceeding $903,000. As before indicated, there were included in the list an enormous pumping plant, about seven thousand acres of rice lands, canals and rights of way, and a vast amount of dredging and farming machinery, tools, vehicles and §tock, necessary to make a complete and efficient plant and rice farm. Everything indicated the possibility of its being operated successfully by the receivers in the interest of the creditors and stockholders. However, further investigation, after the crop had been launched, and certificate No. 1 for $5,000 had been negotiated, revealed that, in addition to several thousand dollars of outstanding bonds, there was scarcely a piece of real or personal property which was not incumbered with vendors’ liens, including the rights of way of the 35 miles of canals. Thereupon the receivers applied to the court and obtained an order restricting and limiting the lien and privilege for the payment of the certificates to the crop and personal property, on condition that the holders of vendors’ liens and mortgages against lands 'and rights of way should agree to postpone or forego execution upon their .claims until the crop could be made and harvested. This order was signed June 5,1914, and made part of the six certificates, numbered from 2 to 7, inclusive, and which were subsequently negotiated. For some reason the receivers were' never able to obtain the consent of the mortgage holders to this arrangement, and about midsummer a perfect deluge of foreclosure proceedings was precipitated upon the real property. Fruitless efforts were made by the receivers to ward off these suits until the crop could be gathered, and eventually, the greater part of the farm lands, with the growing crop, were wrested from their hands, ^o that, from the portion of the crop which was left, there was realized only $3,679.48.

Pursuant to the’ arrangement heretofore mentioned, Mrs. Mann, through her said brother, Edenborn, paid into the receivership funds as follows:

June 11, 1914. $16,000 00

Sept. 11, 191$. 3,000 00

Oct. 23, 1914.1,000 00

Total . $20,000 00

As security for the money so advanced she holds certificates Nos. 1 to 6, inclusive, all due January 1, 1915 (except No. 1, in favor of the Planters’ National Bank of Opelousas, which matured May 1st, 1914, and was taken up out of funds advanced by Mrs. Mann), bearing 8 per cent, interest, and stipulating 5 per cent, attorney’s fees, which certificates are for amounts as follows, to wit:

No. l $5,000 00

No. 2 2,000 00

No. 3 2,000 00

No. 4 2,000 00

No. 5 ' 5,000 00

No. 6 5,000 00

There was also issued on September 26, 1914, certificate No. 7 for $600,. payable to bearer (as were all of the others except No. 1), likewise due January 1, 1915, which was delivered to John W. Lewis, as a payment on his fees as attorney .for the receivers. This certificate was negotiated by Lewis and subsequently taken up out of fees allowed on the first provisipnal recount.

[411]*411As above indicated the farming operations proved very disastrous, mainly because of the involved condition of the Irrigation Company’s affairs, resulting in foreclosure xu-oceedings upon most of its real property, and, on September 22,1914, the receivers applied to the court for authority to sell all of its property, both movable and immovable, which remained. After proper entry on the order book, no opposition appearing, the authority sought was granted October 10th. On October 29th amended application was filed, in which it was asked that the company be declared insolvent and the property ordered sold, which was done in a decree consuming some 70 pages in the transcript. The property was described in detail, as well as the liens and incumbrances resting thereon, and each piece was ordered sold separate and apart for the protection of the creditors asserting claims thereon.

In the meantime, on October 8, 1914, the court below, at the suit of the receivers, and apparently without opposition on the part of the defendant therein, annulled sales of real property made to the corporation by J. Franklin Schell, and canceled its note held by him for $204,403.83, as well as the assumption of a large number of other notes and vendors’ lien's resting upon this same property, and amounting to many thousands of dollars additional. This also took from the Irrigation Company a large quantity of its immovable property, but relieved it of the huge indebtedness mentioned, which appears to have been largely in excess of its value.

The first sale, pursuant to the order of the court, began on January 9, 1915, in St. Landry parish and on January 16th in Evangeline. There was realized in cash therefrom the sum of $24,383.65, and real and personal property was, in addition thereto, bought in by holders of vendors’ liens thereon to the amount of $19,919.32, and making total sales of $44,302.95, and which was- $7,871.93 less than the appraisement on the inventory of the property thus sold, to wit, $61,014.90.

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Bluebook (online)
90 So. 741, 150 La. 405, 1922 La. LEXIS 2577, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/international-harvester-co-of-america-v-union-irr-co-la-1922.