Tait v. Carey & Fitzpatrick

49 S.W. 50, 3 Indian Terr. 765, 1899 Indian Terr. LEXIS 77
Court Of Appeals Of Indian Territory·Decided January 12, 1899·Published·Cited by 1 cases

Opinion

Springer, C. J.

The issues raised by the interplea in this case were by agreement of counsel tried by the Court, and special findings of facts and the law were submitted. To these findings the appellants took exceptions. The first error assigned is on account of the finding of the Court which held that the deed in question was a partial and not a general assignment of the property of the firm of Carey and Fitzpatrick, and that the notes and accounts belonging to the firm, not being in the brick house mentioned in the deed at the time of the execution thereof, were not conveyed by it. The deed is substantially set forth in the statement of the case. The counsel for the appellanos contends that the words ‘ ‘ goods, ” ‘ ‘ fixtures and apparatus, ” and “together with, all and singular, the rights, members, and appurtenances thereto belonging’ ’ are broad enough, in the connection in which they are used, to cover the notes and accounts, and show that it was the intention to assign everything owned and used by the firm. In the agreed [770] statement of facts upon which this case was tried it was conceded that there were notes and accounts due the firm of Carey & Fitzpatrick to the amount of about $20,000 00, and that one of the members of the firm had removed the books of the firm, together with all notes and accounts, out of the Indian Territory, for the purpose of preventing creditors from attaching them, and that the notes and accounts were not in the storehouse at the time of the execution of the deed of assignment This clearly indicates that the makers of the deed did not intend to convey the notes and accounts, and hence, if they were conveyed, the language used in the deed must clearly import a conveyance. But the language employed is not broad enough to convey the notes and accounts of the firm. It would be strained and unreasonable construction to hold that the makers of the deed contemplated their transfer to the assigeee. This was not, therefore, a general assignment. It was partial, and the withholdings of the notes and accounts did not invalidate the conveyance of such property as was embraced in the deed. The Court also found that the deed of assignment was not executed in pursuance of a scheme to defraud the creditors of Carey & Fitzpatrick, and that if such scheme Existed the receiver had no notice thereof. The case was tried by the Court upon an agreed statement of facts, which is printed in full in the record. Counsel for appellants contends that the facts thus admitted tend to show that the deed was executed in pursuance of a scheme to defraud the creditors of the assignor, or to the effect that, at the time of the execution thereof, there were notes and accounts to the amount' of $20,000 belonging to the firm of Carey & Fitzpatrick, which they had heretofore removed out of the Indian Territory for the purpose of defrauding creditors. If the deed had purported to convey the notes and accounts, and the assignors had withheld them from the assignee, the assignment would have been fraudulent and void. If, however, the assignment was partial, and all the goods assigned were [771] placed in the possession of the assignee, as appears in this case, then the mere fact that, prior to the assignment, other assets of the firm had been taken out of the Indian Territory, to prevent them from being seized in attachment, would not invalidate the assignment of the property which was conveyed by the deed.

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Tait v. Carey & Fitzpatrick, 49 S.W. 50, 3 Indian Terr. 765, 1899 Indian Terr. LEXIS 77 (Conn. 1899).

49 S.W. 50 (Tait v. Carey & Fitzpatrick) — published by Counsel Stack Legal Research, free access to 12M+ legal documents.

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