Speed Oil Co. v. Draper-Owens Co.

190 S.E. 22, 183 Ga. 788, 1937 Ga. LEXIS 427
CourtSupreme Court of Georgia
DecidedFebruary 10, 1937
DocketNo. 11648
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 190 S.E. 22 (Speed Oil Co. v. Draper-Owens Co.) 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
Speed Oil Co. v. Draper-Owens Co., 190 S.E. 22, 183 Ga. 788, 1937 Ga. LEXIS 427 (Ga. 1937).

Opinion

Russell, Chief Justice.

On September 8, 1936, Speed Oil Company filed its petition for injunction against Draper-Owens Company, a corporation, James I. Lowry, sheriff of Eulton County, and J. M. George, marshal of the municipal court of Atlanta, and alleged as follows: Draper-Owens Company represented certain individuals termed the Brotherton Estate, and others termed the Hill Estate, the names, identity, and residences of the individuals composing both estates being unknown to the plaintiff. In August, 1934, Draper-Owens Company, as agents, were in charge of realty in the city of Atlanta, at 363 Whitehall Street, said to be owned by Brotherton Estate, and at 798 Ponce de Leon Avenue, said to be owned by the Hill Estate, both of which properties were being operated by J. W. Gillespie as gasoline-filling stations. Draper-Owens Company and Gillespie interviewed H. H. Hardin of Monroe County, a wholesale dealer in petroleum products, now president of the plaintiff, in an effort to obtain a new tenant for these and other properties. Said company and Gillespie sought to lease said properties to Hardin as an individual, but Hardin refused to enter into any agreement relative thereto, stating that he would form a corporation with $1000 capital stock, and have the corporation take over these properties and operate filling-stations thereon, and would buy certain assets of Gillespie located thereon, if an agreement as to the value of such assets of Gillespie could be effected, the corporation to be tenants at will and to pay $150 a month rent for the Whitehall Street property and $175 a month rent fox the Ponce de Leon Avenue property. The foregoing “discussion” was had with B. F. White and F. C. Owens representing the Draper-Owens Company. White told Hardin that this proposition was not acceptable to him, but he would take it up with his principals; and thereafter Hardin [790]*790was advised that the proposition made by him was agreeable. Based on this agreement, the plaintiff corporation was organized and duly chartered by order of the superior court of Monroe County, and immediately began business as such! In furtherance of this agreement Gillespie was paid, and the plaintiff went into possession of the above properties and ever since has continued to operate them as filling-stations, complying with all agreements made relative thereto. After it took possession the plaintiff was directed to pay the rent for the Ponce de Leon Avenue property to Sharp & Boylston, real-estate agents in Atlanta. Plaintiff has “paid or tendered” to Draper-Owens Company and to Sharp & Boylston monthly rent of $150 and $175 on each property respectively. As to the Whitehall Street property, Draper-Owens Company accepted the $150 monthly rent up to and including April, 1936, but thereafter refused to accept payments in that amount tendered, stating that their principals claimed an additional amount monthly, which should have been paid beginning in January, 1936. As to the Ponce de Leon Avenue property the monthly rent was paid to Sharp & Boylston up to and including July, 1936; and after August IS, 1936, they declined to accept further payments, because the principals demanded a higher rent. The tenders so offered “have been and are continuing.”

On July 8, 1936, sheriff Lowry levied on the plaintiff’s property located at 798 Ponce de Leon Avenue, 363 Whitehall Street, and 906 Peachtree Street, under a distress warrant issued from the municipal court of Atlanta on July 2, 1936, and returnable to the September term of Fulton superior court. The plaintiff says that this levy was and is illegal and void, because it was authorized by J. F. Westbrook, deputy clerk of said municipal court, based on an affidavit purporting to have been made by Walter E. Daley, when in fact no such affidavit was made by him, because in such proceeding it is alleged that one W. E. Daley represented, among numerous others, William M. Brotherton, and on information and belief the plaintiff says that William M. Brotherton is not now; and was not on July 2, 1936, in life; and because, in addition to the foregoing, said proceedings were and are without warrant or authority, the plaintiff having made no contract with either of the individuals named in the affidavit, in reference to any lease, all contracts having been made, as stated above, with Draper-Owens [791]*791Company. Plaintiff filed, in the clerk’s office of this court, defenses to said illegal levies. On August 17, 1936, another distress warrant was sworn out in the municipal court by Noah J. Stone, representing himself to be attorney for the so-called Hill Estate, and levy was made on the plaintiff’s property at 798 Ponce de Leon Avenue; and plaintiff offered a forthcoming bond, which George, as marshal of the municipal court, while not objecting to the solvency of the surety, refused to accept, on the ground that an eventual condemnation-money bond also was required. “The plaintiff refused to give such an eventual condemnation-money bond.” On August 21, 1936, the plaintiff filed in the superior court its petition for mandamus and injunction, which was sanctioned, and a temporary restraining order was granted, enjoining said marshal from making a levy under the distress proceedings. However, he levied the warrant on said date. The title to the properties of which the plaintiff is in possession, on Whitehall and Peachtree Streets and on Ponce de Leon Avenue, is not in plaintiff, but they are being operated by it “in the hope that it may recover its equity therein.” In addition to the above legal proceedings, none of which have been adjudicated, counsel for the Brotherton Estate and the Hill Estate have threatened to file additional distress proceedings and a petition asking for a receiver, and other proceedings which would destroy the plaintiff and “wipe out its equity in all its holdings, and result in irreparable damages.” It has no adequate remedy at law. In order to prevent multiplicity of suits, a court of equity should intervene and require all the proceedings referred to above to be “consolidated and tried together; and all persons interested should be required to intervene in this case and set up and assert whatever rights, if any, they have- against the plaintiff or in and to the subject-matter of this suit.” The plaintiff prays that the sheriff and his agents and deputies be restrained, temporarily and permanently, from advertising and selling or offering for sale the properties referred to herein; that the marshal of the municipal court be likewise restrained; that all the proceedings referred to above be consolidated herewith and tried together; that the court grant an order requiring all persons having any claims against the plaintiff, concerning the subject-matter of this suit, to intervene and set up herein whatever rights and claims they may have in the premises; that the attorneys for the [792]*792so-called estates be served with a copy of this petition and of the order of this court, that they be enjoined, temporarily and permanently, from further proceeding with the litigation referred to, that the suits already instituted by them be consolidated herewith, that these attorneys be likewise enjoined from instituting any further legal proceedings with reference to the subject-matter hereof or against the plaintiff; and that the plaintiff have such other and further relief as to the court may seem meet and proper under the facts.

On September 8, 1936, a temporary order as prayed for was entered by the court. On September 32, 1936, when the case came on for hearing, on motion made by Walter E.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
190 S.E. 22, 183 Ga. 788, 1937 Ga. LEXIS 427, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/speed-oil-co-v-draper-owens-co-ga-1937.