Palmer, Liquidator of Chicago Lloyds v. McDonald

130 S.W.2d 728, 198 Ark. 663, 1939 Ark. LEXIS 115
CourtSupreme Court of Arkansas
DecidedJuly 3, 1939
Docket4-5558
StatusPublished

This text of 130 S.W.2d 728 (Palmer, Liquidator of Chicago Lloyds v. McDonald) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of Arkansas primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Palmer, Liquidator of Chicago Lloyds v. McDonald, 130 S.W.2d 728, 198 Ark. 663, 1939 Ark. LEXIS 115 (Ark. 1939).

Opinion

Smith, J.

The record in this case is singularly free from material conflicts in the testimony, and reflects the following facts.

D. Canale & Company is a Delaware corporation, having its principal place of business in Memphis, Tennessee, and has branches thereof in Newport, Jonesboro and West Memphis, in this state. It domesticated itself in this state by fully complying with all the requirements of law authorizing foreign corporations to do business in lids state. In connection with its business in this state, the Canale Company maintains at each of the three cities above-named an office and warehouse in which are kept-stocks of the goods in which they trade. The company buys and sells merchandise in this state, and operates a number of trucks wholly within this state, on which the licenses imposed by the laws of this state have been paid.

The Canale Company carried a policy of liability insurance on its trucks operating in this state, which was issued April 14, 1937, by the Chicago Lloyds, an association, and not a corporation, located in Chicago, Illinois, and engaged in writing insurance of various kinds. That insurance company had been denied permission to enter this state by the Insurance Commissioner of this state, but the commissioner was required to grant this permit under the opinion of this court in the case of Lloyds America v. Harrison, Insurance Commissioner, 193 Ark. 576, 101 S. W. 2d 438. Following this decision Chicago Lloyds made application to the Insurance Commissioner for a certificate to transact business on March 3, 1937, and that certificate was issued April 19,1937, authorizing it to transact business in this state.

On November 1, 1937, while said liability insurance policy was in full effect, a truck owned, by the Canale Company, and insured under the terms of the policy, collided with another truck, in which 39 persons were being transported, which collision resulted in killing three persons being transported in the other truck and injuring, more or less seriously, about 30 of the other occupants. Numerous suits for damages arose out of this collision, which occurred in this state, and the liability of Chicago Lloyds under its policy- was recognized and has- -never been, questioned.

McDonald & McDonald, attorneys at law, witli offices in Memphis, Tennessee, representing Chicago Lloyds in West Mississippi and in the States of Tennessee and Arkansas, employed M. W. Gannaway, an Arkansas attorney, to represent the insurer. Lawrence A. Gouldman & Company, Inc., insurance investigator and adjuster was also employed, as was C. E. Yingling, an attorney residing in Searcy, Arkansas, where a number of suits were pending.

Extensive investigations were made, and protracted negotiations were conducted, which had proceeded to the point where settlements had been agreed upon in a number of cases, and drafts were drawn on Chicago Lloyds by McDonald & McDonald, their authorized attorneys. These drafts were not paid, however, as Chicago Lloyds was adjudged insolvent on February 15, 1938. That proceeding was had in the superior court of Cook county, Illinois, and the director of insurance of that state was appointed liquidator. That official immediately notified Canale & Company that 'Chicago Lloyds would no longer defend the tort actions against Canale & Company growing out of the collision, and would not effect any further compromises of any claims, and that Canale & Company should undertake settlements at its own cost and expense.

Canale & Company thereupon • paid certain drafts issued by Chicago Lloyds in settlement of certain claims, and compromised other pending suits, at a total cost of $29,337.39. No one questions the necessity and advantage of these settlements. They were made with the assistance of the attorneys and the insurance adjuster above mentioned.

AVhen Chicago Llo}Ms received the certificate of authority to do business in this state, it executed the bond required by law to cover liability sustained in this state by its policy holders. The insurance commissioner prepared -the bond required by law, which was executed by Chicago Lloyds, but instead of -giving surety in the sum of $20,000, as required by law, Chicago Lloyds deposited United States two and one-tliird per cent, treasury notes with the Insurance Commissioner in the sum of $20,000. The receipt for this deposit conformed to the bond, and expressed its purpose to be to indemnify persons who had been insured by Lloyds in this state.

The attorneys and the adjuster filed suit on February 14, 1938, against Chicago Lloyds for the compensation alleged to be due them, and attached the deposit in the hands of the Insurance Commissioner. McDonald & McDonald and the adjuster had assigned their claims to Gannaway, but the assignors were made parties plaintiff to this suit.

On April 14, 1938, the attorney general of this state filed suit in the Pulaski circuit court, praying the appointment of a receiver to take over the assets of Chicago Lloyds in this state, and Elmo "Walker was appointed receiver for that purpose. After the appointment of the receiver the court fixed September 15, 1938, as the time limit for filing claims in the receivership proceeding.

On May 4, 1938, the Insurance Commissioner of Illinois, as liquidator of Chicago Lloyds under appointment of the Illinois court, filed an intervention in the Pulaski circuit court, in which he alleged that Chicago Lloyds had issued no policies in Arkansas, and that there were no creditors in this state. He prayed that the United States treasury notes, deposited with the Insurance Commissioner of this state by way of a bond, be delivered to him for general liquidation purposes. As the claims of the attaching creditors did not exceed $7,000, they consented to the release of’ $13,000 of the attached bonds or notes, to be delivered to the receiver appointed by the Pulaski circuit court, and the court made an order directing the Insurance Commissioner to turn over to the receiver $13,000 of the treasury notes. ' This was clone,' and the receiver executed his receipt to the commissioner for $13,000 in bonds under date of May 19, 1938.

On May 17, 1938, the court entered an order consolidating the attachment suit with the receivership proceeding, and on August 28, 1938, Canale & Company filed its claim in the receivership proceeding. This claim, was based upon the liability policy hereinabove referred to and the claims it had been compelled to pay arising out of the collision between its truck and another truck. No one questions the liability of Chicago Lloyds for the full amount of this claim, nor is its liability under the policy for the adjustment expenses and the attorney’s fees incident to the settlement of the claims questioned by any one.

In settling these claims a loan was made to Canale & Company by the Memphis agent of Chicago Lloyds who had written the policy, to be repaid out of the anticipated collection of the insurance policy, a circumstance which we regard as unimportant.

Upon this record a judgment was entered sustaining the attachment, and a first lien was given the attaching creditors on the deposit. Canale & Company was awarded judgment for $29,337.39, which was adjudged a second lien. The liquidator’s claim was denied, and the receiver was allowed a fee of $2,000.

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Clark v. Williard
294 U.S. 211 (Supreme Court, 1935)
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292 S.W. 677 (Supreme Court of Arkansas, 1927)
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74 S.W.2d 226 (Supreme Court of Arkansas, 1934)
Lloyds America v. Harrison, Ins. Commissioner
101 S.W.2d 438 (Supreme Court of Arkansas, 1937)
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20 S.W.2d 636 (Supreme Court of Arkansas, 1929)

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Bluebook (online)
130 S.W.2d 728, 198 Ark. 663, 1939 Ark. LEXIS 115, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/palmer-liquidator-of-chicago-lloyds-v-mcdonald-ark-1939.