Steel Cities Chemical Co. v. Virginia-Carolina Chemical Co.

7 F.2d 280, 1925 U.S. App. LEXIS 3522
CourtCourt of Appeals for the Second Circuit
DecidedMarch 20, 1925
Docket179
StatusPublished
Cited by12 cases

This text of 7 F.2d 280 (Steel Cities Chemical Co. v. Virginia-Carolina Chemical Co.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Steel Cities Chemical Co. v. Virginia-Carolina Chemical Co., 7 F.2d 280, 1925 U.S. App. LEXIS 3522 (2d Cir. 1925).

Opinions

ROGERS) Circuit Judge

(after stating the facts as above). By the indenture of June 1, 1922, the chemical 'company executed and delivered to the trust company as trustee a mortgage to secure an authorized issue of $35,000,000 first mortgage bonds. To secure the payment of the bonds, it mortgaged and transferred to the trustee its real estate and various other kinds of property “then owned or after acquired,” “ineluding good will, rights, privileges, franchises, immunities, easements, equipment, shares of stock, and other property.” It also pledged “all other property of every kind and description * * * hereinafter acquired * * * which by any provisions of this indenture is required to be mortgaged, * * * provided, however, that this indenture shall not be or become a lien on any current assets of the company.” The term “current assets” is defined in the instrument [281]*281to mean, among other things, “cash in bank, on hand, and in transit.”

In and by the terms of the bonds secured by said indenture, the chemical company promised to pay, “at its office or agency in the borough of Manhattan, * * * ” to the bearer thereof, the principal sum therein mentioned, and to pay “at said office or agency” interest thereon at the rate and at, the times therein set forth. The coupon interest notes attached to said bonds likewise provided for the payment of interest evidenced by same at tbe office or agency of the chemical company in the borough of Manhattan.

On November 28, 1922, the chemical company appointed tbe trust company its fiscal agent in handling income tax matters pertaining to the payment of coupons on the said bonds, and reporting to the government ownership certificates received in connection with such payment. The petition of the receivers alleged that the chemical company also appointed the said trust company as its paying agent in the payment of the interest on said bonds.

The usual procedux-e adopted by the chemical company in transmitting to the trust company, as its paying agent, moneys for the payment of said interest coupons was as follows:

A letter inclosing a cheek and a voucher receipt was sent to the trust company, signed by the treasurer of the chemical company, staling that he inclosed a check to the order of the tx-ust company to put it in funds to pay for the account of the chemical company the coupons due on a certain date as per trust agreement.

The following letters indicate the method pursued by both parties in carrying into effect the above agreement:

“Richmond, Va., Nov. 24, 1923. “Re Coupons Due December 1st, 1923 — V.C. C. Company 7% First Mortgage Gold Bonds Due 1947.
“Central Union Trust Company, Trust Department, New York City — Gentlemen: We inclose herewith our check for $857,500, to your order with which to pay the coupons dne December 1st, 1923, covering six months interest on the 7% first mortgage gold bonds of this company, as per trust agreement dated June 1st, 1922. Will you please acknowledge receipt of this rexnittanee, and account for the distribution of the funds in due course, and oblige
“Yours very truly,
“Virginia-Carolina Chemical Company, “By E. E. Coles, Treasurer.”

And thereupon the trust company would acknowledge receipt in the following form:

“Virginia-Carolina Chemical Company, Richmond, Va.
“Cash Voucher in Favor of Central Union Trust Co. of New York, Trustee, New York, N. Y. No.--. To check herewith, in payment of interest coupons due December I, 1923, on our first mox-tgage 25-year 7% sinking fund gold bonds — series A outstanding, to wit: $24,500,000.00 for 6 months @ 7% per annum — $857,500.00.
“$857,500.00. Received of Virginia-Carolina Chemical Company eight hundred fifty-seven thousand five hundred and 00/100 dollars iix full payment of above account, this ---day of Nov. 26, 1923.
“Central Union Trust Co. of New York, “---, A. Treas.
“Correct: E. Anderson.
“Approved: J. B. Siegel, Asst. Auditor.
“Note. — Do not detach this receipt. Please date, sign, and return this voucher at once. If not correct, return unsigned, without alteration or erasure, and state difference.”

The letters show deposits to pay coupons were made “as per trust agreement” which is hereinafter to be considered.

The question which this case presents depends upon the character in which a fund of $25,224, deposited with the trust company, is held. The court below has directed that the fund be turned over to the ancillary receiver's of the chemical company, for the reason that in the court’s opinion the fund is held by the trust company as the chemical company’s agent and not as a trustee for the coupon holders.

The trust company relies upon the case of Rogers Locomotive Works v. Kelley, 88 N. Y. 234. In that ease a railroad company had deposited with a firm of bankers $25,-000 to meet interest coupons on mortgage bonds. In making the deposit, the company took from the bankers the following receipt :

“Received, New York, May 1, 1875, from J. M. C. Rodney, twenty-five thousand ($25,-000) dollars in tx-ust, to apply the same to an equal amount of the coupons of the first mortgage bonds and consolidated mortgage bonds of the Mississippi Central Railroad Company, in the order in which such coupons shall be presented to ns for payment, after having been duly identified for payment at our office by stamp impressed thereon, the said money not to be subject to the control of said company, otherwise than for [282]*282the payment of said coupons as above described. [Signed] Kelly & Alexander.”

After a portion of the money so deposited had been appHed according to the trust, the sheriff levied on the remainder by virtue of an attachment against the depositor. A holder of certain of the unpaid coupons brought an action to determine its rights to the fund. The New York Court of Appeals held that the deposit was an absolute and irrevocable appropriation of the fund deposited to the payment of the coupons. It held that at the time the deposit was made the depositor parted with all control of the fund inconsistent with the trust, and that the brokers became vested with the title to the fund for the purposes of the trust.

The words of the receipt show that the understanding of the parties at the time of the deposit was that “the said money [was] not to be subject to the control of said company [the depositor] otherwise than for the payment of said coupons as above described.” In its decision the court, commenting on the language quoted, said: “The intention of the corporation to devote the fund deposited with Kelly & Alexander exclusively to the payment of the coupons, and to place it in their hands as trustees for that purpose, is clearly indicated in the receipt, and the application of the fund for paying the coupons, was in precise accordance with the purpose for which it was raised.” The court added: “The corporation [depositor] parted with all control of the fund, inconsistent with the trust declared in the receipt.” And the court distinguished the case from that of Kelly v. Roberts, 40 N. Y. 432, saying that the latter “was the ease of a mere revocable direction”; and from the case of Aetna National Bank v.

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Bluebook (online)
7 F.2d 280, 1925 U.S. App. LEXIS 3522, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/steel-cities-chemical-co-v-virginia-carolina-chemical-co-ca2-1925.