Mitchell v. Porter

194 S.W. 981, 1917 Tex. App. LEXIS 439
CourtCourt of Appeals of Texas
DecidedMarch 17, 1917
DocketNo. 8534.
StatusPublished
Cited by23 cases

This text of 194 S.W. 981 (Mitchell v. Porter) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals of Texas primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Mitchell v. Porter, 194 S.W. 981, 1917 Tex. App. LEXIS 439 (Tex. Ct. App. 1917).

Opinion

DUNKLIN, J.

R. T. Stuart and Coke W. Harkrider, doing business as partners under the firm name and style of Commonwealth Organization Company, undertook, as promoters, to organize a corporation to be known as the Casualty Bonding & Accident Insurance Company, to be incorporated under the laws of the state of Texas, with an authorized capital stock of $300,000, and a paid-up capital of at least $200,000, free from organization expenses. The promoters planned to charge' each subscriber for stock a certain bonus to go to them as expenses for organizing the corporation and securing a charter necegsary to do business. Pursuant to that plan, the promoters, on September 12, 1910, procured from C. T. Porter a subscription for 25 one-tenth shares of *983 stock in the proposed corporation, and on October 8, 1910, another subscription contract for 40 one-tenth shares of such capital stock. Thereafter, a corporation was formed under the name of the Commonwealth Bonding & Casualty Insurance Company, but it was not chartered under the laws of Texas, but was chartered under the laws of Arizona. After its incorporation in Arizona, it secured from the Commissioner of Insurance and Banking of Texas a permit to do business in the state of Texas.

The amount of stock for which Porter subscribed was issued by the corporation that was formed, and the same was delivered to him. Porter never paid any money for said stock, but in lieu thereof he executed his promissory note in favor of the corporation to cover the amounts which he agreed to pay for the stock, secured by deed of ’trust upon certain real estate owned by him and situated in Baylor county. This suit was instituted by Porter in Baylor county to cancel the deed of trust and note given by him for the stock. The suit was instituted against the corporation, and also against J. W. Mitchell, its receiver, who had theretofore been appointed by the district court of Tarrant county to take charge of all the assets of the corporation situated in the state of Texas; and from a judgment against both defendants, granting plaintiff the relief prayed for, the receiver has prosecuted this appeal.

The subscription contract executed by plaintiff, Porter, on September 12, 1910, for stock in the proposed corporation, was as follows:

“Commonwealth Bonding '& Accident Insurance Company.
“Capital, $10.00. Surplus, $30.00.
“Subscription to Capital Stock.
“No. 1111.
“Whereas, Commonwealth Organization Company, of Fort Worth, Texas, are promoting the organization of a Casualty, Bonding and Accident Insurance Company, to be incorporated in pursuance of the laws of the state of Texas, under the name of Commonwealth Bonding and Accident Insurance Company, or such other name as may be selected, with an authorized capital stock of three hundred thousand dollars, and a paid-up capital of at least two hundred thousand dollars, paid up and free from organization expenses, all in accordance with a printed prospectus issued by them and delivered to me;
“And whereas, by their acceptance of this subscription said Commonwealth Organization Company agree to endeavor with all reasonable diligence to accomplish, on or before December 31, 1910, the organization of said corporation with capital stock fully paid as aforesaid, they to defray all expenses of the organization and incorporation:
“Now, therefore, I do hereby subscribe for 25 one-tenth shares, of the par value of ten dollars each, of the capital stock of said Commonwealth Bonding and Accident Insurance Company, and agree with said company and the said Commonwealth Organization Company to pay therefor the sum of 1,000.00 dollars, as follows: The sum of 750.00 dollars I agree to pay in money or securities satisfactory to the Insurance Department, with 6 per cent, interest, to said Commonwealth Bonding and Accident Insurance Company, or its trastees, at Fort Worth, Texas (which goes to capital and surplus), at any time after November 1, 1910, immediately upon receipt of notes from said Commonwealth Organization Company that its capital stock has been subscribed in good faith in amounts and at rates netting the company at least two hundred thousand dollars of capital in the aggregate when paid. The remaining sum of 125.00 dollars I agree to pay, and to pay concurrently with this subscription, to the said Commonwealth Organization Company, in consideration of their agreement herein before recited, and in lieu of any further or other contribution to expenses of organization and incorporating said company.
“No conditions, representations, or agreements other than those printed herein shall be binding on Commonwealth Organization Company or the Commonwealth Bonding and Accident Insurance Company.
“Witness my hand this the 12th day of September, 1910.
“$125.00 cash, and note $750.00, with stock as collateral.
“C. T. Porter, Name of Subscriber.
“Seymour, Texas, Post Office Address.
“Stockman, Occupation.
“Witness: J. H. Carmichael, Fort Worth, Texas, Residence.”

The subscription contract executed on October 8, 1910, was substantially a copy of the foregoing contract, with the exception that it was for 40 one-tenth shares of stock, at the par value of $10 each, the consideration for which was to be $1,600, $1,400 of which was to go to the proposed corporation, and $200 to the organization company as promotion expenses.

The note given by plaintiff for the stock subscribed for by him, and also the deed of trust given to secure the same, were executed January 1, 1911; the note maturing January 1, 1916, and bearing interest at the rate of 6 per cent, per annum, and the deed of trust was upon land situated in Baylor county. By the judgment of the trial court those two instruments, together with the capital stock received by Porter from the corporation, were all canceled, said capital stock having been tendered for cancellation both in plaintiff’s petition and also upon the trial of the case.

The judgment rendered was against both the corporation and the receiver, and as against the corporation was a judgment by default.

The following agreement of counsel appears in the record:

“It is agreed that there was called for'about the 1st day of December, 1910, a meeting of the subscribers for stock in the projected corporation — that is, the corporation which the said Organization Company was attempting to organize, said call meeting being made by the Organization Company; that the subscribers were notified, and that the plaintiff gave a proxy to said meeting, and that said proxy was voted; and that at said meeting a preliminary organization was perfected by the election of directors, and they wore instructed to incorporate under the Laws of Texas, and the proposed corporation was there, by vote of the stockholders, named Commonwealth Bonding & Casualty Insurance Company; that no corporation was, however, incorporated in Texas, but another meeting of the subscribers was called at Fort Worth, Texas, for *984

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Bluebook (online)
194 S.W. 981, 1917 Tex. App. LEXIS 439, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/mitchell-v-porter-texapp-1917.