Mather v. Mather

63 S.E. 332, 64 W. Va. 646, 1908 W. Va. LEXIS 83
CourtWest Virginia Supreme Court
DecidedDecember 22, 1908
StatusPublished

This text of 63 S.E. 332 (Mather v. Mather) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering West Virginia Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Mather v. Mather, 63 S.E. 332, 64 W. Va. 646, 1908 W. Va. LEXIS 83 (W. Va. 1908).

Opinion

McWhorter, Judge:

On the 18th day of February, 1897, Ellis Mather borrowed $1,900 from the Homestead Building Association and to secure the re-payment thereof executed to B. M. Ambler and J. G. McCluer, trustees of the said building as[647]*647sociation, a deed of trust on a certain lot in the city of' Parkersburg. The said loan of $1,900 was reduced by thfo payment of $639.44 and a new loan in renewal of the old loan was made for $1,400, October 21, 1897, and a deed of trust executed to the above mentioned trustees on the-same lot to secure the re-payment of the loan. And on December 2, 1898, the said Ellis Mather obtained a new loan of $2,600 from said building association and executed a new deed of trust upon the same property covered by the two former deeds of trust to secure the re-payment of said-loan.

By agreement of October 21, 1897, the date of the exe-ecution of the second deed of trust by Ellis Mather and wife to said trustees of said building association, between Ellis Mather and his son Melvin E. Mather it was agreed that Melvin E. Mather, for any amounts paid on said loan, of $1,900 or that he might pay on said loan of • $1.400--whether as dues, premium and interest or as a credit thereon*, should be subrogated to and have all the rights and benefits; of the security given to said building association, and in* event that Melvin Mather should fully pay off said deed of' trust that the building association should not release or discharge said deed of trust but should assign to the said Melvin Mather all the benefits and rights that he might be entitled to by reason of said contract without recourse on said association. When the deed of trust of December 2, 1898* above mentioned, was executed' another agreement similar to the last mentioned contract was entered into between; Ellis Mather and Melvin Mather making a similar provision for subrogation in favor of Melvin Mather for any amounts, paid as premium, dues, &c., on the former loans or that, he might pay thereafter on the loan of December 2, 1898* to the said association.

At November rules, L905, Melvin Mather filed his bill in the circuit court of Wood county against Ellis Mather, The-Homestead Building Association, a corporation, B, Ml Ambler and J. Cf. McCluer, trustees, and the Commercial Banking and Trust Company, a corporation, setting forth the several transactions above mentioned, thfe deeds of trust and the agreements between plaintiff ¡and! Ellis Mather, alleging that the said dues, premiums, [648]*648had all been paid up in full November 1, 1904, and the plaintiff having performed all covenants and agreements upon the part of Ellis Mather covered by the deeds of trust, that by virtue of section 1 of Article IV of the Constitution and by-laws of said Association providing that ' ‘ Whenever six years have elapsed from the date of issuing any series of stock, the value of the shares of stock in such series shall be ascertained by adding to the weekly dues paid in, the profits accrued to that time, and the holder of each share of stock in that series (all installments having been fully paid) shall receive the value of such share so ascertained, or a paid up certificate for such ascertained value as provided in the following section. Stockholders who have had loans in said series, and who have fully paid all dues-, interest, premiums and fines shall receive the value so ascertained for each share of said series, as a credit on their respective loans as of that date, and the balance remaining due on said loans shall then become due and payable, and on payment of such balance, with interest until paid, the securities given for such loans shall be cancelled, satisfied and released of record. And such series of stock shall be declared closed as of that date,” the said Ellis Mather having fully performed his covenants and agreements, the plaintiff was entitled to be subrogated to the rights of the said association, the plaintiff having paid in all $4,191.27. Alleging that on February 6, 1905, at a meeting of the stockholders of said Homestead Building Association, The Commercial Banking and Trust Company was appointed trustee and in conjunction with the Board of Directors was given power to wind up the affairs of the association; that plaintiff was unable to make - a settlement with the said association so as to enforce his rights as a subrogated creditor. Praying that the balance due upon the loan, under the dee! of trust of December 2, 1898, aforesaid, in favor of the sail association be ascertained and decreed in accordance with the rights of the parties; that complainant have a decree against said Ellis Mather for the amount of principal and interest of the payments made by him for dues, interest, &c., and according to the provisions of his contract with said Ellis Mather; that there be a sale of the property covered by the said several deeds of trust [649]*649and that the rights of complainant be fully protected in conformity with said deeds of trust and his contract of sub-rogation.

The Commercial Banking and Trust Company appeared and demurred to plaintiff’s bill assigning as cause:

“First: That the said plaintiff, by the allegations of his said bill, has not made out such a case as to entitle him to any relief in a court of equity, between the parties to his said bill.
“Second: As shown on the face of plaintiff’s said bill, The Homestead Building Association has been dissolved and is in process of voluntary dissolution by resolution of the stockholders of said corporation, and the relief prayed for by the' plaintiff is such that no final decree granting to the plaintiff the relief asked in and by his said bill, can be made or entered by this Honorable Court until the Board of Directors of said Homestead Building Association and the stockholders of said association, as well as any creditors thereof, have been ascertained and a full and complete settlement of the affairs of said association is had in due course of liquidation, and winding up of the affairs of said association.
“Therefore, the plaintiff’s said bill is incomplete as to necessary parties.”

On March 12, 1906, the cause came on to be heard upon the demurrer of said Trust Company and the court sustained said demurrer and, the plaintiff declining to amend his bill and make additional parties thereto, the same was dismissed with costs to defendant Trust Company. From which decree plaintiff obtained an appeal and ■supersedeas.

This is not a suit by a stockholder against the corporation and the other stockholders to wind up the affairs of the corporation, but it is a suit by one who is not a stockholder but who has the right of subrogation, under contracts with a stockholder, to the rights of the corporation under deeds of trust executed by such stockholder to secure the corporation certain loans to said stockholder, and which have been paid as to the corporation. The stockholders of the corporation had, in pursuance of section 2284, Code 1906, taken action for the voluntary dissolution of the corporation by the appointment of a trustee whose duty it was made to act [650]*650in conjunction with the board of directors of said corporation, to collect the assets and sell the property of the corporation and distribute the proceeds among the stockholders pro rata as provided in said section, after paying the debts of the corporation.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
63 S.E. 332, 64 W. Va. 646, 1908 W. Va. LEXIS 83, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/mather-v-mather-wva-1908.