Rogers v. Chemical Corn Exchange Bank

180 F. Supp. 946, 1960 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 5346
CourtDistrict Court, S.D. New York
DecidedFebruary 11, 1960
StatusPublished

This text of 180 F. Supp. 946 (Rogers v. Chemical Corn Exchange Bank) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, S.D. New York primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Rogers v. Chemical Corn Exchange Bank, 180 F. Supp. 946, 1960 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 5346 (S.D.N.Y. 1960).

Opinion

DAWSON, District Judge.

This is a motion by plaintiff and a cross-motion by defendant seeking an order under Rule 56 of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, 28 U.S.C.A., granting summary judgment on the ground that there is no genuine issue as to any material fact and that each party is entitled to judgment as a matter of law.

The action is one brought by the Attorney General, as successor to the Alien Property Custodian, pursuant to the provisions of § 17 of the Trading With the Enemy Act, as amended (50 U.S.C.A. Appendix, § 17), in which the plaintiff seeks an accounting from each of the-defendants of amounts which may be due under the terms of a certain Vesting-Order No. 126, in which the Alien Property Custodian vested in himself for the-benefit of the United States, pursuant to the provisions of the Trading With the-Enemy Act, all property of whatsoever nature of North German Lloyd which was subject to the jurisdiction of the-United States; and in which the plaintiff seeks judgment against each of the-defendants for the amount shown to be-due by said defendants, with interest, and costs.

The Court finds the following facts, to exist without substantial controversy:

Pursuant to a plan of readjustment,. North German Lloyd, on June 21, 1934,. entered into a written agreement dated' as of May 1, 1933 with defendant Chemical Corn Exchange Bank (hereinafter referred to as Chemical), whereby the latter became American Paying Agent for the servicing of payments of principal and interest on certain Sinking Fund Bonds of 1933 issued by North German. Lloyd to resident bondholders. Chemical, continued to serve as Paying Agent until 1956 when defendant Guaranty Trust. Company of New York (hereinafter referred to as Guaranty) was appointed successor Paying Agent to Chemical, in< accordance with specific authority set. forth in the agreement.

In April 1940, by Executive Order-8389, transactions between United. States nationals and persons or corporations resident in countries occupied by Nazi Germany were thenceforth prohibited under the Trading With the-Enemy Act, absent Treasury license. The Alien Property Custodian, of whom the Attorney General is now the legal successor, was authorized to issue vesting orders to make effective the Executive Order, and on September 5, 1942, Vesting Order No. 1261 was issued vest[948]*948ing all property whatsoever of North German Lloyd subject to the jurisdiction of the United States.

On December 12, 1944 the Custodian caused to be issued to Chemical a Treasury license authorizing certain disbursements from funds then on hand, totaling over $53,000, permitting Chemical to pay past due and then due installments of interest to bondholders situated in the United States. This license remained in full force and effect until July 1953, when the authorization was suspended.

On October 18, 1955 the Attorney General made formal demand for the turnover of the balance of the funds upon Chemical. Chemical thereupon advised him that Guaranty had been appointed successor Paying Agent and that all funds had been paid over to it. On November 27, 1956 an identical turnover demand was served on Guaranty. Guaranty denied that it held any property of North German Lloyd as described in the 1942 Vesting Order, or otherwise, and refused to turn over the funds in suit to the Attorney General.

The papers indicate that Chemical, as of October 1955, was holding something in excess of $37,000 as funds received for the payment of interest relating to the North German Lloyd 20-year Sinking Fund Gold Bonds due November 1, 1947.

Thereafter, on October 1, 1957, the Attorney General commenced this action, basing his complaint on § 17 of the Trading With the Enemy Act, as amended. 50 U.S.C.A.Appendix, § 17.

The issue presented by each party’s motion for summary judgment is whether or not a summary possessory proceeding instituted by plaintiff under § 17 of the Trading With the Enemy Act, based upon a prior ex parte finding that the funds held by defendants were enemy owned pursuant to a valid vesting order, precludes defendants from raising the issue of enemy ownership.

Initially, there is no longer any doubt that pursuant to § 5(b) 2 and § 7 (c) 3 of the Trading With the Enemy [949]*949Act, as amended, the power of the Alien Property Custodian to vest enemy property in this country and summarily reduce to possession is beyond question. Silesian American Corp. v. Clark, 1947, 332 U.S. 469, 68 S.Ct. 179, 92 L.Ed. 81.

Moreover, it is equally well settled that the Custodian may resort to summary proceedings in the courts to reduce to possession property which he has determined to be enemy owned and that such proceedings do not leave open for adjudication the correctness of the Custodian’s determination of enemy ownership and the validity of claims of any non-enemy against the vested property.

“ * * * the determination of the Custodian is conclusive whether right or wrong. And it may be exercised by forcible seizure of the property or by suit and, if by suit, the suit is merely possessory and must be yielded to; the rig'ht of any claimant being postponed to subsequent assertion * * Commercial Trust Co. of New Jersey v. Miller, 1923, 262 U.S. 51, 53, 43 S.Ct. 486, 487, 67 L.Ed. 858:

In re Miller, 2 Cir., 1922, 281 F. 764. As Judge Learned Hand remarked in Kahn v. Garvan, D.C.S.D.N.Y.1920, 263 F. 909, 916:

“ * * * The act intends the immediate reduction to possession of all property which the Custodian shall decide to be enemy property, all questions arising from his mistakes, or even from his oppressive or arbitrary action, are relegated to suits under section 9. By the capture, nothing is condemned, nothing confiscated, nothing concluded.”

The defendants raise no issue of fact. Their argument is purely one of the application of law. Defendants urge that the monies held by Guaranty are held as trust funds, that title is in the trustee, which is an American bank, and that the vesting order and subsequent turnover demands could not legally apply to such trust funds. They urge that the vesting order vests in the United States “all property” of North German Lloyd and that an issue is presented as to whether or not funds now in the bank’s custody are such “property.”

There is considerable doubt as to whether the funds paid over to Chemical and subsequently to Guaranty, as Paying Agents, constitute trust funds. See, Distinction Between the Rights of Stockholders and Bondholders to Special Bank Deposits by Corporations for Payments of Dividends or Interest on Bonds. 28 Colum.L.Rev. 477. It is to be noted, for example, that the indenture under which the funds were paid over, a copy of which is annexed to the complaint, does not state that the funds are paid to the Paying Agent as trustee. It provides in part (Article VII, Section 1):

“ * * * The Company appoints Chemical Bank & Trust Company as Paying Agent for the service of the Bonds.”

And again, at Article VII, Section 3:

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Related

Commercial Trust Co. of NJ v. Miller
262 U.S. 51 (Supreme Court, 1923)
Silesian-American Corp. v. Clark
332 U.S. 469 (Supreme Court, 1947)
Clarke v. New York Trust Co.
137 F.2d 607 (Second Circuit, 1943)
National Savings & Trust Co. v. Brownell
222 F.2d 395 (D.C. Circuit, 1955)
Brownele v. Kermath Mfg. Co.
120 F. Supp. 331 (E.D. Michigan, 1954)
Kahn v. Garvan
263 F. 909 (S.D. New York, 1920)
In re Miller
281 F. 764 (Second Circuit, 1922)
Guidise v. Island Refining Corp.
291 F. 922 (S.D. New York, 1923)

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Bluebook (online)
180 F. Supp. 946, 1960 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 5346, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/rogers-v-chemical-corn-exchange-bank-nysd-1960.