Seeburg v. Scottish American Co.

102 F.2d 959, 1939 U.S. App. LEXIS 3961
CourtCourt of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit
DecidedApril 1, 1939
DocketNos. 6673, 6719
StatusPublished
Cited by18 cases

This text of 102 F.2d 959 (Seeburg v. Scottish American Co.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Seeburg v. Scottish American Co., 102 F.2d 959, 1939 U.S. App. LEXIS 3961 (7th Cir. 1939).

Opinion

MAJOR, Circuit Judge.

These are appeals (consolidated) from an order of the District Court, entered May 10, 1938, allowing a claim in favor of Scottish American Company, a Corporation, and James Talcott, Incorporated, in the amount of $9173.99, and directing its -payment by the debtor corporation. The matter was heard upon the petition of said corporations filed April 5, 1938, and the answers of the creditors’ advisory committee and N. Marshall Seeburg, J. P. Seeburg and the debtor.

April 20, 1937, the debtor filed a voluntary petition for reorganization under Section 77B of the Bankruptcy Act, § 207, Title 11 U.S.C., 11 U.S.C.A. § 207. April 21, 1937, an order was entered approving said petition-as being properly filed and in good faith, continuing the debtor temporarily in possession, and on May 18, 1937, an order was entered continuing the debtor permanently in possession.

April 28, 1937, an order was entered authorizing the debtor, among other things, to sell its accounts and bills receivable without recourse, to discount the same and to pledge the same as collateral in order to borrow money for the purpose of facilitating the manufacture of its products.

May 12, 1937, an order was entered classifying the claims, ordering all claims to be filed on or before July 1, 1937, and requiring the debtor to give notice of the foregoing to the creditors and stockholders by publication and mailing a copy of said order to each known creditor, stockholder and creditor, which notice was given as directed.

June 10, 1937, a written contract was entered into by and between Frank P. O’Hara and Vernon Á. Kamin, first parties, who were the owners of all the outstanding shares of the capital stock of the debtor corporation, and N. Marshall See-burg and J. P. Seeburg, second parties, in which contract the second parties agreed to purchase all of the shares of the capital stock of the debtor corporation for the sum of $10,000 cash and, in addition thereto, agreed, as a part of such purchase price, to guarantee the payment of all of the outstanding debts and liabilities of said debtor, not to exceed $96,500, in conformity with the terms, conditions and provisions of a certain plan of reorganization which was made a part of said agreement, and the second parties also agreed to as[961]*961sume the payment of the rent upon the premises then occupied by the debtor and also agreed to pay the cost and expenses of the administration in the reorganization proceedings to the extent of counsel fees not to exceed $5250, and other expenses of administration not to exceed $400. The said agreement further provided that it should become effective five days after the approval of the plan of reorganization by the court, when it was to be consummated, at which time the old directors and officers of the corporation should resign and their successors elected. It was also provided that the contract should be presented to the court for its approval in connection with the plan of reorganization, and, in the event that it was not approved, said agreement, at the option of the second parties, should become null and void.

July 13, 1937, a plan of reorganization was filed which, among other things, included within its provisions, the contract aforesaid. The plan provided that unsecured creditors should be paid in twelve monthly installments, commencing sixty days after the approval of said plan, said installments to be evidenced by the negotiable notes of the debtor guaranteed by N. Marshall Seeburg and> J. P. Seeburg, and that if the total of unsecured claims, as allowed, should exceed a certain sum, then the claim of each creditor was to be reduced pro rata so that the sum total would not exceed said sum. It was also provided that certain claims in favor of the United States were to be paid in full in the same number of installments and secured in the same manner. Provision was made for the execution of other provisions of the contract in accordance with its terms.

July 26, 1937, an order was entered reciting, among other things, that the debtor had proceeded in all respects as required by Section 77B, and that all notices required had been given, approving the aforesaid contract as a part of the plan, and providing “that said plan shall be binding upon the debtor, all shareholders and all creditors thereof, secured or unsecured, whether or not affected by the plan or whether or not their claims had been filed.” This order also required all persons having claims for fees or expenses in connection with the reorganization proceeding to file their petitions for such allowances on or before July 28, 1937, and set the matter for July 30, 1937, for the entry of a final decree and for the disposition of such claims.

On July 30, 1937, the debtor filed its report of compliance with the decree of July 26, 1937, and on the same date a final decree was entered finding “that due notice of the entry of said final decree had been given to all parties entitled to such notice, that due notice of application for the allowance of fees or expenses to parties entitled thereto had been given to all parties entitled to such notice”, and finding and decreeing that “said plan of reorganization and all orders of said court had been fully executed, accomplished and carried out.” Attorney fees were allowed in the amount of $5250, which were directed to be paid by the debtor, N. Marshall Seeburg and J. P. Seeburg; the debtor was discharged from all of its debts, claims and liabilities; all creditors, claimants and stockholders of the debtor restrained from commencing any suit at law or in equity against it or any of its assets, and “ordering and decreeing that the said proceedings be and they are thereby terminated and finally closed,” with the exception that the court thereby reserved jurisdiction to hear and determine the objections of the debtor to certain sales and excise tax due the United States Government.

April 5, 1938, Scottish American Company and James Talcott, Inc., filed in the reorganization proceedings, a petition alleging, among other things, that on April 29, 1937, a written contract was entered into by and between the debtor corporation and the Scottish American Company, which contract was duly approved by the attorney for the creditors’ advisory committee. In and by said contract, the Scottish American Company agreed to purchase certain accounts receivable of the said debtor corporation under the circumstances and conditions set forth in said contract. By the terms of the contract, Scottish American Company was authorized to assign for collection, said accounts receivable to James Talcott, Inc. The petition also alleged that the debtor, from time to time, subsequent to April 28, 1937, and pursuant to the order of the court entered as of that date, sold certain of its accounts receivable to Scottish American Company, upon which there remained unpaid as of the date of said petition, accounts totaling $9,173.99. The petition charged that the final decree of July 30, 1937, was entered without notice to the [962]*962petitioners and charged fraud on the part of the debtor in permitting the entry of the decree without notice. This charge of fraud was stricken by order of court. The petition contains other allegations which are the subject of controversy, but which have no bearing upon the jurisdictional question. Answers were filed to the petition denying the material allegations thereof, including the allegation that the final decree was entered without notice to the petitioners, denying that the court had jurisdiction to entertain such a petition and that the petitioners were entitled to the relief sought.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
102 F.2d 959, 1939 U.S. App. LEXIS 3961, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/seeburg-v-scottish-american-co-ca7-1939.