Tenabo Mining & Smelting Co. v. Bates

220 F. 756, 136 C.C.A. 362, 1915 U.S. App. LEXIS 2513
CourtCourt of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit
DecidedFebruary 15, 1915
DocketNo. 2441
StatusPublished

This text of 220 F. 756 (Tenabo Mining & Smelting Co. v. Bates) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Tenabo Mining & Smelting Co. v. Bates, 220 F. 756, 136 C.C.A. 362, 1915 U.S. App. LEXIS 2513 (9th Cir. 1915).

Opinion

ROSS, Circuit Judge.

The appellee instituted this suit in the court below, “in behalf of himself and all other stockholders of the defend[757]*757ant Tenabo Mining & Smelting Company similarly situated, who wish to join in this bill, bear their proportion of the expenses of this- suit, and become parties hereto.” Both bill and answer are very long, but a comparatively brief statement of some of their contents will, we think, be sufficient for the proper disposition of the appeal.

The bill shows that the appellant, defendant below, is a mining company incorporated under the laws of the state of Nevada, November 14, 1908, with a capital stock of $3,000,000, divided into 1,500,000 shares, of the par value of $2 each, 450,000 of which shares were issued to another mining corporation, styled Gem Consolidated Mining Company, for certain mining claims owned by it and situated in Nevada, called Little Gem, Ollie, Reno, and Winnemucca, upon which, the bill alleges, there was at the time a mortgage to one McCormick for the sum of $15,000 and accrued interest, and 300,-000 shares to another mining corporation then existing, styled Ten-abo Consolidated Mines Company, for certain mining claims and interests therein owned by that company, known as the Two Widows, Two Widows extension, Copper Hill group, and Nevada Phoenix. The bill also alleges that at the times mentioned the Little Gem claim had been developed by a shaft to a depth of about 400 feet, encountering a rich body of ore, the extent of which, however, had not been ascertained by development — the other claims being undeveloped and of unknown value, except such as attached to them by reason of their location in a mining region and close proximity to the Little Gem claim. The bill further alleges that one Tyree controlled the Gem Consolidated Mining Company, and one Locker the Tenabo Consolidated Mines Company, and that together they caused the incorporation of the defendant company for the purpose' of taking over the properties of the two other mining companies, which was done, and that together they named and controlled the directors of the defendant company, and alleges various acts of fraud, both on the part of Tyree and Locker, and the directors of the defendant company, in the disposition of its 750,000 shares remaining in the treasury, and in respect to the moneys realized by the sale of a portion of that stock. The bill itself shows upon its face that the mortgage held by McCormick was paid out of the proceeds realized from the sale of a portion of the treasury stock of the defendant company, and it also shows that subsequently the defendant company, by its president and secretary, executed a mortgage on all of its property to one Shearman to secure a loan of $1,500. The bill also alleges the insolvency of the defendant corporation, and among its prayers are the following:

“(1) That the defendant be required to appear and show cause at a time certain why it should not be enjoined and restrained from selling, agreeing to sell, giving options to sell, or causing to be sold, and from permitting any of its officers, agents, trustees, or representatives to sell, transfer, or agree to sell, in the United States, France, or elsewhere, any of its treasury stock, or any of its capital stock not outstanding, and in the meantime, and until the said orator can be heard, that defendant, its officers, agents, trustees, and representatives, be temporarily enjoined from doing, or permitting to be done, any of said acts.
“(2) That defendant be required to appear and show cause, if it has any, why a receiver should not be appointed by this court, to take charge of all of the assets of said corporation located within the state of Nevada, and [758]*758particularly all mining property and claims Owned, claimed, or controlled by said corporation, located in the county of Lander, state of Nevada, or elsewhere in said state.
“(3) That said receiver be authorized and directed to cause ancillary receivers to be appointed in states other than the state of Nevada, to sue for and recover all moneys and property lost or misappropriated by the directors or officers of said corporation.
“(4) That all of the assets of such corporation be sold and converted into money, and after payment of the costs and expenses of this proceeding, including counsel fees, that said assets be distributed among the creditors, and the surplus, if any; be distributed pro rata among the stockholders of defendant corporation.
“(5) Thai) to enable the court to make a just distribution of said assets among the persons entitled thereto that the court cause proper notice to be given to all creditors and stockholders having claims against said corporation or stock therein, and, if claims or stock should be in dispute, that the same be established by the judgment of competent tribunals.
“(6) And your orator further prays, for himself and for all' others similarly situated, for such other and further relief as the court may deem meet and proper.”

The answer of the defendant company put in issue all of the numerous averments of fraud, and among other things denied that it ever sold or disposed of 300,000 shares of its treasury stock, or any amount thereof in excess of 167,250 shares, for which number of shares it admits it realized the sum of $26,687.50, out of which money it alleges that the amount due on the McCormick mortgage was paid. And among other things the answer—

“admits that the only source of income which the defendant has had has been from the sale of its treasury stock, but denies that said mining claims are undeveloped property, but admits that up to the present time the same have yielded no income whatever, but this defendant states that prior to the time when the above-described mining claims were conveyed by the Tenabo Consolidated Mines Company and the Gem Consolidated Mining Company to this defendant much development work; had been done upon the same and large deposits of milling ore had been developed thereon in, to wit, more than 17,000 tons, of a net value in excess ofl $171,000.”

The answer admits that on December 13, 1910, the defendant was obliged to and did borrow $1,500 from one W. H. Shearman with which to pay for the required annual assessment work upon the said mining, claims, and that to secure the repayment of that borrowed money it executed a mortgage to Shearman upon all of said claims except the Copper Hill group, and—

“admits that said mortgage is unpaid, but denies that the same is due, and, on the contrary, this defendant states that the time of the payment of said promissory note for which said mortgage was given as security has been extended by said Shearman, and this defendant states that its assets are of sufficient value to enable it to borrow sums of money far in excess of the amount due upon said promissory note, and in addition thereto all debts due and owing by said defendant, with which to liquidate its present indebtedness.”

The answer denies the alleged insolvency of the defendant corporation, and the alleged lack of value of its remaining treasury stock, and, on the contrary, alleges that the said remaining treasury stock is of a value in excess of 50 cents per share, and that all of it could and would have been sold by the defendant company, had it not been for the action of the plaintiff in bringing this suit. It alleges that the total [759]

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Bluebook (online)
220 F. 756, 136 C.C.A. 362, 1915 U.S. App. LEXIS 2513, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/tenabo-mining-smelting-co-v-bates-ca9-1915.