Seligman v. Saussy

60 Ga. 20
CourtSupreme Court of Georgia
DecidedJanuary 15, 1878
StatusPublished
Cited by2 cases

This text of 60 Ga. 20 (Seligman v. Saussy) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of Georgia primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Seligman v. Saussy, 60 Ga. 20 (Ga. 1878).

Opinions

Warner, Chief Justice.

A bill was filed in the superior court of Chatham county by Moses Ecrst and others, as creditors of Samuel Kaufman, Henry Mayer and Chai les H. Kaufman, against George You Seybold and others. The bill was what is generally known as a creditors’ bill, and was filed on the 12th day of October, 1874. No subpoena and no relief were prayed [22]*22against the said Kaufmans and Mayer, whose property was sought to be distributed under the bill, and which property came into the custody of said court. On the 21st day of October, 1874, a petition in bankruptcy was filed in the district court of the United States for the southern district of New York, by creditors, against the said Kaufmans and Mayer, and on the 31st day of October, 1874, the said Kaufmans and Mayer were, in the said last mentioned court, duly adjudged bankrupts. On the 25th day of March, 1875, the said complainants amended their said bill so as to make the said Kaufmans and Mayer parties defendant thereto.

On the 5th day of April, 1875, Joseph Seligman, Lawrence Wells, and Edward Morgan, trustees in bankruptcy of the said bankrupts, having, on the 15th day of February, 1875, obtained an injunction from the district court of the United States for the southern district of Georgia, restraining the complainants in said bill from proceeding therein, filed a petition to obtain possession of the assets of said bankrupts, which petition was finally granted by the said superior court at the November term, 1876, the order therefor having been dictated by this court, which provided that the necessary costs and expenses for securing and collecting said fund, should be first paid before the said fund should be turned over. Before the said fund was finally ordered to be paid to said trustees, petitions were filed by various parties to have paid to them sundry sums of money, for various services alleged to have been rendered by them in said cause ; and the nature of said services were alleged to be as follows:

J. R. Saussy claimed compensation for his services as solicitor for the complainants in the bill.

ITowell & Denmark claimed as assistant counsel for the complainants ; and also by virtue of an alleged lien as counsel for attaching creditors, upon a part of the fund in the custody of said court.

George Von Seybold claimed as receiver in said cause, [23]*23and Iiartridge & Cliisliolm and William H. Garrard as his counsel.

O. I). O. Rliind, as master in said cause.

Charles S. Hardee claimed a sum for costs due him, and due the late clerk, George P. Harrison, and the sheriff, John T. Ronan.

Philip M. Russell claimed for costs due upon attachment cases against said bankrupts in the city court of Savannah.

Sigmund Elsinger and Julius Kaufman jointly claimed for magistrate court costs against said bankrupts.

Rufus E. Lester and George A. Mercer separately claimed for counsel fees on sums, a part of said fund, alleged to have been attached by their clients.

No attachment upon which costs or fees were claimed, originated over one month before said bankruptey, and none were due upon, any attachment carried to judgment.

To these claims the said trustees in bankruptcy, and the said bankrupts, and Easterling & Hubbell, creditors defendant to said bill, filed various objections, which were in substance as follows — •

To all of the claims they objected :

1. That by the bankrupt laws of the United States the trustees were entitled to have the fund in its integrity, and without any diminution by payment to the claimants.

2. That the state court had no such jurisdiction of the said fund as would authorize it to grant ¡Daymen t to the claimants.

3. That the claimants severally had performed no services for which they were entitled to the amounts they claimed, or any part of them.

4. That the claimants were not entitled to be paid anything in a court of equity, until a final decree should be had in that court in favor of the complainants against the defendants.

In addition to these general objections, they specially objected as to the claims of all parties except the receiver, master, sheriff and clerk, that their services were not such as entitled them in equity to receive payment out of said fund; [24]*24and as to counsel for attaching creditors, and the said J. R. Saussy and Howell & Denmark, that they -were entitled to be paid by their clients out of their dividend in the final distribution, and not out of said fund.

The court overruled these objections of the said objectors, and ordered that the receiver should pay to

J. R. Saussy............................................$ 2,000.00
Howell &Denmark.................................... j 1,000.00 ( S60.00
Rufus E. Lester......................................'... 256.55
Hartridge & Chisholm, and William U. Garrard............ 2,500.00
C. D. O. Rbind.......................................... 200.00
Charles S. Hardee, 1 GeorgeP. Harrison, f-............................'........ 677.35 John T. Ronan )
Phillip M. Russell..................................... 127.50
George Von Seybold, 5 per cent, uponfund, say..........( 2,500.00 ¡ 1,146.63
Elsinger & Kaufman...................................... 64.15
George A. Mercer....................................... 151.99
$11,184.17

The assets reported to the court by the receiver were some fifty thousand dollars.

To this decree in favor of said complainants the said trustees filed a bill of exceptions, alleging that the court erred upon the grounds named in their objections; the said Easterling & Hubbell, and the said Kaufmans and Mayer filed a bill of exceptions, similar in all respects, and the cause was sent to this court upon one record for both bills, under an agreement to that effect between plaintiffs and defendants in error.

1. When this case was called for a hearing in this court, the defendants in error made a motion to dismiss it, on the ground that the evidence in the case had not been approved by the court. The case was submitted to the court for trial without the intervéntion of a jury, and the evidence had before the court is set out in the bill of exceptions, which the presiding judge certified, when taken in connection with the record, was true. The evidence, there[25]*25fore, as set out in the bill of exceptions, was approved by the judge.

2. 3. When the case was before this court on a former occasion, the fund in the hands of the receiver was directed to be surrendered to the trustees in bankruptcy, except so much thereof as is legally necessary to defray the costs and expenses of collecting the fund, and of securing it until the order of surrender shall be granted. See Seligman et al. vs. Ferst & Co. et al., 57 Ga. Rep. 561. "We adhere to and reaffirm the judgment rendered in that case.

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Bluebook (online)
60 Ga. 20, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/seligman-v-saussy-ga-1878.