Sullivan v. McCormick & Co.

283 N.E.2d 345, 5 Ill. App. 3d 118, 1972 Ill. App. LEXIS 2679
CourtAppellate Court of Illinois
DecidedApril 19, 1972
Docket55781
StatusPublished
Cited by3 cases

This text of 283 N.E.2d 345 (Sullivan v. McCormick & Co.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Appellate Court of Illinois primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Sullivan v. McCormick & Co., 283 N.E.2d 345, 5 Ill. App. 3d 118, 1972 Ill. App. LEXIS 2679 (Ill. Ct. App. 1972).

Opinion

Mr. PRESIDING JUSTICE DIERINGER

delivered the opinion of the court:

This is an appeal from a judgment of the Circuit Court of Cook County, dismissing a petition for citation on the pleadings.

This action was brought by the executors of the estate of John E. Sullivan to recover shares of stock that had been loaned by him pursuant to written agreements to Thomas E. Hosty, Sr., and Thomas E. Hosty, Jr., who were associated with Sincere and Company, a brokerage firm. Pursuant to separate written agreements these securities were subsequently loaned by the Hostys to McCormick & Co., Inc., also a brokerage firm. When the securities were not returned to the estate by the Hostys on the termination dates of the Sullivan-Hosty agreement, the executors of the estate filed a petition for citation against the Hostys and McCormick and requested either a return of the securities or damages for their value.

McCormick answered the petition for citation and subsequently filed a motion for judgment on the pleadings. After a hearing on the motion the Circuit Court entered judgment in favor of McCormick against the Estate of Sullivan on the grounds that there was no triable issue of fact between the estate and McCormick.

The issue on appeal is whether the executors’ petition for citation stated a cause of action and whether the pleadings raised any issues of fact.

The agreement dated September 13, 1968, between Sullivan and the Hostys, provided in part:

“Thomas E. Hosty Sr. and Thomas E. Hosty Jr. may make this stock, borrowed by them, available to the Firm as part of the Firm’s assets, and such securities may be held, pledged, sold, transferred, disposed of or otherwise dealt with by the Firm as partnership property, as though Thomas E. Hosty Sr. and Thomas E. Hosty Jr. had so contributed or made available their own securities.
# # #
It is further agreed that all obligations created or evidenced hereby are solely those of the borrowers individually, and neither the Firm of Sincere and Company or any successor firm is in any way liable in connection therewith.
The term ‘the Firm’ as used in this agreement shall mean the Firm of Sincere and Company as presently constituted or as it may hereafter be constituted from time to time, and also any firm which may succeed to its business.”

On January 15, 1969, another agreement was entered into between Sullivan and the Hostys for additional stock and repeated the above-stated terms.

On July 3, 1969, an agreement between the Hostys and McCormick provided in part:

“Transmitted with this letter are agreements signed by the lenders of the securities hereinafter detailed, and Thomas E. Hosty, Sr. and Thomas E. Hosty, Jr. as borrowers.
[The securities were described, and John E. Sullivan was noted as the lender of the securities.]
# # 4*
The attached agreements indicate that the obligations evidenced thereby are those of Thomas E. Hosty, Sr. and Thomas E. Hosty, Jr. individually, and that neither the firm of Sincere and Company or any other of its partners is in any way liable in connection therewith.
4* 4* 4*
Pursuant to the provisions of the attached agreements we herewith deliver to you the securities herein above described, with the understanding that McCormick & Co. Incorporated may make such securities available to it as part of the corporation’s assets, and that said securities may be held, pledged, sold, transferred, disposed of or otherwise dealt with as though McCormick & Co. Incorporated had contributed or made available its own securities.
We request the subordinated character of the loan of such securities shall be noted on the books, accounts and records of McCormick & Co. Incorporated, and that you please sign a copy of the agreement and retain another for your file.”

The amended petition for citation stated the Hostys and/or McCormick & Co. still retained certain listed securities and these securities were not returned to the executors although the agreements require the return of the securities one year after the date of each agreement and repeated requests for their return have been neglected or refused. Dividends were paid to the Hostys and McCormick on account of the securities and from time to time were paid to the executors by McCormick along with interest in accordance with the terms of the SullivanHosty agreement.

The Hostys replied to the petition for citation by stating they did not have any of the securities in their possession; that they had turned them over to McCormick because “on or about June 1, 1969, the respondent, McCormick & Co., Inc. succeeded to the business of Sincere and Company, by reason whereof these respondents were authorized to transfer and deliver said securities to the respondent, McCormick & Co., Inc. as the successor to the businss of Sincere and Company.” McCormick did not adopt the allegations contained in the Hostys’ answer and did not make any such allegation.

McCormick replied and stated two affirmative defenses: First, the language of the Sullivan-Hosty agreement allowed the Hostys to heat the securities as their own property and pursuant to the Hosty-McCormick agreements, McCormick received right, title and interest in the securities subject to the terms of the August 1, 1969, agreement between them, and that the Hostys are indebted to McCormick in an amount in excess of the value of said securities and McCormick has a right of setoff against the Hostys in an amount equal to such indebtedness.

The second affirmative defense states the Hostys are indebted to McCormick & Co., Inc. in an amount in excess of the value of the securities and that Reg. § 220.3(a) and (b) of Regulation T promulgated by the Federal Reserve Board of the United States pursuant to Sections 7 and 8(a) of the Securities Act of 1934 prohibits defendant from returning said securities to the Hostys.

Their answer admitted forwarding interest and dividends to the executors of the Sullivan estate but stated it did so only pursuant to oral and written authority of the Hostys who were the only parties to whom McCormick was obligated.

In the reply to the answer and affirmative defense of McCormick, the executors deny the dividend and interest payments were made to them only upon the authority of the Hostys, or that the Hostys were the only parties to whom McCormick was obligated. The executors stated the payments were made to them in recognition of their rights. The executors also deny the Sullivan-Hosty agreement permitted the Hostys to treat the securities as their own property, deny that McCormick obtained rights, titles or interest in the securities paramount to that of the executors, and deny McCormick has a right of setoff against the executors’ property for any claim against the Hostys.

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Related

Department of Revenue v. Prestige Casualty Co.
386 N.E.2d 356 (Appellate Court of Illinois, 1979)
Allis-Chalmers Credit Corp. v. McCormick
331 N.E.2d 832 (Appellate Court of Illinois, 1975)
Affiliated Realty & Mortgage Co. v. Jursich
308 N.E.2d 118 (Appellate Court of Illinois, 1974)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
283 N.E.2d 345, 5 Ill. App. 3d 118, 1972 Ill. App. LEXIS 2679, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/sullivan-v-mccormick-co-illappct-1972.