Sherman v. American Stove Co.

48 N.W. 537, 85 Mich. 169, 1891 Mich. LEXIS 684
CourtMichigan Supreme Court
DecidedApril 17, 1891
StatusPublished
Cited by8 cases

This text of 48 N.W. 537 (Sherman v. American Stove Co.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Michigan Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Sherman v. American Stove Co., 48 N.W. 537, 85 Mich. 169, 1891 Mich. LEXIS 684 (Mich. 1891).

Opinion

Morse, J.

The complainants filed their bill of complaint in this cause, alleging that they were induced to take 120 shares in the American Stove Company, and pay $3,000 therefor, by the misrepresentations of the defend-' ants.

The American Stove Company was a corporation organized July 22, 1887, and its articles of association, on file in the county clerk’s office of Wayne county, showed that the defendants John Hurley, John Conway, Thomas Conway, and Joseph McWilliams each held 120 shares of the stock of said company, and Jacob Buehrle 10 shares; that the authorized capital stock was 810 shares, at $25 per share, of which $12,250 — the amount held by the defendants above named — was paid in. The officers were John Hurley, president; Thomas Conway, vice-president; Joseph McWilliams, secretary and treasurer; and John Conway, manager. The said defendant stockholders were all directors. The complainants, prior to purchasing the stock, were copartners, carrying on a retail hardware business on Woodward avenue, Detroit, under the name of Sherman, Harms & Co.

[171]*171The false representations alleged in the bill are substantially that, in the first place, defendant'McWilliams came to them, and represented the company to be organized, as shown by its articles of association, with a paid-up capital of $12,250, and an authorized capital of $20-,-250; that said corporation was making 10 stoves a ’day, at from $3 to $4 each profit; that the job-work more than paid the whole expenses of the company; and that' the corporation owned the land where its shop or factory was located, and had no rent to pay.

That they were afterwards introduced to John and Thomas Conway by McWilliams at the shop, and that McWilliams and John Conway showed them the works, and represented that the company was making 10 stoves per day, which number was not enough to fill the orders on hand; that complainant Sherman afterwards saw John Conway at the factory, and said to him, ,in his own behalf and that of Harms, that, if they purchased any stock in the corporation, they would want work in the shop or business; that Harms could keep the books, and Sherman sell the goods; that they would each require at least $2.50 per day as compensation for such labor; that Conway said the company wanted two men like the complainants, and that a meeting of the directors would be called, and would consider the matter, and notify complainants. Sherman also saw the defendant Hurley, who said that he knew the Conways and McWilliams to be hard-working, practical men; that he (Hurley) caused the organization of the company, and paid in $3,000 with the other members, and made up, in all, $12,250 paid-in stock. Sherman said Harms could keep the books, and Sherman sell the goods, and that they would not sell out their business unless they could each get $2.50 per day for their work. Hurley replied: “That is just what we want; we need two practical men;" and that the pay [172]*172asked for the work was cheap enough; and that the business of the company was a first-class paying business, and he would be pleased to have complainants go into it. Afterwards the Conways and McWilliams came to complainants' store, and notified them that the corporation would sell them 120 shares of stock, to be fully paid up, for the sum of §3,000; that they had taken an inventory of the corporate property, and the business showed an increase of 18 per cent, since the incorporation of the company, in July, 1887; that the company had a good credit, and could at any time get five or six thousand dollars at the bank, but the corporation was out of debt, and need not borrow any money. This was on or about the 19th day of December, 1887.

Relying upon these representations, the complainants made no further investigation, and agreed to take the stock, and pay for it on or before the 1st day of May, 1888, i'When, as it was mutually agreed, complainants would enter the employment of said corporation at the aforesaid compensation of §2.50 per day.'' They paid the §3,000, and were given receipts for the payment of the same as they paid it in; the last payment being made on March 3, 1888. Sherman was given employment, but not in the selling of goods, March 7, 1888; but Harms was repeatedly refused work, and was not allowed to take charge of the books, and was not permitted to see or examine them except in the presence of McWilliams. March 26, 1888, he was finally put at work making castings. The complainants first examined the books of the corporation about April 3, 1888, and then for the first time discovered the fraud relative to the representations made by'said defendants.

Complainants allege that the said representations were untrue; that there was not a capital stock of $12,250 paid in; that the said defendants have never paid up the [173]*173amount of stock held by them, respectively, further than to call certain inventoried property and effects as jraid up stock, which is not warranted as against the complainants in the }3remises; that the defendants now claim that the real estate upon which the shop is situated is not the property of the corporation, but the property of Conway, McWilliams & Co., a pre-existing copartnership or co-tenancy, composed of the defendants Conways, McWilliams, and Hurley. Complainants further allege that all the property of the corporation is not worth in the aggregate to exceed the sum of 83,500.

They further allege that the defendants also represented to them, before they purchased said stock, that said corporation, from July up to December, 1887, had made about 18 per cent., which was shown by the inventories exhibited to them. They charge that the inventory which showed this increase was a fraudulent one, and that the property in fact had depreciated, instead of increasing, in value, from July to December. Complainants further allege that the paid-up stock held by said defendants; and purporting to be of the amount of 812,250, was furnished by taking the property of the firm of Conway, McWilliams & Co., placing an erroneous valuation upon it, and turning it in as so much capital stock. On March 30, 1888, the complainants called upon Hurley, the president of the corporation, for a meeting of the board of directors; and such a meeting was held at the office of said Hurley on April 7, 1888. The complainants attended said meeting, and tendered to said corporation their corporate stock so purchased, and requested that their money paid for said stock be returned to them on account of the fraud and misrepresentation heretofore alleged, and stated to said directors that there was still remaining in the Merchants* & Manufacturers* [174]*174National Bank of Detroit the sum of $400 of the money that complainants had paid into said corporation for their stock, and that there must be more of the $3,000 paid by them within the reach or call of said directors. But the said defendants refused to accept the tender of said stock, or to refund complainants their money, or any part thereof, claiming that the said corporation was heavily in debt; that nearly all of said $3,000 had been paid out; and that the real estate upon which the shop was located was not the property of the corporation, but belonged to Conway, McWilliams & Co. The complainants allege that all of said $3,000 was not paid out for valid corporate purposes, and that said .corporation is insolvent. They never received any certificates of stock until after this meeting, when they received such certificates of 60 shares each by mail, signed by John Hurley as president, and Joseph McWilliams as secretary.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
48 N.W. 537, 85 Mich. 169, 1891 Mich. LEXIS 684, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/sherman-v-american-stove-co-mich-1891.