Lyon v. McKeefrey

171 F. 384, 96 C.C.A. 340, 1909 U.S. App. LEXIS 4827
CourtCourt of Appeals for the Third Circuit
DecidedJune 29, 1909
DocketNo. 50
StatusPublished
Cited by9 cases

This text of 171 F. 384 (Lyon v. McKeefrey) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Lyon v. McKeefrey, 171 F. 384, 96 C.C.A. 340, 1909 U.S. App. LEXIS 4827 (3d Cir. 1909).

Opinion

GRAY, Circuit Judge.

The above-named complainants, citizens of the state of Ohio and partners under the name of McKeefrey & Company, on October 23, 1907, filed a bill in equity in the Circuit Court of the United States for the Western District of Pennsylvania, against the Iron City Trust Company, a Pennsylvania corporation engaged in the general banking business in the city of Pittsburgh, Pa. In their bill the complainants allege that their claims exceed the jurisdictional amount, and that the assets of the defendant consisted of about $175,-000 in cash, and other assets exceeding $11,000,000, and that said assets were largely in excess of its liabilities, but could not be converted ‘nto cash in time to meet its liabilities as they matured. They further allege that, upon defendant’s failure to meet its obligations, it will, unless its assets are properly protected by an officer of this court, be subject to vexatious and costly litigation, that its assets will be subject to attachment and execution, and at a forced sale would bring much less than their fair and reasonable value, to the great prejudice of the complainants and of all other creditors and of the stockholders of the defendant; and the complainants allege their belief that, unless the court would take defendant’s property into its custody and deal with it as a single trust, such property would be sacrificed and the' stockholders and creditors and all of the parties in interest would suffer irreparable damage and loss. They therefore pray:

First, for the appointment of certain named receivers, one of whom was president of the company, with the usual powers to take into their possession all the property of the defendant, its business, stocks, rights, assets and effects, of whatsoever nature and wheresoever situate, including its bills and accounts receivable, and all its contracts, rights, choses in action, corporate rights and franchises and its income and profits, and with the usual power to demand, sue for, collect, receive, and take into possession all property belonging to the said corporation, and to institute suits at law or in equity for the recovery of the same, and generally to perform all duties imposed upon them, or required by law.

Second, that the defendant and its officers be commanded to forthwith convey, turn over and deliver to the receivers all the real and personal property, assets and effects that they were empowered to receive.

Third, for other and further relief.

On the same day that the said bill was filed, the defendant, the Iron City Trust Company, filed its answer, admitting to be true all the statements and allegations in the said bill of complaint, and that, although having assets largely in excess of all its liabilities, it was not able to convert the same into cash as rapidly as said liabilities would [386]*386mature, and it ave-rs that on that account it joins in the prayer of the bill for the appointment of receivers, as therein asked for, to the end that all the creditors of respondent may be paid in full, without loss and sacrifice of its assets, so as to preserve the same for its stockholders as well. -

On the same day, on the bill and answer filed, and for the reasons stated therein, the court ordered that the persons named by the said complainants be appointed receivers of all and singular the property of the defendant, as set forth in the bill, and with the powers therein prayed for. The receivers thus appointed at once qualified and proceeded upon the execution of their office.

At the time of the filing of said bill and the appointment of said receivers, there was a statute of the state of Pennsylvania, passed February 11, 1895 (P. L. 4), and unrepealed, creating a banking department for the control and regulation of banking companies, trust companies, etc., the sixth and ninth sections of which were as follows:

“Whenever it shall appear from any report of the condition of any corporation made as hereinbefore provided to the Commissioner of Banking, or the said commissioner shall have reason to believe that the capital of any such corporation is reduced, by impairment or otherwise, below the amount required by law or the articles of incorporation, or below the amount certified to the proper authorities as paid in, it shall be the duty of the commissioner and he shall have power to require such corporation, under his hand and seal of office, to make good the deficiency so appearing; and to give effect to such requisition he shall have power to examine, or cause to be examined, any such corporations, books, papers, and affairs to ascertain whether such reduction or impairment of capital has been made good in compliance with his requisition; and if any such corporation shall neglect or refuse, for sixty daysoafter such requisition has'been made, to make good -the reduction or impairment of capital existing, it shall be the duty of the commissioner to communicate the facts to the Attorney General, whose duty it shall then become to apply to the court of common pleas of the county of Dauphin, or in vacation, to any of the judges thereof, for an order requiring said corporation to show cause why their business should not be closed, and the court or judge, as the case may be, shall thereupon hear the allegations and proofs of the respective parties. If it appears to the satisfaction of the said court or judge that such corporation has neglected or refused to comply with such requisition, and that such capital stock is reduced or impaired, and that such corporation is insolvent, or that the interests of the public so require, the said court or judge shall decree a dissolution of such corporation and a distribution of its effects, or shall make such other -orders, from time to time, in the matter as the interests of the parties and the public may require.”
“If from -any examination of the papers, books and affairs of any corporation, with or without capital, the Commissioner of Banking shall have reason at any time to conclude that such corporation is in an unsound and unsafe condition to do business, or that its business or manner of conducting the same is injurious and contrary to the interest of the public, The Commissioner of Banking shall forthwith communicate the facts to the Attorney General, who shall forthwith make application to the court of common pleas of the county of Dauphin, or to a law judge thereof, for the appointment of a receiver to take charge of such corporation’s property and wind up its business. Such receiver shall proceed and wind up the business and affairs of said corporation under and subject to the orders of the court of common pleas aforesaid.”

On November 20, 1907, in accordance with the foregoing statutory provision, the Attorney General of the state of Pennsylvania, acting [387]*387in pursuance of information submitted to him by the banking commissioner of that state, and alleging that the defendant company was in an unsound and unsafe condition, and was insolvent, began proceedings in the court of common pleas of Dauphin county, for the appointment of a receiver and the winding up of the business of the said company. On December 19, 1907, the Oklahoma Railroad Company, a corporation of the state of Oklahoma, moved to be allowed to file an intervening petition and “cross-bill” in the said suit of McKeefrey & Co.

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Bluebook (online)
171 F. 384, 96 C.C.A. 340, 1909 U.S. App. LEXIS 4827, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/lyon-v-mckeefrey-ca3-1909.