Phelps v. Scott

30 S.W.2d 71, 325 Mo. 711, 71 A.L.R. 290, 1930 Mo. LEXIS 500
CourtSupreme Court of Missouri
DecidedJuly 3, 1930
DocketNos. 28578, 28579.
StatusPublished
Cited by22 cases

This text of 30 S.W.2d 71 (Phelps v. Scott) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of Missouri primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Phelps v. Scott, 30 S.W.2d 71, 325 Mo. 711, 71 A.L.R. 290, 1930 Mo. LEXIS 500 (Mo. 1930).

Opinions

The two above styled cases come here on separate appeals and are docketed as separate cases. The contending parties and the facts involved are the same. By agreement the cases were tried together as one case and the same bill of exceptions was filed in both cases. The same relief is sought in both. In fact, the two proceedings present substantially the same controversy, and were so treated in the trial court by the parties and by the court, although separate judgments were entered. In this situation we shall consider the cases together and dispose of them in one opinion.

The first case, No. 28578, was a suit in equity whereby plaintiffs Phelps, McKinley and Wheat sought to have a judgment previously obtained in the same court against them and others adjudged paid and to have it satisfied of record and for other equitable relief. Judgment went against plaintiffs and they appeal. The second case, No. 28579, involves the same judgment and an execution that had been issued thereunder. It was inaugurated by Phelps, one of the judgment debtors, by a pleading styled a motion to quash the execution, but which alleged the same facts and invoked the same relief as did the petition in the first named case, as will hereinafter more fully appear. The judgment was against Phelps who appeals. The second case is styled on our docket "Bank of Aurora, Respondent, v. W.H. Scott et al., Appellants," but, as indicated, the real appellant is Phelps and the real respondent is W.H. Scott. In fact, Phelps is the active appellant and Scott the active respondent in both cases and they will be referred to herein as appellant and respondent respectively.

Prior to April 15, 1922, Scott, Phelps, McKinley, Wheat, Alexander, Lea and Mathews were the directors of the Miners Farmers Bank of Aurora, Missouri. Upon an examination of the bank just before that date it was found to be in such financial condition that *Page 717 the examiners as a condition to its being allowed to continue business, required that $18,000 in cash be put into the bank. The directors being unwilling to put up the money, negotiations were had with the Bank of Aurora resulting in the latter bank purchasing the assets and assuming the liabilities of the Miners Farmers Bank, but as a condition of the purchase and assumption of liabilities, the Bank of Aurora required a guaranty that assets amounting at face value to $165,273.63 taken over by it, would, within three years, realize that sum, which was the amount of liabilities of the Miners Farmers Bank which had been assumed by the Bank of Aurora; and to meet this requirement the above named directors executed an obligation, called a bond, which in effect bound them to make good to the Bank of Aurora any deficit remaining at the end of three years in the amount collected out of said assets as compared with the face value named. There was such deficit and the Bank of Aurora sued upon the bond and, in September, 1925, recovered judgment against all seven of the signers for $39,400.71. That case was styled Bank of Aurora v. W.H. Scott et al.

Having obtained its judgment the Bank of Aurora demanded payment of Scott. Thus compelled, Scott satisfied the Bank of Aurora and had the judgment assigned of record to his son, Loyal E. Scott, in order to keep it alive, the bank at the same time assigning and turning over, either to Loyal E. Scott or to W.H. Scott, the uncollected remainder of the assets which had been turned over to it by the Miners Farmers Bank, amounting, it is said to about $40,000 face value, and worth perhaps three or four thousand. The assignment was made January 20, 1926. Scott claimed in the present proceeding that his son Loyal had purchased and owned the judgment, but the court found otherwise, and as neither Loyal Scott nor W.H. Scott appealed, the fact is so accepted.

On December 8, 1926, Phelps, McKinley and Wheat instituted the suit numbered on our docket 28578, to have the above mentioned judgment decreed paid and satisfied of record. On December 24, 1926, an alias execution was issued on the aforesaid judgment in the name of the Bank of Aurora for the use of Loyal E. Scott, under which a levy was made December 28, 1926, upon certain property of Phelps's. On January 11, 1927, Phelps filed the motion or pleading which is the foundation of case numbered 28579 on our docket. It is styled in the caption thereof, "Motion to quash execution and pretended levy of execution," and referred to in his verification thereof as "the above and foregoing motion and petition." For brevity we will refer to it as a motion. Likewise, for convenience and brevity, we may designate the suit brought by the Bank of Aurora against the signers of the bond above mentioned as suit A; the suit of Phelps et al. against Scott et al., No. *Page 718 28578, as suit B, and the proceeding instituted by Phelps to quash the execution, No. 28579, as suit C.

The petition in suit B and the motion in suit C are substantially identical. Each alleges the facts leading up to the execution of the bond, the relationship of the signers thereof to the Miners Farmers Bank, the contract between the two banks, the execution of the bond to protect the Bank of Aurora from possible loss in assuming and paying the liabilities of the Miners Farmers Bank if the assets of the latter turned over to the former proved insufficient to meet such liabilities, the suit and recovery of judgment on the bond against the signers thereof, payment of the judgment by W.H. Scott to the Bank of Aurora and the assignment of the judgment by said bank to Loyal E. Scott, who is alleged not to be the real owner, but to hold same "for the protection, use and benefit" of W.H. Scott, who, it is charged, furnished the money to pay the Bank of Aurora. It is alleged in both petition and motion that at the time of the assignment of the judgment the Bank of Aurora also assigned and surrendered to W.H. Scott the uncollected portion of the assets of the Miners Farmers Bank which the latter had turned over to it under the contract between the two banks "to apply to the payment of the obligations of said Miners Farmers Bank" and that W.H. Scott had not credited the value of said uncollected assets on the judgment and that in equity and good conscience he should be required to account therefor for the use and benefit of Phelps and all of the obligees on the bond.

It is further alleged in both petition and motion in substance and effect that Phelps's execution of the bond was procured by false and fraudulent representations of W.H. Scott concerning the value of the assets of the Miners Farmers Bank. In addition to the allegations common to both petition and motion, the motion alleged the issuance and levy and threatened enforcement of the execution.

The petition prayed cancellation and satisfaction of record of the judgment, that any obligation "that may appear by reason of signing said bond be declared null and void and of no effect against this plaintiff and the other obligees in said bond and apparent debtors," that the Scotts be restrained from enforcing or attempting to enforce the judgment or causing execution thereon, and for all further and proper relief.

The prayer of the motion is equally inclusive. It asks not only that the execution and levy be quashed, but that the judgment be canceled and satisfied of record "and for naught held;" that W.H. Scott be required to account to "those defendants" (evidently meaning the judgment debtors) for the value of the notes and assets turned over to him by the Bank of Aurora, "and *Page 719 for such other and further orders and judgments as may be proper in the premises." W.H. Scott answered by general denial, Loyal Scott by asserting his ownership of the judgment and general denial of other allegations.

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Bluebook (online)
30 S.W.2d 71, 325 Mo. 711, 71 A.L.R. 290, 1930 Mo. LEXIS 500, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/phelps-v-scott-mo-1930.