Purdes v. Carvel Hall, Inc.

301 F. Supp. 1256
CourtDistrict Court, S.D. Iowa
DecidedJuly 25, 1991
DocketCiv. 7-1991-C-1
StatusPublished
Cited by6 cases

This text of 301 F. Supp. 1256 (Purdes v. Carvel Hall, Inc.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, S.D. Iowa primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Purdes v. Carvel Hall, Inc., 301 F. Supp. 1256 (S.D. Iowa 1991).

Opinion

MEMORANDUM AND ORDER

HANSON, District Judge.

The birds still continue to circle and hover over the slick shining white bones of a stillborn calf. This writer once thought he had laid this matter to rest and though it may be a waning hope, he still does. Even the present action is a continuation of the disputes between various claimants to livestock, and particularly cattle, formerly managed by Fashion Farm, Inc., an Iowa corporation, with its principal place of business at Merservey, Iowa. This Court has previously related many of the facts and circumstances in connection with various orders entered in the interpleader action, Cattle Owners Corporation v. Arkin, et al, D.C., 252 F.Supp. 34 (1966), 267 F. Supp. 658 (1967).

Careful review of the previous oral arguments made in this cause and careful examination having been paid to the previous record in this cause discloses but one result and that result is that the motion herein referred to must be sustained. The immediate problem has been carefully briefed, carefully analyzed and authoritatively supported. The defendants have submitted to this Court matters which they contend the facts to be and also matters relating to the law gov *1258 erning said controversy. The Court is unalterably persuaded by the reasoning of the defendants in this cause ■ and adopts the position of the defendants and totally rejects the position of the plaintiffs in this cause.

Plaintiffs here are former parties to the interpleader action claiming to represent a class which consists of substantially all of the parties to the prior action against what has been called the “Wells interests” (Carvel Hall, Inc., Gold Coast, Inc., National WTI Inc., Peter TV Inc., Touraine Corporation, Jay Wells and Wells Quality Breeders) for conversion of cattle. The cattle alleged to have been converted by Wells interests are those which were accounted for by Wells in the interpleader action. The complaint acknowledges its relationship to the prior action by direct reference in paragraph 18 as follows:

“That plaintiffs have previously been stopped from bringing this action at an earlier date because of an injunction issued by the United States District Court for the Southern District of Iowa, on November 23, 1962, in the case entitled Cattle Owners Corp. et al, Plaintiffs, v. David Arkin, et al, Defendants.

Defendants have filed a motion for summary judgment based primarily on the issue of res judicata by reason of the prior action, thus properly raising the issue as to whether the adjudications in the interpleader action preclude the present action. 1 In the course of this memorandum opinion the Court will use the terms “claim preclusion” for res judicata and “issue preclusion” for collateral estoppel as used by the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals in recent cases. 2

After the original motion for summary judgment was filed raising the issue of res judicata, plaintiffs amended their complaint and added Chavet Farm Management & Sales Co. as a defendant. A new motion for summary judgment was filed on behalf of Chavet accompanied by proper affidavits stating that Chavet was acting as an agent for the Wells interests. This fact has not been challenged by plaintiffs and appears to be without dispute in this record. Preclusion is available to those in privity with a party who has litigated an issue with an adverse party. Towle v. Boeing Airplane Co., 364 F.2d 590 (8th Cir. 1966); Spector v. El Rancho, Inc., 263 F.2d 143 (9th Cir. 1959); Mooney v. Central Motor Lines, 222 F.2d 572 (6th Cir. 1955); see discussion Vestal, Preclusion/Res Judicata Variables, 50 Iowa Law Review 27 at 43 et seq. The Court concludes that the addition of Chavet as an additional party therefore does not prevent the application of res judicata.

Another preliminary matter which is before the Court is the question of whether or not this action is properly maintained as a class action. Rule 23 provides that the Court shall determine this issue “[a]s soon as practicable after the commencement of an action” and that such an order “may be conditional, and may be altered or amended before the decision on the merits.” Thus it may be said that new Rule 23 contemplates the determination of the class prior to a final determination.

This Court has already determined by an order filed on August 28, 1968, that claims of the named plaintiffs must be in excess of $10,000 because the claims may not be aggregated. This Court held that the claims of the plain *1259 tiffs were separate and distinct from those of the members of the class purported to be represented. In view of the fact that no notice has been given to members of the alleged class, as provided for in Rule 23, and in view of the fact that this ruling would not be binding on members of the class not so notified, the Court now holds that for the purposes of this memorandum the case is not maintainable as a class action. There are very serious factual problems in treating this case as a class action. Each member of the class claims title to certain individual animals. The animals were not located in any central location. While it is alleged that the Wells interests converted animals belonging to various members of the class, the proof would necessarily involve the presentation of evidence by each member as to the identity, location and title of his animals, and such evidence as he has that the Wells interests converted the animals so identified. In such circumstances, it is doubtful that the question of fact or law common to the members of the class predominate.

Having disposed of the preliminary matters, the Court now considers the central issue presented by the motion for summary judgment: Are these plaintiffs precluded from maintaining this new action by the adjudication in the interpleader case? To determine this issue, it will be necessary to analyze the nature of the interpleader action, to ascertain what issues were litigated, and to dissect the relationship of the parties in that action.

Cattle Owners Corporation was an Iowa corporation formed to liquidate the livestock formerly managed by Fashion Farm, Inc., 252 F.Supp. 34, 38. When difficulty arose between various claimants to proceeds of the liquidation, the corporation filed, a petition in federal court on November 23, 1962. The petition was in interpleader and defined the fund to consist of the cash liquidated from the sale of animals formerly managed by Fashion Farm, Inc., and the animals formerly managed by Fashion Farm, Inc. The prayer for relief demanded “That this Court finally determine the merits of any and all claims asserted by or against any investors to the funds or property coming into the hands of said receiver, and that a final decree be entered by this Court determining such rights of such investors and of any and all persons or firms claiming liens or other rights in the property. * * * ” (Emphasis added)

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Bluebook (online)
301 F. Supp. 1256, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/purdes-v-carvel-hall-inc-iasd-1991.