Rademaker v. Pfeiffer

243 N.W. 826, 259 Mich. 326, 1932 Mich. LEXIS 975
CourtMichigan Supreme Court
DecidedJanuary 4, 1932
DocketDocket No. 198, Calendar No. 36,070.
StatusPublished
Cited by2 cases

This text of 243 N.W. 826 (Rademaker v. Pfeiffer) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Michigan Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Rademaker v. Pfeiffer, 243 N.W. 826, 259 Mich. 326, 1932 Mich. LEXIS 975 (Mich. 1932).

Opinion

Clark, C. J.

Plaintiff filed this bill chiefly for accounting against Charles F. Ruggles, with whom he had been associated in business at Manistee and elsewhere for many years. Mr. Ruggles died and his administrators were admitted to defend.

A large salt plant at Manistee, known as Ruggles and Rademaker Salt Plant, was perhaps owned by Mr. Ruggles, although there was dispute of that. Into this salt business plaintiff had put more than $300,000, either as a partner, or as an investor, or as a creditor.

Mr. Ruggles owned a timber tract of approximately 50,000 acres in California, called Calaveras Tract. Others were interested with him as investors to whom were given certificates of investment for the respective amounts invested and which provided of return, interest, and profit thereon.

He also owned another large tract of timber in California, known as Amador Tract, in which others were interested on like certificates of investment. Plaintiff was and is a holder in large amount of such certificates of investment in both tracts, the amount varying from time to time in keeping with business dealings between him and Mr. Ruggles.

*328 In 1928, Mr. Buggies organized all three of these enterprises into three corporations, being defendants Buggies & Bademaker Company, Calaveras Timber Company, and Amador Timber Company. Mr. Buggies had another timber holding in South Carolina, in which others were investors, holding like certificates of investment. Some difficulty was encountered in this venture and in consideration of plaintiff’s agreement to repay all such investors, Mr. Buggies turned the property over to him.

Some lands in Minnesota also come into the case, but no facts need be detailed. After this cause had been on. trial for three days, the parties and their respective counsel, in open court, agreed upon a settlement as the basis for a decree, and the trial judge dictated the same into the record:

“1. It is agreed by John H. Bademaker that he will pay off the investors having rights in the Carolina property, as evidenced by investors’ certificates, issued to them, in accordance with the terms and conditions of their investors’ certificates, held by them, and in accordance with the terms of his agreement with Charles F. Buggies, under date of December 31, 1918.
“2. That said John H. Bademaker is to retain his interest in the Buggies & Bademaker copartnership, not as a copartner, but as an individual, which said interest is to be evidenced by investors’ certificates, in form, as used by Charles P. Buggies, in handling timber investments, namely, Amador and Calaveras counties, California; the amount of said certificate to be in the sum of not less than $320,911.93, subject to be adjusted according to fact.
“3. That said John H. Bademaker, to retain his investment in the Amador timber tract, as evidenced by his present certificates of investment, held by him.
*329 “4. That said John H. Eademaker to retain his investment in the Calaveras timber tract, as evidenced by investors’ certificates which he now holds.
“5. Whereas, John H. Eademaker and Charles F. Enggles, have by indorsement and otherwise, become obligated to third parties in connection with their copartnership relations and timber business and otherwise, in a large sum of money, which said obligations are in fact the obligations of the business, and,
“Whereas, by this agreement, said John H. Eademaker is retiring from the firm and will hereafter have nothing whatsoever to do with the conduct of the business,
“Therefore, it is agreed, that the aforesaid obligations of indebtedness shall be treated and considered as between the parties, John H. Eademaker and Charles F. Euggles, to be the primary obligation of Charles F. Euggles, and the obligation so far as third parties are concerned shall not be changed except by renewal and so far as the parties hereto are concerned are to be the obligation of surety only for Charles F. Euggles, it being the intention of the parties that as between Euggles and Eademaker, said obligations are to be the obligations of Charles F. Euggles; and that John H. Eademaker shall renew said obligations as may be required not exceeding present amount until paid.
“6. That John H. Eademaker, upon refunding of his actual investment in the cut-over lands in Minnesota and elsewhere, is to quitclaim his interest therein to Charles F. Euggles.
“7. That John H. Eademaker will immediately quitclaim his interests to Charles F. Euggles in all tax lands acquired by him, through purchase with money furnished by Charles F. Euggles.
“8. It is further agreed that upon the consummation of this settlement, that said John H. Eademaker will immediately relinquish any and all interests, of *330 whatsoever name or nature which he may now have, as copartner or otherwise, in the business of Charles F. Ruggles, by proper instrument of relinquishment, and that he will join, if necessary, in the filing of a certificate of dissolution of the copartnership of Ruggles & Rademaker, now existing, by virtue of a certificate of copartnership, now on file in the office of the county clerk of the county of Manistee, Manistee, Michigan.
“9. It is further agreed that John H. Rademaker shall quitclaim whatever interest he may have in Minnesota lands, designated as group 5, not contemplated by the Minnesota lands mentioned in paragraph 6 of this agreement.
“10. That John H. Rademaker will deed, by quitclaim deed, to Charles F. Ruggles, an undivided one-half interest in lands designated as Minnesota lands, group 4, not previously sold.
“11. It is further agreed that upon the consummation of this settlement of differences that neither of the parties hereto will by word, act or deed, disparage or embarrass the other in any manner whatsoever, and that they will accord to each other an interchange of favor commensurate with good conduct and fair dealing, to the end that the books of either or both parties will be available to one an-' other, as occasion and necessity may require, in the prosecution of their individual business hereafter.
“12. It is further agreed, that a decree of' this court will be made, by consent, to effectuate this agreement on the application of either party.
“13. It is further agreed that this suit shall be satisfactorily terminated, without costs to either party.
“14. It is agreed by the. parties hereto, that this court shall retain jurisdiction of this case to effectuate this agreement by decree and to settle such decree order from time to time as may be necessary until the final- consummation hereof and then final decree will be entered.
*331 “Mr. Harrington:

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Related

Matter of the Estate of Ruggles
266 N.W. 332 (Michigan Supreme Court, 1936)
Pfeiffer v. Michigan Trust Co.
275 Mich. 237 (Michigan Supreme Court, 1936)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
243 N.W. 826, 259 Mich. 326, 1932 Mich. LEXIS 975, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/rademaker-v-pfeiffer-mich-1932.