Pennsylvania Steel Co. v. New York City Ry. Co.

201 F. 418, 1912 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 1037
Procedural entryThis page is a short order in Pennsylvania Steel Co. v. New York City Ry. Co.. Read the opinion of the Court — 208 F. 168
District Court, S.D. New York·Decided December 18, 1912·No. Eq. Nos. 2—9, 2—33, 2—149, 3—37·Published

Opinion

LACOMBE, Circuit Judge.

The first application is in the proceeding, which has been designated, “Apportionment Proceeding.” That proceeding is concerned with the apportionment between the Metropolitan and the City Company of the proceeds of the two litigations prosecuted by the receiver of the City Company. The application is for the entry of decree upon the mandate of the Circuit Court of Appeals. See 198 Fed. 778. That mandate was not specific in form. It directed this court to enter a decree in, conformity with the views expressed in the opinion of the appellate court. Upon the argument there appeared to be a great diversity of opinion as to precisely what language would correctly express that opinion. When, however, the opinion is studied in connection with other opinions of the same tribunal delivered at the same time, it is thought that the proper disposition of the pending application is not obscure. The decretal order which was appealed from was in the form of answers to three separate questions. These questions and answers are set forth in full in the opinion of the Court of Appeals.

[419]*419The first question asked in what proportion the proceeds of the settlement should be apportioned. The answer to that question, as stated by the circuit court, was approved.

The second question asked to what part of such proceeds the Metropolitan Company or its receivers were entitled; or, to state it differently, whether the City Railway receiver, now the custodian of the fund, is entitled to deduct any, and, if so, what, sums from the distributive share óf the Metropolitan. The trial court held that there should be four classes of deduction, as follows: (1) A certain specific sum of money amounting to $234,483.81. (2) A sum representing expenditures made by the City Company upon the Twenty-Third Street loop and the First Avenue line, and all such other expenditures made and obligations incurred by the City Company prior to the appointment of receivers on September 24, 1907, for purposes described in article 15 of the lease of February 14, 1902, an accounting to-be had to ascertain the amount of such expenditures. (3) A sum representing expenditures and obligations of a similar character (viz., for purposes described in said article 15) made by receivers of the City Company after their appointment down to the time when the lease should “be deemed to have been no longer in effect.” (4) In the event of the Court of Appeals holding that the lease became inoperative on October 1, 1907, a sum representing the amount of all money and the value of all property belonging to the City Company which came into possession of the receivers of the Metropolitan, or for which the estate of the Metropolitan Company may be held accountable to the estate of the .City Company.

In the memorandum which was filed April 8, 1912, when this decretal order was made ([D. C.] 196 Fed. 661), it was said:

“By reason of the circumstance that the numerous questions arising under these receiverships came up for determination in separate proceedings, inconsistences sometimes, appear * * * in the deliverances of the court. For example, in .this proceeding no attention is paid to the question when the lease terminated. The opinion proceeds on the assumption that capital disbursements made by receivers after October 1, 1907, were made by them as City Company receivers with City Company money. That assumption is apparently inconsistent with the opinion heretofore expressed that after that date the receivers were not operating the road under the lease. Until the court of Appeals finally decides the one question, there can be no final decision of the other. If this court’s decision as to the lease be sustained, then there will be no disbursements by receivers subsequent to October 1st to be deducted from the Metropolitan’s distributive share. In the place of such deduction, however, the New York City receiver would have a good claim against Metropolitan’s distributive share for any money or property of its own which was used by Metropolitan receivers subsequent to October 1st.”

The Court of Appeals in its opinion approved this answer to question 2, “except that subdivisions 3 and 4 are to b,e reserved for disposition in future proceedings.” It will be observed that the matters treated of in these subdivisions could not be made definite and certain until it was finally determined on what date the lease of February 14, 1902, and the obligations created thereby ceased to be a factor in determining the incidence of expenditures for operation, maintenance, repair, and betterment of the property. At the time the decretal [420]*420order was entered that date was uncertain. The master held it was September 24,' 1907. The writer, sitting at circuit, held it was October 1, 1907. Various interests contended strenuously that it was August 1, 1908. At the time the opinion of the Court of Appeals was filed that question had not been finally determined. Presumably the members of that court had already agreed as to what they would decide in the proceeding, called inartificially the “termination of the lease proceeding,” possibly they had concurred in the opinion to be handed down in that proceeding, but the dispute as to date would not be finally determined until the mandate in that proceeding was signed, and the decision not modified on rehearing or certiorari.

Since then, however, that question has been finally determined. It is now settled that the date was September 24, 1907, and the opinion which sets forth the reasons for that conclusion is so clear and specific as to the rights and obligations of the parties that it would seem nothing further is needed to dispose of the two subdivisions which were reserved for future proceedings. The Court of Appeals says:

“The expenditures during the dual receivership (September 24, 1907, to August 1, 1908) were for the preservation and improvement of the Metropolitan property, and every equitable consideration requires that they should be borne by the Metropolitan, and not by the City, interests.”

If there be enough now settled to dispose of these two subdivisions, it would certainly seem that this should now be done, so that some progress can be made towards distribution, rather than to initiate new proceedings to present again the same questions which were presented in the decretal order appealed from.

The receivership during the period in question is called “dual” because the same individuals were receivers of both roads; but, so far as rights and obligations and action taken by receivers are concerned, the situation is the same as if there had been one set of receivers for one road and another set for the other one, all woi-king together to see to it that the interests of the public should not suffer, while those of each’ road should be faithfully looked after. This was the theory of the situation adopted by the Circuit Court early in the proceeding, that the system should be run somehow, and the burden of doing so be settled aftexwvards, as a “mere matter of bookkeeping.” There is nothing in the opixrion of the Court of Appeals to indicate that this theory was a mistaken one. The logical- application of this theory clarifies the situation. -There were expenditures by receivers after September 24, 1907, for operation, for rentals and similar obligations, for maintenance, repairs, and improvements. Property of the City road was used for these expenditures. The simplest illustration is found in the cash on hand, about $600,000 which belonged to the City Company and which was thus expended.

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Pennsylvania Steel Co. v. New York City Ry. Co., 201 F. 418, 1912 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 1037 (S.D.N.Y. 1912).

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