McAtee v. Shade

185 F. 442, 107 C.C.A. 512, 1910 U.S. App. LEXIS 5121
Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit·Decided December 6, 1910·No. No. 3,133·Published·Cited by 11 cases

Opinion

REED, District Judge.

The Jackson Brick & Tile Company, a Missouri corporation, was duly adjudged bankrupt upon petition of certain of its creditors filed October 8, 1906, and the defendant in error in due time appointed trustee of its estate. June 28, 19.06, the Brick & Tile Company (which will be called the “bankrupt”) made to Hugh R. Quinn its note for $28,200 and a trust deed of all of its property to secure the same. August 8th following, this deed of trust (which will be called the “mortgage”) was filed for record in the proper office at 6:10 p. m., and duly recorded. Quinn in due time filed with the referee proof of such note and mortgage, and asked that the balance due upon the note, viz., $27,600, be allowed as a claim secured by such mortgage and entitled to priority of payment from the proceeds of the property included therein. The trustee objected to the allowance of the claim as secured, upon the grounds: (1) That the mortgage was in fact a voidable preference; (2) that it was made by the bankrupt with intent to hinder, delay, and defraud its creditors, was accepted by Quinn with like intent, and not in good faith, and is therefore void. Tlie referee overruled the objections and held that the mortgage was neither intended as a preference nor to defraud the creditors of the bankrupt, and allowed the claim as one entitled to priority of payment from the proceeds of the property included in the mortgage. Upon petition by the trustee for review of this order, the District Court held that the mortgage was not a preference, but was made by the bankrupt with intent to defraud its creditors and accepted by Quinn with like intent, reversed the order of the referee, and directed that the claim be disallowed unless Quinn should relinquish all claim to the property covered by the mortgage. Erom such order Quinn brought this appeal, and, having died during its pctidency, it lias been revived in favor of the appellant as his executor.

The principal facts disclosed by the testimony are: That the bankrupt was incorporated in 1897 under the name of the English Mining & Manufacturing Company, and its name afterwards changed to that of the Jackson Brick & Tile Company. Its principal place of business was at Jackson, Cape Girardeau county, Mo., where it was engaged in the manufacture of brick and tile. Henry R. English Was its principal stockholder and has been its president and the general manager of its affairs from its organization to the time of its bankruptcy. The Jackson Exchange Bank of Jackson (which will be called the “Jackson Bank”) was organized by Henry R. English, Hugh R. Quinn, the deceased, and some others as a banking corporation under the laws of Missouri in 1893, with a capital of $20,000, and prior to 1903 had accumulated a surplus of $10,000. English and Quinn were among its first directors. Quinn was its first cashier, and [444] by June, 1906, or prior thereto, had acquired a controlling interest in the bank. English became its president in 1897, and continued to act as such until July, 1906, when he was succeeded by John A. Snider, who became vice president in the early part of 1905. The bankrupt early became a borrower from the Jackson Bank, and in -1902 its indebtedness to the bank was some $10,000, which in May, 1905, had increased to $25,783.32. Quinn and English were also two of the executive committee of the bank, charged with the duty of approving or rejecting all applications for loans, and Mr. Quinn testified that he approved all of the loans made to the bankrupt and permitted the creation of its indebtedness to the bank. Early in 1905 the State Bank Examiner objected to these loans, and severely criticised Mr. Quinn and others of the bank’s officers for permitting the bankrupt to become indebted to it in excess of the legal limit (which was 25 per cent, of its capital and surplus), and insisted upon the indebtedness being reduced and. secured. Because of this the indebtedness was put into four notes on May 12, 1905, three of which were for $7,500 each and one for $3,283.32. Each note was payable to the bank or order, contained a recital that it was “for value received,” and a clause:

“That the makers and indorsers severally waive presentment for payment, notice of nonpayment and protest, and consent that the time of payment may be extended without notice thereof.”

One of the $7,500 notes was payable at the bank in nine months and signed by the bankrupt corporation by Henry R. English' as its president; one in seven months, signed by Henry R. English individually; one in six months, signed by Catherine Oates; and the $3,-.283.32 note in 90 days and signed by U. M. English. ‘ Catherine Oates is an elderly lady who has resided in the family of Mr. English for many years, and U. M. English is a daughter of Mr. English, and each was without financial responsibility. As security for these notes the -bankrupt and Mr. English made to the bank two trust deeds which included all of the property of the bankrupt, but they were withheld from record because, as Mr. Quinn says:

“We did not want the public to know we had made so large a loan to English ; therefore they were kept secret and not placed of record, and only the directors of the bank knew of them.”

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McAtee v. Shade, 185 F. 442, 107 C.C.A. 512, 1910 U.S. App. LEXIS 5121 (8th Cir. 1910).

185 F. 442 (McAtee v. Shade) — published by Counsel Stack Legal Research, free access to 12M+ legal documents.

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