Springfield Insurance v. Fry

267 F. Supp. 693, 1967 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 8343
CourtDistrict Court, N.D. Oklahoma
DecidedMay 12, 1967
DocketCiv. No. 6318
StatusPublished
Cited by3 cases

This text of 267 F. Supp. 693 (Springfield Insurance v. Fry) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, N.D. Oklahoma primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Springfield Insurance v. Fry, 267 F. Supp. 693, 1967 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 8343 (N.D. Okla. 1967).

Opinion

MEMORANDUM OPINION

DAUGHERTY, District Judge.

The plaintiff sues to set aside the transfer by the defendant Robert G. Fry of his insurance agency to his wife, Frances D. Fry. On December 16, 1964, the defendant Robert G. Fry executed a written Bill of Sale to his wife, Frances D. Fry, by which he conveyed to his wife his insurance agency which he had owned and operated under his name. The defendant Robert G. Fry was indebted to the plaintiff at this time but the amount was in dispute. The consideration set out to be paid by the defendant, Frances D. Fry, for this insurance agency was an agreement to pay the accounts payable of the insurance agency to the Home Insurance Company, Buffalo Insurance Company, and the Liberty Universal Insurance Company which totaled approximately $29,000.00. The defendants contend that in addition to this consideration the defendant Frances D. Fry orally agreed with her co-defendant to support him and the family of the defendants in the future.

It was the testimony of the defendants that the defendant Frances D. Fry had no knowledge of the obligation of the defendant Robert G. Fry to the plaintiff at the time of the aforementioned sale of the insurance agency on December 16, 1964. On March 3, 1965, the plaintiff brought suit against the defendant Robert G. Fry to recover the sum of $29,-133.32, and on July 16, 1965, a judgment was entered in favor of the plaintiff by stipulation for the sum of $24,000.00, which sum remains unpaid to this date. The defendant Robert G. Fry continued to work in the insurance agency office after the date of sale but without compensation until January, 1966, since which time he has been paid the sum of [695]*695$100.00 per month for his services rendered in working in the office of the agency. The defendant Robert G. Fry applied for Social Security benefits after said sale of his insurance agency but the application is still pending and has not been granted as of the time of trial apparently due to his work and the extent thereof in the insurance agency. Prior to the aforementioned sale from husband to wife the family of the defendants was maintained from the income of the insurance agency. Subsequent to the sale of the insurance agency between the defendant Robert G. Fry and his wife, Frances D. Fry, the family has continued to be supported by income realized from said insurance agency. After the sale of said insurance agency by the defendant Robert G. Fry to his wife he then owned only a half interest in a 1961 Corvair automobile worth less than $1500.00, had a very nominal amount in a bank account and was indebted to the plaintiff, with reference to its account, in an amount which ultimately resulted in the aforementioned $24,000.00 judgment against him. Therefore, the defendant Robert G. Fry was clearly insolvent following the sale of his insurance agency to his wife.

The valuation of said insurance agency at the time of said sale according to the evidence of both parties was in the approximate amount of $56,000.00. Thus, the defendant Robert G. Fry sold an insurance agency worth $56,000.00 to his wife for her agreement to pay approximately $29,000.00 in accounts owed by the agency and her alleged side or oral agreement to support the defendant, her husband, Robert G. Fry and the family in the future.

Title 24, Oklahoma Statutes, Section 5, provides as follows:

“§ 5. Transfers with intent to defraud
Every transfer of property or charge thereon made, every obligation incurred, and every judicial proceeding taken, with intent to delay or defraud any creditor or other person of his demands is void against all creditors of the debtor, and their successors in interest, and against any persons upon whom the estate of the debtor devolves in trust for the benefit of others than the debtor.”

Transfers of property between husband and wife are not in themselves invalid, nor do they of themselves raise an inference of fraud, but such transactions are scrutinized with greater closeness than such transactions between unrelated parties. Jacks v. Dunham (1940), 188 Okl. 353, 108 P.2d 1020; Hildebrand v. Harrison (Okl.1961), 361 P.2d 498.

“Badges of fraud” are suspicious circumstances that overhang a transaction or appear on the face of papers involved and a single badge of fraud may stamp a transaction as fraudulent, and when several badges of fraud are found in combination, strong and clear evidence will be required to repel a conclusion of fraud. Payne v. Gilmore (Okl.-1963), 382 P.2d 140.

The obligations assumed to be paid by the defendant Frances D. Fry consisted as aforesaid of paying the accounts of three insurance companies to which the insurance agency was indebted. The fact that the account of the plaintiff, a fourth insurance company creditor, was not also to be paid by the purchaser and this obligation was not revealed to her by her husband is a badge of fraud herein overhanging the transaction.

A further badge of fraud herein is the fact that the defendant Robert G. Fry was rendered insolvent by the sale of his insurance agency under the agreement made regarding payment to him for the same.

The Court finds and concludes from the evidence herein that the transfer or sale of the said insurance agency from the defendant Robert G. Fry to the defendant Frances D. Fry, his wife, under terms by which she would pay all of the obligations of the agency except that of the plaintiff and said transfer or sale rendered the defendant Robert G. Fry [696]*696insolvent was accomplished by the defendant Robert G. Fry with intent to delay or defraud the plaintiff as his creditor.

The Court finds from the evidence that the defendant Frances D. Fry has been making payments to the three insurance companies which she agreed to pay since she received title to the insurance agency, but that as such payments have been made other obligations have been incurred with these companies and the agency is still indebted to said companies in an amount now which far exceeds that owed at the time of sale. With reference to the defendant Frances D. Fry supporting the defendant Robert G. Fry and family since receiving title to the insurance agency, this is but a mere continuation of the situation existing prior to the sale where the family was supported by income from the agency and this is particularly a matter of continuity inasmuch as the defendant Robert G. Fry has continued to work in the agency after the sale along with his wife who claims title by the sale.

The Court further finds that no oral agreement was entered into between the defendants at the time of the sale of the insurance agency whereby the defendant Frances D. Fry became obligated for the future support of the defendant Robert G. Fry and the family. This conclusion is reached by the Court for the reason that if such an agreement had been reached between the parties at the time of the sale of the insurance agency the same would have been incorporated in the written and executed Bill of Sale transferring the agency. No mention is made of such claimed oral agreement in the executed written Bill of Sale. Therefore, the Court finds and concludes that no such agreement was entered into between the defendants which was or could be considered to be a binding obligation from the defendant Frances D. Fry to the defendant Robert G. Fry. At most there was a mere understanding that the family would continue to be supported by the income from the insurance agency in the future as it had been in the past.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
267 F. Supp. 693, 1967 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 8343, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/springfield-insurance-v-fry-oknd-1967.