Logan v. Emro Chemical Corporation

151 P.2d 329, 48 N.M. 368
CourtNew Mexico Supreme Court
DecidedAugust 28, 1944
DocketNo. 4839.
StatusPublished
Cited by3 cases

This text of 151 P.2d 329 (Logan v. Emro Chemical Corporation) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering New Mexico Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Logan v. Emro Chemical Corporation, 151 P.2d 329, 48 N.M. 368 (N.M. 1944).

Opinion

THREET, Justice.

This is an equitable action by appellee, Charles E. Logan, individually, and as trustee for Scott Etter, for the balance of the purchase price of certain sodium mining leases, and for a foreclosure of a vendor’s lien, claimed under an option to purchase from S. P. Yates, and others, against appellants, Emro Chemical Corporation; Etz, Myers & Robertson, a corporation; San Andres Production Corporation and George Etz, E. H. Robertson and Herb Myers. William F. Morgan intervened. Intervenor prayed for the foreclosure of his mortgage and the establishment of his lien as superior to the lien of appellees. From a judgment in favor of appellees, and the foreclosure of a vendor’s lien, superior to intervenor’s mortgage, appellant, Emro Chemical Corporation and intervenor, William F. Morgan appeal.

x'he facts found by the trial court, material to a decision are, substantially, as follows :

On the 24th day of May, 1941, Scott Etter, designated as “buyer,” entered into a written option contract with S. P. Yates and others, designated as “sellers,” whereby the sellers sold and conveyed to the buyer, his assigns or any person, firm, corporation or syndicate to whom the buyer might, in writing, designate, for a period of 90 days, the right to purchase all the right, title and interest of the sellers in and to certain leases, permits, operating agreements and applications, described in the option contract, for the sum of $12,500 plus expenses, rental payments and attorneys fees incurred by the sellers. Scott Etter, at the time, was acting for himself and as trustee for Charles E. Logan, and the leases, permits and operating agreements, described in the option contract, were owned and held by the plaintiffs, Charles E. Logan and Scott Etter.

On or about July 17, 1941, Etz, Myers & Robertson, a corporation, entered into a contract with Charles E. Logan, acting for himself and Scott Etter, for an assignment of the option contract and agreement covering all the leases, permits, operating agreements and applications for a consideration of $18,000 in cash, and the issuance of 500 shares of preferred stock to Charles E. Logan and the same amount to Scott Etter in a corporation to be organized by Etz, Myers & Robertson. The corporation was to be organized with some 350,000 to 400,000 shares of stock, with 10,-000 shares of preferred stock, all of no par value. The preferred stock, to be issued to Charles E. Logan and Scott Etter, was to have a guaranteed dividend of $6 per share, payable quarterly, and was to be secured by a lien on the leases, permits and operating agreements described in the option contract.

On the 9th day of August, 1941, Scott Etter and wife, for themselves and Charles E. Logan, at the request of Etz, Myers & Robertson, a corporation, and the Emro Chemical Corporation, assigned all their rights, title, and interest in and to the contract to the Emro Chemical Corporation, which was organized by Etz, Myers & Robertson on the second day of August, 1941. On the same day, to-wit: August 9, 1941, the Emro Chemical Corporation entered into a contract with the plaintiffs, Charles E. Logan and Scott Etter, to purchase the option contract and also all of the mining rights, thereunder, together with an operating agreement, No. 059248, dated August 9, 1939, belonging to Scott Etter. The consideration for this agreement was that the Emro Chemical Corporation would a'ssume the obligation of the contract made by Etz, Myers & Robertson, a corporation, with Charles E. Logan and Scott Etter under date of July 17, 1941, with the modification, that, in lieu of issuing the preferred stock in the corporation at a stipulated dividend of $6 per share per annum, the Emro Chemical Corporation would cause to be issued 500 shares of its preferred stock to Charles E. Logan and 500 to Scott Etter of the par value of $10 per share. The Emro Chemical Corporation further agreed, in lieu of any and all overriding royalties from production upon the properties, to pay Charles E. Logan and Scott Etter, each, the sum of $3,000 per annum in cash, payable quarterly, at the end of each quarter. The first payment was to be made on the 12th day of November, 1941, and continuing during the entire time the corporation should operate the properties, with the proviso that any and all amounts received by Charles E. Logan and Scott Etter, by way of dividends upon their preferred stock, should be deducted from the first payment to be made after the receipt of such dividends. The preferred stock was to be issued on August 12, 1941, and deposited in the Mercantile National Bank of Dallas, Texas, where it should remain during the existence of the contract, and not to be sold or transferred until the contract terminated.

The court further found that the defendant, Emro Chemical Corporation, by the assignment of the option contract, received all the leases, permits, operating agreements and all the property described in the option contract, and is now the owner thereof. That the defendant, Emro Chemical Corporation, is indebted to Charles E. Logan and Scott Etter, on account of seven quarterly payments, in the sum of $10,500, less two payments of $500 each, together with interest at the rate of 6% from maturity and costs of suit. That the plaintiff and Scott Etter have and hold an' implied lien on all the leases, permits, operating agreements and properties, described in the option contract, for the sum of $9,-500, together with interest thereon at the rate of 6% per annum on all quarterly payments maturing up to May 12, 1943, and for such further sums as may fall due under the terms of the agreements for compensation and costs of suit.

That plaintiff, Charles E. Logan, expended the sum of $320, as rental for the year of 1942, on the J. F. Forehand lease, which was necessary to keep the lease in full force and effect, and is entitled to recovery from the defendant, Emro Chemical Corporation, the sum of $320 in addition to the sum due plaintiff and Scott Etter on the purchase price of the lease, permits and applications; and is entitled to have that sum added to the balance due on the purchase price of the properties.

The defendant, Emro Chemical Corporation, through its attorneys, at the trial and in open court, tendered to plaintiff certificates of preferred stock in the defendant corporation for 500 shares each, dated August 12, 1941. On account of lack of funds, no operations have been carried on upon the properties, except further development by drilling wells thereon to test the mineral bearing qualities of the properties. The defendant, Emro Chemical Corporation, has had no income from the property, and is now indebted in the sum of $36,000.

The court further found that the intervenor, on January 28, 1942, indorsed the defendant’s, Emro Chemical Corporation’s, note to the Mercantile National Bank of Dallas, Texas, for the sum of $15,000, due May 28, 1942, with the understanding, that the defendant corporation would execute and deliver to the intervenor, immediately, a mortgage on the properties in suit. The $15,000 was spent by the defendant corporation in the furtherance of its corporate business. The note not being paid when due was renewed for a period of sixty days, and was finally paid by the intervenor, who procured an indorsement of the renewal note to him from the bank.

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Bluebook (online)
151 P.2d 329, 48 N.M. 368, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/logan-v-emro-chemical-corporation-nm-1944.