Premier Steel Co. v. Yandes

38 N.E. 849, 139 Ind. 307, 1894 Ind. LEXIS 309
CourtIndiana Supreme Court
DecidedNovember 21, 1894
DocketNo. 16,909
StatusPublished
Cited by5 cases

This text of 38 N.E. 849 (Premier Steel Co. v. Yandes) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Indiana Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Premier Steel Co. v. Yandes, 38 N.E. 849, 139 Ind. 307, 1894 Ind. LEXIS 309 (Ind. 1894).

Opinion

Dailey, J.

On the 27th day of October, 1879, the Indianapolis Rolling Mill Company, a corporation, executed a mortgage on certain described real ■ estate in Marion county, to secure fifty bonds of one thousand dollars each, due in ten years from date. Asa G. Pettibone was named in the mortgage as trustee, with a provision contained therein that if he should at any time fail, neglect, or be unable to act as trustee thereunder, the appellee, George B. Yandes, should become his successor. Pettibone accepted the trust, and continued to act as such trustee until shortly before the 8th day of July, 1880, when he resigned, and on the last named date the ajipellee, Yandes, accepted said trust and continued to act in that capacity until after the maturity of the bonds, as hereinafter stated. At the time he accepted the trust there was no agreement, either that he should receive compensation, or that he should serve without compensation. He never understood that it was expected he should serve gratuitously, and always expected to be recompensed therefor.

The company continued in active operations until in January, 1888. Up to that time the company had in the [309]*309main attended to the insurance of the property covered by said mortgage, and Yandes’ services consisted mainly in seeing that insurance policies were furnished him, as required by the. terms of the mortgage, and that the mortgagor performed the covenants contained in said instrument. After that date the mortgagor gave no attention to the' insurance, and said trustee was required to keep constant notice as to the policies upon the premises to prevent a forfeiture and keep the insurance alive. At the time of the execution of the mortgage said Pettibone was president of the Citizens’ National Bank of Indianapolis, and when Yandes accepted the trust he was cashier thereof, and it had the deposits of the Rolling Mill Company.

It was agreed between all the parties to this proceeding that a fair compensation to Yandes for his services was $1,050, but that there should be deemed to have been paid thereon the sum of $250, on account of benefits accrued to the bank by reason of such deposits. During the year 1886 the company paid directly to the holders thereof twenty of said bonds, which were canceled and delivered to the trustee.

In September, 1889, the company being embarrassed and creditors being about to commence proceedings to collect their claims, an arrangement was made between the unsecured creditors providing that the property covered by said mortgage should be conveyed to a trustee, to be held by him for one year, and if the debts were not paid within that time, the same should be conveyed to these creditors subject to such mortgage, and in such event the person or persons taking the conveyance should pay off the mortgage, and relieve the mortgagor from all liability on account thereof, and pursuant to such agreement, such property was conveyed to Albert Baker, trustee. At the end of the year the debts were not paid, and [310]*310the creditors made an arrangement to sell the property to appellant, the Premier Steel Company. But not being able to procure the production and surrender of said bonds for payment, it was arranged between the general creditors, the mortgagor, and the appellant, that instead of the mortgagor insisting upon the creditors or the appellant then paying off such outstanding bonds, it should accept the bond of the appellant with Charles W. De Pauw as surety conditioned for the assumption and payment of the mortgage indebtedness by the appellant, for the complete protection and indemnification of the mortgagor from any personal loss, damage, or inconvenience therefrom. Pursuant to said arrangement, the mortgaged property was conveyed to appellant and it executed such bond with the surety agreed upon.

When the proceedings were had in the court below, the appellant was the owner of the mortgaged property. At the time of the conveyance, the appellant company had no notice of the claim of Yandes other than such as would be inferred from the existence of the mortgage and knowledge of the acceptance of the trust by him. More than a year after the maturity of the bonds, the holders thereof not desiring to proceed fco foreclose the same, and the mortgagor and those bound to pay them not desiring them to do so, Yandes gave notice to the mortgagor, the holders of the bonds, who resided in this State, and to the appellant, that he proposed to file his petition to the Marion Circuit Court, asking permission to resign, and an allowance for his services.

Accordingly, on the 24th day of January, 1891, he presented his petition to the court and prayed that the court make him such allowance. Thereupon it was agreed by and between all the parties to whom' notice had been given, that the court might accept such resignation and appoint John W. Ray successor in said trust, [311]*311and that the matter of such allowance should be continued until the new trustee should be able to confer with all the bondholders, when it should be disposed of with the same force and effect as if acted upon at the time of such resignation and before the appointment of his successor. Under the foregoing facts the court allowed Yandes $800 for his services as trustee, and decreed said sum a part of the indebtedness secured by said mortgage; that the same is a first charge upon the mortgaged premises prior to the claims of the holders of the bonds secured by the mortgage, and that the Premier Steel Company took such mortgaged real estate, charged with the payment of said sum, in addition to the principal and interest of the bonds. From this decision the appellant prosecutes an appeal.

Three questions are presented by the record. 1st. Under the foregoing facts was Yandes entitled to any allowance for his services? 2d. If so who ought to pay the same, or upon what fund should such allowance be made chargeable? 3d. Did the court in this proceeding have authority to fix such compensation, decree who should pay it, or upon what fund or property chargeable, and to make the order it did make?

It is true there are many English authorities holding that trustees are not entitled to compensation unless there is an agreement to that effect and provision made therefor. But the overwhelming weight of authority in this country is the other way, and is supported by every consideration of right and justice. By the acceptance of the trust delicate and important duties were imposed on the trustee, the nonperformance of which would have caused him to incur grave responsibilities. He was required, as an incident to the trust, to exercise diligence and active attention to preserve the property and secure the performance by the mortgagor of the covenants con-[312]*312tamed in the mortgage. In the discharge of his duties, during more than ten years of active service, he was vigilant in watching and looking out for the solvency of the insurance companies, observed the forms of the policies, kept the insurance alive; also, saw that the taxes and assessments against the property were paid, and no lifens allowed to accrue thereon.

It is conceded in the brief of the learned counsel for the appellant, that the special finding shows the exercise of extreme caution on the part of Mr. Yandes, possibly some worry, but for all this it is asserted “he must hold his temperament responsible, not the trust estate;” and this, too, when the trustee did not suppose he was required to perform such services gratuitously, and expected to receive fair compensation.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
38 N.E. 849, 139 Ind. 307, 1894 Ind. LEXIS 309, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/premier-steel-co-v-yandes-ind-1894.