Speakman v. Bryan

61 F.2d 430, 1932 U.S. App. LEXIS 4290
CourtCourt of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit
DecidedNovember 3, 1932
DocketNo. 6716
StatusPublished
Cited by6 cases

This text of 61 F.2d 430 (Speakman v. Bryan) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Speakman v. Bryan, 61 F.2d 430, 1932 U.S. App. LEXIS 4290 (5th Cir. 1932).

Opinion

HUTCHESON, Circuit Judge.

On November 2,1931, finding that the jurisdiction of the state court had first attached, and that as long as the cause was being prosecuted in good faith and in a substantial way no other court could interfere with the res, the subject-matter of that suit, that it was for that court and that court alone to determine the validity of the mortgage asserted in it, the disposition of the property to be made pending the suit and upon its termination, and that no other court had the right to reach out for and take hold of the property, or in any manner whatever interfere with its management or control by the Georgia court [(C. C. A.) 53 F(2d) 463], we reversed the order of the District Court denying the petition of Bryan, state receiver, for a turnover order, and remanded the cause with directions to surrender possession of the property to him.

On June 13, Bryan moved the District Court for an order entering of record the mandate of this court, and carrying out its [431]*431provisions. Answering this motion, Speak-man set up that a judgment foreclosing the mortgage had been taken in the state court on November 10, 1931; that the judgment made the amount of it a special lien superior to all other claims; that ever since his appointment on September 10, 1930, as ancillary receiver, he has been in continuous possession of the property of the Lookout Mountain Hotel Company; and that in the discharge of his duties as ancillary receiver and as trustee he has incurred expenses in the care and upkeep of the property necessary for its preservation and inuring to its benefit and the benefit of all persons interested in it. He asserted that, should he now appear in the state court to contest the invalidity of the mortgage, or for any other purpose, his claims would be subordinated to the judgment already entered. He therefore prayed that the eourt restrain the enforcement of the state eourt deereo and withhold the entry of the mandate until the verdict and decree has been set aside or appropriately modified, and that in any event the eourt allow and charge as a first lien against the property all the expenses he has incurred in the care and upkeep of it.

Bryan, answering, asserted that the effort of the trustee was to avoid the force and effect of the mandate of this eourt, that the stato eourt was alone empowered to fix charges against the property in its custody, and prayed, as in his original motion, that the court enter and execute the mandate. The trial court ordered the entry of the mandate and an immediate turnover of the property. It said: “It may well be that certain of the expenditures made by the trustee in bankruptcy for the preservation of the property should be fully recognized and protected; there is no reason to believe that exact justice is not as certainly attainable in the state court as in this court. * * * Possession of the, property will he directed to be given at once, as evidenced by making the mandate of the Circuit Court of Appeals the judgment of this eourt without any conditions attached thereto but with the confident belief that whatever is just in the premises will be done by the state court.”

Speakman appeals from this order, assigning as eixor the failure of the eourt to impose conditions upon it; (a) that a first lien be fixed upon the property for expenses incurred by the petitioner in its care and keep; (b) that the verdict and decree of foreclosure entered November 10,1931, in the state court be set aside or acceptably modified, or its enforcement be restrained until the trustee can have it set aside.

Wé think it cannot be doubted as established that, except where the eourt appointing the receiver is entirely wanting in jurisdiction as a court (Lion Bonding Co. v. Karatz, 262 U. S. 640, 43 S. Ct. 641, 67 L. Ed. 1151) the costs, expenses, and disbursements incurred by a receiver whose appointment was improvidently made, or who has taken wrongful possession of property, will, upon equitable principles,, be charged by the court of jurisdiction against the property to the extent that they have inured to its benefit. State of Missouri v. Angle (C. C. A.) 236 F. 644; Palmer v. State of Texas, 212 U. S. 118, 29 S. Ct. 230, 53 L. Ed. 435; Burnrite Coal Co. v. Riggs, 274 U. S. 208, 47 S. Ct. 578, 71 L. Ed. 1002; In Re Zier & Co. (D. C.) 127 F. 399; Id. (C. C. A.) 142 F. 102; W. F. Potts Son & Co. v. Cochrane (C. C. A.) 59 F.(2d) 375.

If the question here were as to the right and duty of the court having jurisdiction of it to charge against the property or funds accrued from property, in its hands, expenses incurred by a receiver which have inured to the benefit of the property, or have created the funds iff his hands, we should have no hesitation in affirming that the right exists. That is, however, not at all the question hero. That question is, which of two courts, one having exclusive jurisdiction of property, the other having through its receiver taken wrongful possession of it, is tho one to decide the merits of the claims of the receiver, that, though his possession was wrongful, his expenditures have benefited the property, and to provide for their satisfaction out of the property. That question admits of only one answer. .Tt is the court having jurisdiction over the property that can alone decide the extent to which it has been advantaged by the expenditures, and the measures to be taken to provide reimbursement out of the property.

The District Judge fully recognized the nature of the question he had to decide. He held in effect that, while the mandate compelled the delivery of the property to the state eourt, that eourt should, and without doubt would, deal in accordance with equitable principles, with the claims of the receiver, and trustee for reimbursement out of the property, allowing and protecting them as right and justice require, just as, conditions reversed, the bankruptcy court having possession of the property or funds would deal [432]*432with claims-for reimbursement made by the receiver of another court. Hanson v. Stephens, 116 Ga. 722, 42 S. E. 1028; Silberberg v. Ray Chain Stores (D. C.) 54 F.(2d) 650, affirmed (C. C. A.) 58 F.(2d) 766; Moore v. Scott (C. C. A.) 55 F.(2d) 863; Missouri v. Angle (C. C. A.) 236 F. 644.

In this the District Judge was right. No case has been cited to us, we have found none, in whieh, over the protest and against the eon-sent of the receiver of a court having complete jurisdiction of property, a court whieh without jurisdiction has'caused its receiver to make a wrongful seizure of it has been permitted to. make that wrongful seizure effective by taxing against the property in the jurisdiction'of the other court the costs and expanses of its receiver, or any part of them. In every ease dealing with the right of the receiver to apply on equitable principles to the court having jurisdiction over the property for' reimbursement out of the property for his expenditures whieh have actually benefited the estate (Randolph v. Scruggs, 190 U. S. 533, 539, 23 S. Ct. 710, 47 L. Ed. 1165). it has been held without -varying-that the .application must be made, not to the eourt appointing him, but to the court having jurisdiction -of the property.

Noné of the eases relied upon by appellant ate’-'ht'all contrary. All of them except Harkin v.

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Bluebook (online)
61 F.2d 430, 1932 U.S. App. LEXIS 4290, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/speakman-v-bryan-ca5-1932.