Interstate Grocer Co. v. National Bank of Commerce in St. Louis

298 S.W. 17, 174 Ark. 924
CourtSupreme Court of Arkansas
DecidedSeptember 27, 1927
StatusPublished

This text of 298 S.W. 17 (Interstate Grocer Co. v. National Bank of Commerce in St. Louis) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of Arkansas primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Interstate Grocer Co. v. National Bank of Commerce in St. Louis, 298 S.W. 17, 174 Ark. 924 (Ark. 1927).

Opinion

McHaney, J.

John J. Hughes, was the owner of certificate No. 147 for. 44 shares of stock in appellant corporation, of the par value of $25 each, and, on September 30,19'20, at a time-when he was indebted to the American Bank of Commerce & Trust Company of Little Kook, Arkansas, W. W. Moore, secretary of appellant, executed the following* waiver of its statutory lien on said stock:

“State of Arkansas, County of Phillips.
“I, W. W. Moore, do hereby certify that John J. Hughes is the owner of 44 shares of the capital stock of the Interstate Grocer Company, a corporation org*anized and doing business under the laws of Arkansas, evidenced by stock certificate No. 147 of said corporation. That said corporation has no lien or claim whatever on said stock, and hereby acknowledges that said stock is transferred as security to the American Bank of Commerce & Trust Company, Little Rock, Ark., for the payment of $. with interest at.per cent, per annum, or for any other indebtedness now .existing or that may he hereafter contracted.
“Dated at Helena, Ark., Sept. 30, 1920. W. W. Moore, Secretary of the above named corporation.”

This indebtedness to the American Bank of Commerce & Trust Company was evidently paid off on or about June 5, 1922, as, on that date, the American Bank of Commerce & Trust Company assigned the above-mentioned waiver of lien to appellee by indorsement thereon in the following* language:

“'June 5, 1922.
“We hereby assign all rights of lien as expressed in the waiver on the opposite side of this sheet in favor of the National Bank of Commerce, St. Louis, Missouri, without recourse of any kind whatsoever on this institution. American Bank of Commerce & Trust Co., Little Rock, Arkansas. By W. A. Hicks, V. P. and Cash.”

On June 5,1922, Hughes was indebted to appellee in a large sum of money, and deposited with appellee, or its agent, the 44 shares of stock above mentioned, together with the waiver of lien above set forth, with the indorsement thereon. On December 5, 1922, this indebtedness by Hughes to appellee was renewed, and this stock certificate and other collateral remained with appellee as collateral security for the payment of Ms indebtedness. Hughes paid a portion of Ms indebtedness to appellee, and, on March 13, was adjudicated a bankrupt in the Helena Division of the Federal District Court of the Eastern-District of Arkansas, at a time when he was still indebted to appellee in a large sum of money. During all of the times hereinbefore mentioned Hughes was indebted to the appellant, and, on the date óf the adjudication, owed appellant the sum of $1,094.94, for which amount appellant filed claim with the referee in bankruptcy as an unsecured creditor, and without claiming or asserting any lien upon the stock in question, and without giving Hughes credit for the value of the stock in question. In its proof of claim in bankruptcy, appellant made the following statement: “That the said Interstate Grocer Company has not, nor has any person by its order or to the knowledge and belief of said deponent, for its use, had or received any manner of security whatever, or any note for such account, nor has any judgment been rendered thereon, and that the only securities held by the said............for said debt are the following”; and no securities are listed opposite said statement.

On June 29, 1923, appellee wrote .appellant advising it that it held this stock, giving the certificate number, in which it claimed the dividend, if any, thereon. Thereafter followed considerable correspondence between the parties regarding the stock, in which appellee sought to have appellant transfer the stock to it, and in which appellant demanded to see the stock and the waiver, which was sent by appellee to its correspondent bank in Helena, were submitted to appellant on September 4, 1923, and it refused to transfer the stock, because it claimed a statutory lien thereon for the indebtedness due it by Hughes. On October 20, 1923, appellee filed its claim in bankruptcy as a secured creditor for the balance due on its indebtedness, .and, having reached an agreement with the trustee as to the value of the securities held by it as collateral, including the stock in controversy, which was valued at $1,100, the value of all securities was credited on the note and claim filed in bankruptcy for the balance due as an unsecured claim, and the value of the securities so agreed upon between appellee and the trustee was approved by the referee. On November 30, 1923, a dividend of 7y2 per cent, was declared and paid, and on May 24,1924, another and final dividend of a little more than one-half of 1 per cent, was declared and paid, both of which were accepted by appellant, and thereafter the bankrupt was discharged. On these facts the lower court entered a decree holding that the 44 shares of stock in question was the property of appellee, and directing appellant to transfer same on the books of the corporation and issue a new certificate for a like number of shares to the appellee, together with the payment of dividends which had been declared on said stock, in the sum of $132, with interest as set forth therein. From the decree against it appellant has prosecuted this appeal.

The only question presented to this court for decision, as stated by counsel for appellant, is “whether or not the appellant is estopped by its conduct to now assert its statutory lien on the shares of stock in question for the purpose of enforcing collection of an indebtedness due it by the owner of the stock. ’ ’ Appellant concedes that, “if the conduct of the appellant company is such as to warrant a finding that it has made an election to rely upon the dividends to be declared by a court of bankruptcy rather- than upon the lien given it by statute for enforcing collection of its demand, then the decision of the lower court was correct.” Counsel for appellant contends, however, that, if “the claim of this appellant was filed as an unsecured claim with the referee in bankruptcy under a misapprehension of facts, ’ ’ without fault or negligence on its part, it should not be held to an election, and that the doctrine of estoppel would not prevent the enforcement of its statutory lien.

As above stated, appellant filed its claim in bankruptcy, without claiming a lien, on March '20, 1923, and a little more than 90 days thereafter, June 29, it received a letter from appellee advising it that it held this stock as pledgee thereof, and claiming any dividends thereon after that date. Reply was made to this letter on July 5, in which appellant requested proof of the fact that it was the holder of this stock, in which it said: “It will be necessary for you to prove your claim, not that we doubt your statement. The best way would he to send this stock in, together with release, and have new stock • issued for it. The writer was under the impression that this stock had been released by us, but we find no record of it, and said release would have to be established. ’ ’ A brief history of the success of the company was given in this letter, and a promise to send appellee the semiannual statement was made.

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Bluebook (online)
298 S.W. 17, 174 Ark. 924, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/interstate-grocer-co-v-national-bank-of-commerce-in-st-louis-ark-1927.