Marshall & Ilsley Bank v. Brown

84 F.2d 433, 1936 U.S. App. LEXIS 4496
CourtCourt of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit
DecidedMarch 12, 1936
DocketNos. 5641, 5664
StatusPublished
Cited by8 cases

This text of 84 F.2d 433 (Marshall & Ilsley Bank v. Brown) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Marshall & Ilsley Bank v. Brown, 84 F.2d 433, 1936 U.S. App. LEXIS 4496 (7th Cir. 1936).

Opinion

BALTZELL, District Judge.

On the 5th day of December, 1934, Edward Othniel Brown, hereinafter referred to as the debtor, filed a petition in the District Court for the extension and composition of his debts under section 74 of the Bankruptcy Act, as amended (11 U.S. C.A. § 202). Since the filing of the petition, the debtor has died, and this court, under date of December 18, 1935, on petition, substituted the executor of his estate, Edward Dexter Brown, as appellee. The debtor’s petition was accompanied by schedules of debtor’s assets and liabilities which show that, in addition to his other obligations, he was, at that time, indebted to appellant bank in the total sum of approximately $80,000, as evidenced by four promissory notes. To secure the payment of these notes he had deposited with the bank, as collateral, 50 shares of the common stock of the Brown Brothers Lumber Company, and 1,755 shares of the common stock of the Rhinelander Paper Company, under a pledge agreement. The petition was, on the same day upon which it was [434]*434filed, approved by the court as properly filed. Prior to the filing of the petition, appellant had served notice upon the debtor to the-effect that it would offer for sale, under the pledge agreement, on the same day upon which the petition was filed, at 2 o’clock p. m., such collateral. The District Court, at the time of the approval of the petition, entered an order, without notice, restraining appellant, until the further order of the court, from offering for sale any and all property deposited by the debtor with it as collateral. The restraining order was served upon appellant at a time prior to the hour fixed for the sale of the collateral. It is alleged in the petition upon which the restraining order was granted, and supported by the affidavit of the debtor, that the property held by appellant as collateral is of the approximate value of $240,000.

On the 7th day of January, 1935, appellant filed its claim in this proceeding for the amount of the indebtedness owing to it by the debtor, which claim was. duly allowed by the court. Afterwards, to wit, on January 25th, appellant filed its petition for an order vacating and setting aside the restraining order theretofore issued. The court, on February 28th, entered an order requiring the debtor, and all other persons having an interest therein, to show cause why the prayer of the petition should not be granted, and fixed the date for the hearing upon such petition for April 3d. • Issues were joined upon such petition, hearing had by the court, and on September 13th it filed its special findings of fact, upon which it concluded that the petition should be denied, and the restraining order should not be vacated. An order was accordingly entered at that time denying the petition and refusing to vacate the restraining order. From that order the appellant prayed an appeal under date of October 8th, which appeal was allowed by both the District Court and this court. The appellees, other than the debtor, now represented by his executor, are George W. Mason, a creditor, and A. J. O’Melia, custodian.

The contentions of áppellant are: First, that the District Court had no jurisdiction to enter the restraining order in question; and, second, that if it had such jurisdiction, the facts did not justify the issuance thereof.

The first question to be determined is, therefore, whether or not the District Court had jurisdiction, under section 74 of the Bankruptcy Act, as amended (11 U.S. C.A. § 202), to issue such restraining order. Under the provisions of this section of the act an embarrassed debtor is afforded an opportunity to present to his creditors a plan for the extension and composition of his debts, and in order that the opportunity thus afforded him may be of any benefit, provision is made that the court approving the petition have exclusive jurisdiction of all of his property, wherever located, from and after the date of such approval.

It is apparent that the shares of stock deposited with the bank by the debtor as collateral are, nevertheless, his property, even though pledged to secure a debt. The possession of such stock, however, remains with the appellant and is security for the payment of the debt owing to it by the debtor. Appellees do not contend that the restraining order divests appellant of the possession of its pledged collateral security. Under the law, appellant is entitled to possession of such collateral, and to the full benefit of the same to the extent of the amount of its indebtedness. A court of equity, however, has the power to enjoin the holders thereof from an immediate sale, if such sale will operate to the injury of the debtor, as well as to other creditors. This power is given the court upon the theory that there may be an equity in the pledged security over and above the amount of the indebtedness secured thereby, and that such equity will inure to the benefit of the debtor and of his other creditors. Thus, it will be seen that the issuance of the restraining order affects not the security held by appellant, but the remedy provided in,the pledge agreement. This identical question has been decided by this court, and affirmed by the Supreme Court of the United States, in a case wherein the provisions contained in section 77 of the Bankruptcy Act, as amended (11 U.S. C.A. § 205), similar to the provisions contained in section 74 of the act, were being construed. Continental Illinois Nat. Bank & Trust Co. v. Chicago, R. I. & P. R. Co., and five other cases (C.C.A.) 72 F.(2d) 443, 450. See, also, Id., 294 U.S. 648, 55 S.Ct. 595, 79 L.Ed. 1110. In this connection it will be observed that the provisions of section 74, with reference to jurisdiction of the court over the property of a debtor, are similar to those contained in section 77. Section 74(m), as amended (11 U.S. [435]*435C.A. § 202(m) provides, in part: “The filing of a debtor’s petition * * * seeking relief under this section shall subject the debtor and his property, whereever located, to the exclusive jurisdiction of the court in which the order approving the petition * * * is filed, * * See In re Jacobs (D.C.) 7 F.Supp. 749; In re Kusel (C.C.A.) 75 F.(2d) 314. Section 77(a), as amended (11 U.S.C.A. § 205(a) provides that: “If the petition is so approved, the court in which such order is entered shall, during the pendency of the proceedings * * * have exclusive jurisdiction of the debtor and its property wherever located, * * » This court, in the case of Continental Illinois Nat. Bank & Trust Co. v. Chicago, R. I. & P. Ry. Co., supra, in construing the provisions of section 77(a), supra, said: “No sufficient reason has been advanced for refusing to give to the language of this section (‘have exclusive jurisdiction of the debtor and its property wherever located’) the effect and construction which it clearly demands: It extended the court’s jurisdiction over the debtor’s property so as to include the entire United States. * * * The question, Was the collateral with which the debtor secured its loans from the appellants, property as that word is used in section 77? We answer in the affirmative.” There can be no doubt but that the same construction should be placed upon the similar provisions of section 74, and that the pledged property of the debtor held by appellant is “property” as that word is used in the act, and is subject to the jurisdiction of the District Court.

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84 F.2d 433, 1936 U.S. App. LEXIS 4496, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/marshall-ilsley-bank-v-brown-ca7-1936.