Johnson v. Jones

247 S.W. 382, 157 Ark. 110, 1923 Ark. LEXIS 114
CourtSupreme Court of Arkansas
DecidedFebruary 5, 1923
StatusPublished

This text of 247 S.W. 382 (Johnson v. Jones) 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
Johnson v. Jones, 247 S.W. 382, 157 Ark. 110, 1923 Ark. LEXIS 114 (Ark. 1923).

Opinion

Smith, J.

After twice amending her complaint, appellant elected to stand upon it, a demurrer thereto having been sustained, and this appeal is from the decree dismissing it.

Appellant is the widow and administratrix of Thomas E. Holland, who was a stockholder, director and president of the Pasteurized Milk Company, a domestic corporation having its principal place of business in the city of Hot Springs.

The complaint alleged that on and prior to November 3, 1917, the corporation had become largely indebted to various parties in sums aggregating approximately $16,000. On that date a stockholders’ meeting was held for the purpose of considering the affairs of the corporation, and a resolution was adopted by them authorizing the directors of the corporation to borrow the sum of $16,000 for the purpose of paying the existing debts and to mortgage all the assets of said corporation as security to the persons making the loan. A copy of this resolution was made an exhibit to the complaint.

It was alleged that, pursuant to said resolution, and under and by virtue thereof, the directors of said corporation, on the 11th day of December, 1917, borrowed the sum of $10,000 from certain of the defendants, who were directors and stockholders of the corporation, and notes were executed by the corporation to each of said parties for the amount loaned. The complaint further alleged that “said sum” ($10,000) “being thought at the time sufficient to liquidate the indebtedness of the company sufficiently to enable it to continue the operation of its business.” And further, “that thereafter, to-wit, on the 16th day of October, 1918, it having first been ascertained that the loan first made by the above named defendants was not sufficient to liquidate the indebtedness af said company, and that the amount first borrowed by said company was left, to the determination of the board of directors, who fixed the amount at ten thousand dollars, a further resolution by the said board of directors was passed, authorizing the completion of the loan first authorized, by the execution of notes of the said company in the sum of five thousand dollars, and the execution to defendant Roht. Neil, as trustee, of a second mortgage on the property described in the deed of trust executed as security for the amount of money first loaned to said company,” etc.

It appears from the exhibits to the complaint that a resolution of the board of directors preceded each of these'loans, and the resolution under which each loan was made was incorporated in the deed of trust securing the loan.

In the first resolution it was recited that, “whereas, the said party of the first part, desiring to raise money for the purpose of discharging or paying the debts against said corporation heretofore necessarily incurred in its business, has, by a resolution of its board of directors, duly authorized the negotiation of a loan in the sum of $10,000, and the execution and delivery of a deed of trust, conveying all of the property, both real and personal, belonging to said corporation, for the purpose of securing said loan,” etc.

The second deed of trust recited that a resolution of the board of directors • had been duly adopted authorizing the negotiation of a loan in the sum of $5,000, and the execution of a second deed of trust conveying all the property of the corporation for the purpose of securing that loan. This second deed of trust recites that the authority of the directors was derived from the resolution of the stockholders adopted on November 3,1917, and contained the usual covenants of warranty, but excepted from the warranty the first deed of trust dated December 11, 1917.

After setting out these facts, the complaint prayed that the two deeds of trust be treated as a single instrument, securing a single debt, and there was a prayer that the court take over the assets of the corporation, order them sold and prorate the proceeds of such sale to the holders of the indebtedness secured by the second deed of trust in proportion to the amount of their holdings, and without reference to the deed of trust by which the indebtedness was secured.

In other words, the stockholders authorized the directors to borrow $16,000. The directors were of opinion that a loan of $10,000 would suffice, and borrowed that sum of money on December 11, 1917, and executed a mortgage of the company’s assets. This loan proved insufficient, whereupon the directors, under the authority of the original resolution of the stockholders, .borrowed an additional $5,000, and gave a second mortgage on all the company’s assets, being the same-property conveyed in the first deed of trust. The second deed of trust recited the second resolution of the board of directors adopted when it was decided to borrow the $5,000, and mentions the fact that the first loan was not for the full amount authorized by the stockholders’ resolution, and that the $5,000 was badly needed to pay off and discharge pressing debts and obligations and to successfully carry on the business of the company.

It is first argued, for the reversal of the decree of the court sustaining the demurrer to the amended complaint, that the court permitted an insolvent corporation to prefer certain of its creditors, in violation of the statute preventing preferences among creditors of insolvent corporations.

The good faith of these mortgages is not questioned. Indeed, appellant’s intestate was the president of the company, and, as such, executed both deeds of trust. It appears that the persons advancing the money under both deeds of trust were stockholders, and five of them were directors. The resolutions authorizing the loans did not specify that the money should be borrowed from either directors or stockholders, and the loans could have been made under the resolutions by any person who was willing to make them. The first $10,000 was advanced as follows: Rix, Van Leer and Jones, each $2,000: Col-lings, ’ $1,000; Stearnes, $1,500 5. Holland and Hebert, $500 each; Solmson and Berg, $250 each. The loan eov-' ered 'by the second mortgage was made by Rix, Jones, Van Leer, Codings and Holland, who each advanced a thousand dollars. Stearnes, Hebert, Solmson and Berg advanced no part of the $5,000. Holland is the only person who advanced parts of both loans, and whose interest in the second loan was greater than his interest in the first loan. It would therefore be to the advantage of his estate if the court should hold that the two mortgages covered a loan of $15,000, negotiated under the resolution of November 3, 1917; and we think the real point in the case is whether it is true there was in fact but a single loan.

In answer to the contention that the corporation is preferring certain of its creditors, it is pointed out that the beneficiaries in the deeds of trust were not creditors prior to the execution of those instruments; and those instruments were not executed for the benefit of the cestuis que trust in the sense that they were being_paid demands due them, but they'themselves advanced money to be used in paying other creditors, and the deeds of trust were executed to secure those advances.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
247 S.W. 382, 157 Ark. 110, 1923 Ark. LEXIS 114, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/johnson-v-jones-ark-1923.