McClain v. Madry

6 Tenn. App. 75, 1927 Tenn. App. LEXIS 118
CourtCourt of Appeals of Tennessee
DecidedFebruary 25, 1927
StatusPublished

This text of 6 Tenn. App. 75 (McClain v. Madry) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals of Tennessee primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
McClain v. Madry, 6 Tenn. App. 75, 1927 Tenn. App. LEXIS 118 (Tenn. Ct. App. 1927).

Opinion

OWEN, J.

A. J. Madry is the only defendant who has appealed. Complainant had recovered a judgment for more than $1000 in the chancery court of Benton county. Execution had been issued on this judgment, which execution liad been returned nulla bona. The bill in the instant case was filed against A? J. Madry and liis wife and various other defendants, who were trustees in certain deeds of trust executed by the defendant A. J. Madry. The purpose of the bill was to ascertain whether mortgages executed by Madry and wife had been paid, and also to reach the equitable interest of said Madry in said tracts of land described in the bill, and to have the land sold to satisfy complainant’s judgment. It appears that judgment was rendered on the 21st day of November, 1924. The bill in the instant case was filed November 16, 1925. Complainant further alleged in her bill that she had obtained the judgment for money she had placed in the hands of the defendant A. J. Madry, who was her father-in-law, she having collected $1000 as insurance upon the life of her deceased husband, a son of the defendant, and at his solicitation she had let him have $1000 to be returned to her upon demand, he having advised her that it would not be safe to deposit said money in the banks at Camden; that he had refused to return the money or any part of it upon demand. The defendant filed a plea, stating that he was adjudged a bankrupt on the 31st day of December, 1924, and that he was discharged from said judgment. The complainant joined’ issue on the plea of the defendant A. J. Madry. The other defend *77 ants filed answers admitting- the trust deeds executed, and admitted one of the trust deeds had been paid and discharged. As to the other trust deed, the trustee and beneficiaries stated that the note described in said trust deed had been transferred and they were not advised as to whether the note had' been paid, or not. They could not admit or deny complainant’s allegations as to the defendant A. J. Madry having received the money from complainant in a fiduciary capacity, and that he had embezzled the same.

The cause was heard oh the 18th of November, 1926, the decree reciting that the same was heard upon the bill of complaint, the answer of N. J. Cuff, et al., and the plea filed by the defendant A. J. Madry, and the issues joined thereon by complainant and the proof in the cause; and the decree recites as follows: ‘ ‘ From all of which it duly appears to the court, and the court accordingly finds the facts, that complainant’s husband, a son of defendant A. J. Madry died on the —• day of January, 1917, at the time of his. death he carried a policy of insurance on his life for the sum of $1000 in the Modern Woodmen payable to complainant, which was practically all the property he had; after his son’s death defendant Madry took his daughter-in-law in his home to live; the day the policy of insurance was paid to complainant defendant was present, advised that she not put it in bank, and agreed that he would' take the money and take cai*e of it for her and would pay it to her as she needed it; that complainant trusted him, turned the money over to him and he converted the same to his own use, refused to pay the same back and' denied ever receiving the money when complainant on the 18th day of May, 1920 filed a bill in the chancery court at Camden and recovered a judgment against said defendant, and this suit is brought to collect said judgment, the court so decrees.

“It is further decreed by the court, that defendant A. J. Madry has failed' to sustain his plea of bankruptcy and a discharge of his by any competent evidence and his said plea overruled and disallowed.
“It is further decreed by the court, that if said plea had been proven that it would not avail defendant for the reason that the debts sued upon is not dischargeable in bankruptcy but falls within the exceptions thereof, but that defendant had failed to sustain his plea.
“It is therefore decreed by the court that complainant is entitled to recover a judgment against the defendant A. J. Madry in this cause on the judgment rendered in the case of Luna Madry v. A. J. Madry et al., on the 21st day of November, 1924, said sum of eleven hundred twenty-four and' 85/15/100 ($1124.85) dollars, with interest thereon since the date of said judgment amounting to the sum of one hundred thirty-four and 98/100 ($134.98) dollars, making a *78 total sum of twelve hundred fifty-nine and 83/100 ($1259.83) dollars, together with the costs of this cause, and judgment is accordingly so rendered.
“It is further decreed by the court that complainant is entitled to subject to the payment of said judgment whatever interest the defendant A. J. Madry has in and to the lands described in the bill, by a sale thereof.”

Then the decree sets forth the description of the land, which is described in the bill, and the court further ordered a reference to the Clerk and Master to hear proof and report whether or not certain trust deeds, describing them, having been paid, and if not, who is the owner of the debt described therein. The defendant Madry excepted to the decree, prayed and was granted an appeal to this court, perfected the same, and filed his bill of exceptions, which bill of exceptions is as follows:

‘ ‘ On the hearing of this cause upon this, the 18th day of November, 1926, the same being the November Term, 1926, of the chancery court, the following was all the evidence submitted or heard by the court:
“1. The record in the ease of Mrs. Luna Madry v. A. J. Madry et al., in the chancery court at Camden, the same being Rule No. 1369.
“2. The defendant A. J. Madry offered as evidence in support of his plea a paper writing purporting to have been signed by J. Sam Johnson, clerk by D.- E. Mitchell, deputy, and filed as Exhibit ‘A’ to said plea, when complainant objected to said paper writing as evidence in support of said plea for the reason that it was not properly authenticated or certified as required by section 5580 of Shannon’s Code, and could not be looked to as evidence, which exception was by the court sustained, to which action of the court defendant A. J. Madry excepted.
“This was all the evidence introduced. The complainant tenders this, her bill of exceptions which is signed by the Chancellor and ordered filed and made a part of the record. This November 18, 1926 Tom C. Rye, Chancellor.”

The defendant has assigned four errors in this court, and by these errors it is insisted that the court erred in holding that the defendant A. J. Mad’ry had failed to sustain a plea in bankruptcy and discharge of debts, by competent evidence; (2) the court erred in decreeing that if said plea had been proven it would not avail the defendant A. J. Madry for the reason that the debt sued upon is not dischargeable in bankruptcy, and in holding that the said debt falls within the exceptions thereof; (3) the court erred in decreeing that the complainant is entitled to recover judgment against the defendant A. J. Madry in this case on the judgment rendered in the ease of Luna Madry v. A. J. Madry et al. on the 21st day of November, 1924; *79 and that the court erred in decreeing that complainant was entitled to subject the interest of the defendant A. J.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
6 Tenn. App. 75, 1927 Tenn. App. LEXIS 118, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/mcclain-v-madry-tennctapp-1927.