Sergo v. Bloch

263 Ill. App. 198, 1931 Ill. App. LEXIS 882
CourtAppellate Court of Illinois
DecidedOctober 21, 1931
DocketGen. No. 34,870
StatusPublished
Cited by2 cases

This text of 263 Ill. App. 198 (Sergo v. Bloch) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Appellate Court of Illinois primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Sergo v. Bloch, 263 Ill. App. 198, 1931 Ill. App. LEXIS 882 (Ill. Ct. App. 1931).

Opinion

Mr. Justice Wilson

delivered the opinion of the court.

Matt Sergo, plaintiff, brought his action against Arthur H. Hein, Phillip Gartner, Charles J. Wolf, Wayland W. Dayton, Sol N. Bloch and John Killips, defendants, and recovered a judgment in the sum of $2,100 against John Killips and S. N. Bloch, two of the aforementioned defendants. The cause was tried by the court without a jury. The declaration consisted of five counts.

The first count charged that on and prior to June 5, 1927, the State Discount Company, a corporation, was organized under the laws of the State of Illinois, for the purpose of buying and selling real estate and to engage in building operations in connection therewith; charges that the defendants were officers and salesmen of said corporation and that, by reason of the speculative nature of the business, the certificates of stock issued by the corporation came under Class D securities as set forth in chapter 32 of Cahill’s Revised Statutes of the State of Illinois, j| 261; charges that it became the duty of the defendants to file in the office of the secretary of state a true statement and inventory of the assets of said company, and that the defendants wilfully and maliciously failed and neglected so to do; charges that they sold the plaintiff 15 shares of stock at the par value of $100 each, for which the defendant paid the snm of $1,800; charges that the plaintiff is entitled to recover attorney’s fees.

The second count contains similar statements, but charges that the defendants wilfully, knowingly and maliciously failed to file any statement with the secretary of state at Springfield, stating that they, the defendants, were agents and salesmen of the stock of the said corporation.

The third count contains the allegations as set out in the first count, but appears to be based upon the ground that the defendants falsely pretended that the stock of the State Discount Company was Class A stock under the Securities Act of the State, Cahill’s St. ch. 32, if 257, and that the plaintiff, believing such statements, relied upon them and purchased said stock of the defendants; charges that he tendered back the certificate of stock to the defendants and demanded the return of his money.

The fourth count charges, in words practically the same as those contained in the first count, the fact that the State Discount Company was engaged in the sale of stock and further that the defendants, being officers, agents and salesmen of the corporation, wickedly, feloniously and corruptly conspired together to cheat and defraud the plaintiff; that said defendants pursuant to said conspiracy, represented that the stock was Class A stock under the Securities Act of the State, when they well knew that it was Class D stock under said act; charges further that the defendants did not file in the office of the secretary of state a true statement and inventory of the assets of the said corporation and that they did not file with the secretary of state a statement that they were salesmen of the stock of said corporation.

The fifth count consisted of the common counts. General and special demurrers of the defendants were overruled to the various counts of the declaration. Pleas of nonassumpsit were thereafter filed by the defendants to the fifth count of plaintiff’s declaration and pleas of the general issue to the remaining counts of the declaration.

A stipulation was entered into between the parties by which it appears that the State Discount'Company was incorporated under the laws of the State of Illinois prior to June 25, 1927, and that it qualified as such to sell Class D securities and that the defendants, Hein, Gartner, Wolf, Dayton and Bloch were officers and directors of said corporation.

At the end of the plaintiff’s case a motion to dismiss as to the first count of the amended declaration was sustained. Motions to dismiss as to the second, third, fourth and fifth counts were sustained as to the defendants, excepting John Killips and Sol N. Bloch, and as to them, it was denied.

The cause is before this court on a writ of error from said judgment sued out by Killips and Bloch. In our opinion the motions, by the two remaining defendants, to dismiss the second, third and fourth counts should have been sustained.

Under the stipulation of facts entered into by and between the parties, it is apparent that the State Discount Company had complied with the statute of the State of Illinois with regard to qualifying with the secretary of state in the sale of its stock. There is no evidence in the record showing that it was represented to the plaintiff that the stock was Class A stock and, consequently, there was nothing to support the third count of the declaration.

It appears from the evidence that at the time the stock in a certificate of 15 shares was sold to the plaintiff, there was present one B. H. Bloch and the defendant, John Killips. An order to purchase 15 shares of the capital stock of the State Discount Company for $1,800, directed to S. N. Bloch, dated June 24, 1927, and signed by the plaintiff, contained a notation on the back, as follows:

“June 24, ’27.
“We hereby agree to repurchase 15 shares of stock on 30 days’ notice at price paid.
(Signature) S. N. Bloch
B. H. B.
John Killips.”

The initials, “B. H. B.” were those of Bernard H. Bloch, a brother of the defendant, Sol N. Bloch. The stock certificate issued June 25, 1927, appears to have been signed by Sol N. Bloch, as president of the company.

The plaintiff at no time came in contact with Sol N. Bloch, nor had he ever had any conversation with him, and there is nothing in the record connecting in any way Sol N. Bloch with the transaction excepting the fact that the order was evidently turned over to bim and upon this order the stock certificate issued. There is nothing in the record showing that Sol N. Bloch did not comply with the statutory requirements with reference to filing with the secretary of state an application to act as dealer with regard to said stock. On the other hand, there is in the record defendants’ exhibit 2, which is a certification from the office of the secretary of state to the effect that Sol N. Bloch was registered with the secretary of state at the time of the transaction in question as á dealer or broker in accordance with the requirements set out in the Illinois Securities Law, Cahill’s St. ch. 32, lj 254 et seq.

There being no evidence against the defendant, Sol N. Bloch, under the counts of the declaration based on a violation of the Securities Act, it necessarily follows that there cannot be a joint judgment under these counts against the defendant Bloch and the defendant Killips. There being no joint liability under these counts it follows that a judgment based upon them could not stand. A joint judgment is an entirety and must stand or fall as to both defendants. Seymour v. Richardson Fueling Co., 205 Ill. 77; Woods v. Bowman, 200 Ill. App. 612. There is no evidence in the record of any conspiracy on the part of the defendants, nor is there any evidence to the effect that the plaintiff was induced by fraud to enter into the purchase of the stock in question.

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Bluebook (online)
263 Ill. App. 198, 1931 Ill. App. LEXIS 882, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/sergo-v-bloch-illappct-1931.