Stoddard v. Courtright

89 N.W. 710, 130 Mich. 134, 1902 Mich. LEXIS 752
CourtMichigan Supreme Court
DecidedMarch 26, 1902
DocketDocket No. 133
StatusPublished

This text of 89 N.W. 710 (Stoddard v. Courtright) 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
Stoddard v. Courtright, 89 N.W. 710, 130 Mich. 134, 1902 Mich. LEXIS 752 (Mich. 1902).

Opinion

Moore, J.

For some time prior to 1887, Edward C. Hargrave and his father, Edward J. Hargrave, owned mill property at Bay City, and were engaged in the business of manufacturing lumber and salt. The business was carried on in the name of E. J. Hargrave & Son. The father died in 1887. It is the claim of defendant that, after the death of Edward J. Hargrave, Elizabeth W. Hargrave, the widow of E. J. Hargrave, and Edward C. Hargrave, continued the business together under the old firm name of E. J. Hargrave & Son, until the firm failed in January, 1896. In the fall of 1895 Mrs,» Hargrave went to England; and it is the claim of the plaintiff that the business was the business of Edward C. Hargrave alone, carried on in the name of E. J. Hargrave & Son. Mr. Edward C. Hargrave, in 1891, organized the E. C. ■ Hargrave & Co., a corporation, at Hinkley, N. Y., which carried on the business of manufacturing lumber and sulphate fiber at that place. In this corporation Mr. Edward C. Hargrave was a large stockholder, owning $350,000 out of the $400,000 capital stock, all of which was paid up.

The several loans involved in this case were made by plaintiff, Stoddard, as follows: Early in 1893, viz., upon February 10, 1893, Edward C. Hargrave borrowed from the plaintiff, Stoddard, the sum of $3,000, giving his personal note, and transferring as collateral security a real-estate mortgage and accompanying, notes amounting to $3,000, running from Francis Gr. Fitch to Edward C. [136]*136Hargrave, and also a lease, running for a period of five years, for the use of all of the railroads and booms connected with, said property. Fitch subsequently paid one of these notes, which was applied on the note, reducing this loan from $3,000 to $2,500. Upon September 1, 1893, another loan of $1,000 was made. The note representing this loan was indorsed by Mr. Courtright. It is claimed by plaintiff both of these loans were made to E. C. Hargrave. It is the claim of defendant they were made to E. J. Hargrave & Son.

Upon October-2, 1893, plaintiff, Stoddard, made another loan of $5,481.63, and upon January 5, 1894, another of $1,000. Mr. Stoddard testifies that the two amounts were brought together in some way, and, together with some additional items, made up the sum of $7,000, for which he took two notes, of $5,000 and $2,000, respectively, of Paiton & Co., the originals being taken up, the last renewals being dated October 31,1895, and are for $5,000 and $2,000, respectively, made by Patton & Co., of Albany, N. Y., to the Trenton Falls Lumber Company, and indorsed by E. C. Hargrave' & Co., the New York corporation, and by Edward C. Hargrave personally.

Upon May 8, 1895, Mr. Stoddard took the note of E. J. Hargrave & Son, dated May 8, 1895, for $1,000, due in four months. This note was secured by a certificate of stock in the E. C. Hargrave & Co. corporation.

Patton & Co. failed in the latter part of 1895, carrying down with it the Trenton Falls Lumber Company and the E. C. Hargrave & Co. corporation in New York, and by reason of these failures E. J. Hargrave & Son, of Bay City, came into financial difficulties. These various loans had been renewed from time to time. Whatever may be said as to whym these moneys were loaned or for whom they were borrowed, in January, 1896, Mr. Stoddard held notes as follows: Notes of E. J. Hargrave & Son: One note secured by the Fitch real-estate mortgage, $2,500; one note indorsed by Morris L. Courtright, $1,000; one note secured by certificate of stock in the E. C. Plargrave [137]*137& Co. corporation, $1,000. Notes of Patton & Co.: One note, $5,000; one note, $2,000. The last two notes were made to the Trenton Palls Lumber Company and indorsed by them. They also bore the indorsement of E. C. Hargrave & Co. and Edward C. Hargrave personally.

In January, 1896, Mr. Stoddard first learned of the financial difficulties of the above concerns, and claims that a few days after January 1, 1896, he saw Mr. Hargrave at Mr. Stoddard’s office in Bay City, and that Mr. Hargrave told Mr. Stoddard of the claim against Pitch, which he (Hargrave) agreed to turn over to Mr. Stoddard, but that nothing was done about it then. Within a day or two prior to January 17, 1896, Mr. Stoddard went to the office of M. L. Courtright, who was the attorney for E. J. Hargrave & Son, and, after a talk with the latter, it was decided that Mr. Courtright, acting for E. J. Hargrave & Son, would turn over to Mr. Stoddard an assignment of the Pitch claim before mentioned, together with an assignment of a certain chattel mortgage on file December 6, 1893, made by Pitch et al. to E. C. Hargrave. An assignment was made, reading as follows:

. “ Por value received, we hereby sell, assign, and transfer to John L. Stoddard our claim and accounts against the Pitch Salt Company, together with a certain chattel mortgage given by the ,said company to us, bearing date December 5, 1893, and now on file in the office of the recorder of Bay. City, Michigan.
“ Dated this 18th day of January, 1896.
“E. J. Hargrave & Son,
“ By M. L. Courtright.”

It is claimed Mr. E. C. Hargrave afterwards ratified this assignment. The chattel mortgage was afterwards discharged, and a new one made by the Pitch Salt Company direct to Mr. Stoddard.

May 27, 1896, the following paper was given:

“Bay City, Mich., May 27, 1896.
“ One day after date, without grace, for value received, I promise to pay to the order of J. L. Stoddard ten thousand seven hundred eighty dollars and eighty cents ($10,780.80), [138]*138with interest from date at eight per cent, per annum, payable quarterly until paid.
“This note is collateral to the following, viz.: One note for two thousand dollars ($2,000), dated October 31, 1895, and made by Patton & Co., and indorsed by the Trenton Falls Lumber Company, E. C. Hargrave & Co., and Edward C. Hargrave; a note for five thousand dollars ($5,-000), of same date as above, and made and indorsed the-same as last above note; a note for one thousand dollars-($1,000), made by E. J. Hargrave & Son, dated September 11,1895; a note for two thousand five hundred dollars ($2,500), made by E. J. Hargrave & Son, dated September 16, 1895, — all of which notes are now held by said Stoddard. E. C. Hargrave.”

It will be observed the note of $1,000 indorsed by Mr. Courtright is not mentioned in this paper, and it is claimed by plaintiff that the proceeds of the securities which he held were to be applied on any or all of the notes described in the .agreement, as in his judgment it would be to his advantage to apply them, and that none of them were to be applied on the note indorsed by Courtright. It is the claim of Mr. Hargrave that he did not notice the Court-right note was not included in the paper he signed. This-claim of plaintiff as to the application of the proceeds of the securities is denied by defendant and by Mr. Edward C. Hargrave, who wrote plaintiff October 5, 1898, as follows:

“ This firm owes you for three notes, one for $2,500 and two for $1,000 each, besides interest upon the same. One of the $1,000 notes is indorsed by M. L. Courtright. You hold for security for the above a real-estate mortgage for $2,400 and an assignment of an account due us from E. S. Fitch.

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Bluebook (online)
89 N.W. 710, 130 Mich. 134, 1902 Mich. LEXIS 752, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/stoddard-v-courtright-mich-1902.