Myron v. Chicoine

678 F.2d 727
CourtCourt of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit
DecidedMay 20, 1982
DocketNos. 80-1951, 80-2259
StatusPublished
Cited by43 cases

This text of 678 F.2d 727 (Myron v. Chicoine) 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
Myron v. Chicoine, 678 F.2d 727 (7th Cir. 1982).

Opinion

ESCHBACH, Circuit Judge.

Rosenthal & Co. and Dr. Chicoine cross-petition for review of a Commodity Futures Trading Commission (Commission or CFTC) reparation order issued pursuant to § 14(e) of the Commodity Exchange Act of 1936, as amended, 7 U.S.C. § 18(e). Noting jurisdiction under 7 U.S.C. § 18(g), we affirm the order in part, modify it in part, and remand for further proceedings.

I

The facts of the underlying controversy between the parties pertinent to the issues raised in this appeal may be stated succinctly. Rosenthal is a registered commodity futures merchant under § 4d of the Commodity Exchange Act, 7 U.S.C. § 6d. In the spring of 1976, one of Rosenthal’s salespersons contacted Chicoine to solicit the purchase of a commodity option. The solicitation proved fruitful and, after a number of conversations in which the salesman represented to Chicoine that the investment would be risk free, Chicoine sent Rosenthal checks totaling $5,127.96 for the purchase of a sugar call option on the London Sugar Exchange. Chicoine’s entire investment was lost when the option expired worthless in March 1977.

On May 23, 1977, Chicoine filed a complaint against Rosenthal before the CFTC seeking reparations pursuant to § 14 of the Commodity Exchange Act, 7 U.S.C. § 18. The complaint alleged a violation of federal antifraud provisions applicable to option transactions, viz. 7 U.S.C. § 6c(b) and 17 C.F.R. § 32.9. Pursuant to 7 U.S.C. § 18(b), an administrative law judge (ALJ) conducted a hearing on the complaint and issued an initial decision as required by 17 C.F.R. § 10.84. The initial decision1 consisted of detailed factual findings and a general conclusion that Rosenthal, through its agent, had defrauded Chicoine in violation of 7 U.S.C. § 6c(b) and 17 C.F.R. § 32.9. The ALJ awarded reparations to Chicoine of $5,127.96, plus 8% interest from the date of the option’s purchase.

Exercising its right to appeal the ALJ’s initial decision to the Commission under 17 C.F.R. § 10.102, Rosenthal raised three issues in its application for Commission review, challenging the ALJ’s factual findings, his consideration of certain evidence, and the constitutionality of the reparation proceeding. The Commission, in its opinion and order of July 2, 1980,2 rejected the former arguments on the merits and declined to reach the constitutional question. It ordered Rosenthal to pay Chicoine $5,127.96, and altered the ALJ’s interest award, awarding interest at a 12% rate from the date of its order.3

Both Rosenthal and Chicoine respectively filed timely4 petitions for review of the Commission’s order5 and Rosenthal posted an appeal bond as required by 7 U.S.C. § 18(g). Rosenthal, in No. 80-1951, now challenges the constitutionality of the bond [730]*730requirement, and seeks reversal of the Commission’s reparation order, arguing that a finding of willfulness is required to establish a violation of the applicable provisions of the Commodity Exchange Act, and maintaining that the CFTC was biased against it. Chicoine, in his cross-petition No. 80-2259, seeks modification of the CFTC’s reparation order, contending that the Commission erred in eliminating the ALJ’s award of prejudgment interest.

II

Rosenthal challenges the constitutionality of 7 U.S.C. § 18(g), which conditions appellate review of reparation orders on the filing of a “bond in double the amount of the reparation awarded against the appellant . ... ” Relying on O'Day v. George Arakelian Farms, Inc., 536 F.2d 856 (9th Cir. 1976), it argues that the double bond requirement is not rationally related to a legitimate governmental objective and thus constitutes a violation of the Fifth Amendment’s due process clause.

In O’Day the Ninth Circuit held unconstitutional as applied a provision of the Perishable Agricultural Commodity Act of 1930, 7 U.S.C. § 449g(c) which also required a double bond in order to appeal a reparation award. Finding the rationale of Lindsey v. Normet, 405 U.S. 56, 92 S.Ct. 862, 31 L.Ed.2d 36 (1972) dispositive, the court concluded that the double bond provision lacked a rational basis as applied to the appellant in that case. While acknowledging that “the state may properly condition the right to appeal upon posting security sufficient to protect [an] appellee from loss of damages already awarded, interest, and ... costs on appeal, including a reasonable attorney’s fee,” it found that the

automatic doubling of [the reparation award] has no rational relationship to the payment of interest on the award and costs on appeal. If the claim is small, the product will be wholly inadequate; if the claim is large, as in this case, it will be grossly excessive.

O’Day v. George Arakelian Farms, Inc., supra, 536 F.2d at 860 (emphasis added) (citations omitted).

In Saharoff v. Stone, 638 F.2d 90 (9th Cir. 1980), a case not cited by Rosenthal, the Ninth Circuit adhered to the O’Day rule in a challenge to 7 U.S.C. § 18(g), the provision attacked by Rosenthal in this case, and invalidated the double bond requirement to the extent it did not approximate the amount necessary to secure payment of the reparation award, interest, and costs (including reasonable attorney’s fees) in that case.

It is a fundamental principle of constitutional adjudication that a court “will not pass upon the validity of a statute upon complaint of one who fails to show that he is injured by its operation.” Ashwander v. Tennessee Valley Authority, 297 U.S. 288, 347, 56 S.Ct. 466, 483, 80 L.Ed. 1011 (Brandeis, J., concurring).

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