Rice v. Rice

125 F. Supp. 900, 1954 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 2790
CourtDistrict Court, W.D. Arkansas
DecidedNovember 19, 1954
DocketCiv. A. No. 579
StatusPublished
Cited by4 cases

This text of 125 F. Supp. 900 (Rice v. Rice) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, W.D. Arkansas primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Rice v. Rice, 125 F. Supp. 900, 1954 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 2790 (W.D. Ark. 1954).

Opinion

JOHN E. MILLER, District Judge.

This is a suit instituted by plaintiff on March 16, 1954, in which she seeks a recovery against the defendant, Royal A. Rice, hereinafter referred to as R. A. Rice, based upon certain judgments heretofore obtained by plaintiff against the said defendant in the State of New York. In her original complaint plaintiff sought to recover the sum of $12,-008.19, being the amount of a judgment obtained by plaintiff against R. A. Rice on February 24, 1954, in the Supreme Court of the State of New York, Westchester County, in the City of White Plains. Plaintiff further alleged that R. A. Rice owned an interest in the Montgomery County Insurance Agency, and also owned certain shares of stock in the Bank of Montgomery County, said shares having been transferred by R. A. Rice to the defendant, J. A. Rice, for the purpose of hindering, delaying and preventing the collection of plaintiff’s New York judgment. Plaintiff sought judgment against R. A. Rice in the sum of $12,008.19; that the transfer of the stock be set aside; and that the assets of J. A. Rice be marshalled to free the certificates of stock owned by R. A. Rice from the lien of a pledge of a portion of the said stock to the defendant, Commercial National Bank.

[902]*902On April 7, 1954, the defendants, R. A. Rice, J. A. Rice, Bank of Montgomery County, and Montgomery County Insurance Agency, filed an answer admitting the recovery of the $12,008.19 judgment by plaintiff, but denying that the Court had jurisdiction to render said judgment. The said defendants denied that R. A. Rice owned any interest in the Montgomery County Insurance Agency and denied that he had transferred any stock in an effort to prevent the collection of plaintiff’s judgment.

The defendant, Commercial National Bank, on April 10, 1954, filed its answer alleging that it had a valid lien upon the 311.4 shares of stock of the Bank of Montgomery County that had been pledged to it by J. A. Rice.

On September 17, 1954, plaintiff amended her complaint to include three additional judgments she had previously obtained against R. A. Rice, making the total amount sued for $19,821.08. Plaintiff also alleged that R. A. Rice was the owner of an undivided one-half interest in certain lands in Montgomery County, Arkansas, and prayed that said interest be made subject to the payment of plaintiff’s judgments; Plaintiff further prayed that R. A. Rice be declared to be the owner of 434 shares of the stock of the Bank of Montgomery County, and that said stock be subjected to the payment of plaintiff’s claim.

Upon these issues, the case was tried to the Court, without a jury, on October 18, 1954, and at the conclusion of the trial the Court took the case under advisement pending receipt of briefs from the attorneys for the respective parties.

The briefs have been received, and now the Court, having considered the pleadings, ore tenus testimony of the witnesses, depositions, exhibits, stipulations, and briefs of the parties, makes and files herein its findings of fact and conclusions of law, separately stated.

Findings of Fact

No. 1.

The plaintiff is a citizen and resident of the State of New York. The defendants are all citizens and residents of the State of Arkansas. The amount in controversy, exclusive of interest and costs, exceeds the sum of $3,000.

No. 2.

The plaintiff and the defendant, R. A. Rice, were married in 1910 in the State of New York. They lived together until 1936, when they separated, and on October 16, 1940, plaintiff obtained a decree in the Supreme Court of Westchester County, awarding her separate maintenance in the sum of $10 per week. On August 3, 1943, the decree was modified by increasing the award to $15 per week. On August 4, 1951, the decree was again modified and the award was increased to $100 per week.

No. 3.

The defendants, R. A. Rice and J. A. Rice, are brothers, and prior to 1944 had been engaged in business together. On May 20, 1944, the said defendants, together with their mother, Mrs. Lula Y. Rice, entered into a partnership agreement which purportedly gave the parties the following respective interests: Lula V. Rice, 50%; Joel A. Rice, 40%; and Royal A. Rice, 10%. This agreement, of course, was entered into subsequent to the time plaintiff obtained her decree in 1940, as well as the modification in 1943. The parties operated as a partnership styled Rice Bros. Mfg. Co. until June 15, 1945, at which time they purchased the controlling interest in the Bank of Montgomery County in Montgomery County, Arkansas. The sum of $25,050 was paid for 501 shares of the stock of said bank, the total number of outstanding shares being 1,000. The money was paid by check drawn upon the account of Rice Bros. Mfg. Co.

The 501 shares were first issued to R. A. Rice and J. A. Rice jointly. In December, 1946, the stock was divided as follows: R. A. Rice, 244 shares (evidenced by Certificate Nos. 132 for 43 shares; 134 for 52 shares; 140 for 136 shares; and 13 shares of Certificate No. 136, which originally contained 43 shares but was divided at that time); J. A. [903]*903Rice, 244 shares (evidenced by Certificate No.' 130 for 227 shares; and 17 shares of Certificate No. 136); and Mrs. L. V. Rice, 13 shares (being taken from Certificate No. 136). On December 16,1946, R. A. Rice executed a promissory note, payable to J. A. Rice on demand, in the sum of $10,935, without interest, purportedly executed in consideration of the transfer of “243 Shares Bank Stock.” During this time, or shortly thereafter, Mrs. L. V. Rice purchased an additional 7.2 shares of stock, making her total ownership 20.2 shares.

After the purchase of the stock by the Rice family, a controversy developed between them and the Bank officers, culminating in the case of Rice v. Beavers, 213 Ark. 656, 212 S.W.2d 30. The decision in that case left the way clear for the Rice family to take over the management of the Bank, which they did on August 3, 1948. At that time the officers were: R. A. Rice, President; J. A. Rice, Vice President; Amos Horn, Secretary-Treasurer and Cashier. Mrs. L. V. Rice became a director and remained in that capacity until her death in 1950, at which time her 20.2 shares were transferred to Sam G. Smith and he became a director.

As reflected by the annual reports made by the defendants, R. A. Rice and J. A. Rice, to the State Bank Commissioner, together with the testimony of Oscar W. Luebben, Certified Public Accountant, the stock ownership of the said Rice brothers remained substantially the same from December, 1946, until July 17,1952. In the meantime, plaintiff had obtained two judgments against R. A. Rice in the Supreme Court of Westchester County, New York, one in the amount of $1,179.-02 rendered on October 26, 1951, and one in the amount of $2,320.22 (including costs) rendered on January 8, 1952. On January 3, 1952, plaintiff instituted an action in the Circuit Court of Garland County, Arkansas, upon the judgment entered by the New York Court on October 26, 1951. Them on February 13, 1952, plaintiff filed suit in the Circuit Court of Garland County upon the New York judgment rendered on January 8, 1952.

No. 4.

While R. A. Rice was faced with the efforts of plaintiff to collect the judgments she had obtained against him, he had a conversation with Amos Horn, Secretary-Treasurer of the Bank, about the matter. Horn advised him to attempt to settle the controversy with plaintiff, but R. A.

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Bluebook (online)
125 F. Supp. 900, 1954 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 2790, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/rice-v-rice-arwd-1954.