Riback v. Prudence Company, Inc.

152 Misc. 331, 273 N.Y.S. 508, 1934 N.Y. Misc. LEXIS 1501
CourtAppellate Terms of the Supreme Court of New York
DecidedJuly 13, 1934
StatusPublished
Cited by4 cases

This text of 152 Misc. 331 (Riback v. Prudence Company, Inc.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Appellate Terms of the Supreme Court of New York primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Riback v. Prudence Company, Inc., 152 Misc. 331, 273 N.Y.S. 508, 1934 N.Y. Misc. LEXIS 1501 (N.Y. Ct. App. 1934).

Opinion

Cropsey, J.

The action is upon a written guaranty of payment of four bonds. The maker of the bonds is not a party to the action, nor does the plaintiff seek to recover upon the bonds. The bonds were made by the Prudence Bonds Corporation, a separate and distinct entity, and not the defendant herein. These were first mortgage collateral bonds, each in the sum of $100, and payable January 1, 1932, with interest at five and one-half per cent per annum, payable January first and July first of each year. On the reverse side of each bond is the written guaranty of the defendant which is the basis of this action. In this the defendant guarantees to the holder of the bond the punctual payment by Prudence Bonds Corporation of the interest as the same becomes due and also the payment of the principal within eighteen months after its due date.

The action is to recover the amount of the bonds, with interest from January 1, 1933. Eighteen months had elapsed after the bonds became due by their terms before the suit was instituted.

After the defendant had answered, plaintiff moved for summary judgment pursuant to rules 113 and 114 of the Rules of Civil Practice. Defendant opposed this motion and countered by making a similar motion and also an additional and separate motion to dismiss the complaint or to stay all proceedings in the action on the part of the plaintiff until July 1, 1934, this latter motion being based upon the provisions of the so-called Mortgage Moratorium Act, which is chapter 793 of the Laws of 1933. This latter motion of the defendant was denied, as was plaintiff’s motion for summary judgment, and defendant’s motion for summary judgment was granted. The appeals raise the points involved in those motions.

There was no denial in the papers opposing plaintiff’s motion for summary judgment of any of the material facts therein alleged and it must be conceded that plaintiff would be entitled to judgment unless the defendant has a defense.

In the defendant’s answer two defenses are pleaded. As stating the nature of these defenses we quote from defendant’s brief: (1) “No action is maintainable against defendant, a domestic banking corporation, under the Banking Moratorium Act and the rules and regulations issued by the Superintendent of Banks pursuant thereto;” and (2) “ Under the terms of the said bonds and the trust agreement subject to which they were issued, action upon these [334]*334bonds could not be maintained by plaintiff in her individual capacity but must be prosecuted in behalf of all bondholders similarly situated by the trustee under the indenture.”

In the defendant’s papers opposing plaintiff’s motion and supporting its own motion, additional matters are set forth which are not contained in the answer and which are claimed by the defendant to constitute a third defense, and for the nature of this we again quote from defendant’s brief: (3) “ Under the Mortgage Moratorium Act no action is maintainable by plaintiff upon these bonds until July 1, 1934.”

The questions for determination here, as they were in the court below, are whether any of these defenses is sufficient, that is, whether in fact either is a defense.

The court below granted defendant’s motion for summary judgment solely upon its second pleaded defense, namely, that the provisions of the trust agreement prohibited the plaintiff from maintaining this action. We shall, therefore, consider the sufficiency of that defense first.

The papers show that about July 1, 1925, the defendant entered into an agreement with the Central Union Trust Company of New York, whereby, under the conditions and the terms therein mentioned, it guaranteed payment of the principal and interest upon the bonds issued under a collateral indenture or trust agreement entered into on the same day between Prudence Bonds Corporation and the said trust company, as trustee, to secure an issue of first mortgage collateral bonds, sixth series, which bonds were certified by the trustee as provided in the trust agreement, and were issued and sold by the Prudence Bonds Corporation, and that the bonds sued on by the plaintiff were some of the bonds referred to; and that all of the bonds bore the guaranty of the defendant, which contained, among other things, the following provision: By the acceptance of the within bond, the holder thereof agrees to the terms and conditions of this guarantee and to all the provisions and conditions of the within mentioned Trust Agreement, including those limiting the exercise by the Trustee of rights and remedies thereunder upon default.”

It is further alleged that the bonds bore upon their face the following provisions: “ In event of certain defaults specified in said Trust Agreement, the principal of this bond and of all Prudence Bonds, Sixth Series, secured by said Trust Agreement may be declared and become due and payable as provided in said Trust Agreement.

“ Reference is hereby made to said Trust Indenture for a description of the Trust Fund ’ created to secure the payment of the [335]*335principal and interest of such bonds, the nature of the securities constituting the ‘ Trust Fund,’ the rights and remedies of the Trustee and the respective holders of said Prudence-Bonds, the rights of the corporation and the terms and conditions under which said bonds are secured, issued and guaranteed.”

It also appears that the agreement of guaranty already referred to recites, “ Reference to said Trust Agreement being hereby specifically made for the exact terms thereof,” and contains the following provision in paragraph fifth: “ The Trustee is joined as a party to this agreement for the purpose of securing the benefits thereof to the holders of said Prudence-Bonds, Sixth Series, and for the further security of said bonds. The provisions of said Trust Agreement, and in particular the provisions of Article Y thereof in respect to the rights and duties of the Trustee thereunder, shall be taken to be and hereby are made a part of this Agreement in respect to the rights and duties of the Trustee thereunder.”

It is further alleged that the operative provision of the trust agreement, which also has been heretofore referred to, is as follows: “ Limiting Action by Bond holders.— The holder of any Prudence-Bond or coupon hereunder shall not have the right to institute any suit, action or proceeding at law or in equity upon said bond or coupon or in respect to this Agreement or to any rights or remedies hereunder unless such holder shall previously have given to the Trustee written notice of an existing event of default under which it may take action and of continuance thereof and unless also, the holders of at least twenty-five percentum in amount of the said Prudence-Bonds then outstanding shall have made written request upon the Trustee and shall have afforded to it reasonable opportunity to proceed itself to exercise the powers herein granted and shall have tendered to it satisfactory indemnity; it being intended that one or more holders of said bonds or coupons shall not have any right in any manner whatever to affect the hen of this Agreement by his or their action or to enforce any right hereunder except in the manner herein provided, and that all proceedings hereunder shall be instituted in the manner herein provided for the equal benefit of all holders of said bonds and coupons.”

None of the documents themselves is made a part of the record and the foregoing are the only provisions of any of them set forth in the papers.

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Related

Rolfe v. Walker
188 Misc. 367 (New York Supreme Court, 1946)
First Trust Co. v. Maxcy
282 N.W. 81 (Wisconsin Supreme Court, 1938)
Howley v. Romagna
156 Misc. 59 (City of New York Municipal Court, 1935)
Riback v. Broderick
243 A.D. 819 (Appellate Division of the Supreme Court of New York, 1935)

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Bluebook (online)
152 Misc. 331, 273 N.Y.S. 508, 1934 N.Y. Misc. LEXIS 1501, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/riback-v-prudence-company-inc-nyappterm-1934.