Tozzi v. Lincoln Nat. Life Ins.

103 F.2d 46, 1939 U.S. App. LEXIS 3499
CourtCourt of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit
DecidedMarch 27, 1939
DocketNo. 8838
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 103 F.2d 46 (Tozzi v. Lincoln Nat. Life Ins.) 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
Tozzi v. Lincoln Nat. Life Ins., 103 F.2d 46, 1939 U.S. App. LEXIS 3499 (9th Cir. 1939).

Opinion

GARRECHT, Circuit Judge.

In this action, the District Court in and for the Northern District of California, rendered a decree in favor of the appellee and against James Tozzi, an individual doing business under the name of James Tozzi & Company. From the decree appellant has prosecuted this appeal.

The Lincoln National Life Insurance Company, an Indiana corporation, appellee, owned certain real property in Fresno County, State of California, known as the Alameda Vineyards, which property had formerly belonged to one George W. Day, which had been foreclosed by appellee.

On January 2, 1935, the Life Insurance Company executed a written lease of said real property to said Day. Among other things ’ the lease provided:

“The term of this lease commenced as of January 2, 1935, and will expire on November 15, 1935. The lessee will deliver to the lessor as rental for said demised premises ■ thirty percent (30%) of all crops grown on the property, and the lessee hereby assigns and transfers to the lessor an undivided thirty percent interest in and to said crops as and when the same may be grown and/or be harvested.
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“2. The lessee further agrees as follows:
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“(b) Not to let or underlet the whole or any part of the premises, nor assign, mortgage or pledge this lease, or any interest therein, either voluntarily or in[47]*47voluntarily, without the written consent of the lessor.
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“The lessee agrees that no crop mortgage will be executed upon the crop or any part thereof without lessor’s written consent.
“The lessee particularly agrees that he will not sell, deliver or remove from said land or obligate himself to sell, deliver or remove from said land any of the crops grown thereon, in any manner whatsoever until he shall first have made arrangements satisfactory to the lessor for delivery of lessor’s share of said crops to the extent and in the manner hereinabove and hereafter provided. Under no circumstances may the lessee bind the lessor by any contract or other act whatsoever, it being expressly understood that the lessee is not the agent of the lessor for any purpose.”

Lessee Day required financing in order to make the crop. The Life Insurance Company did not advance any money. In order to secure funds, Day talked with appellant Tozzi prior to March 11, 1935, at Stockton, California. He explained to Tozzi that he was operating, or proposing to operate, the leased premises, and Tozzi offered to advance him up to $8,000 for the production of a crop, on the basis of a crop mortgage provided that the Life Insurance Company consented to the mortgage. A clause in the lease itself required such consent to “any crop mortgage.” The mortgage was prepared but no signatures were attached thereto. In order to obtain the required consent of the appellee to the mortgage, Day brought the prepared instrument from Stockton to San Francisco, on March 11, 1935, and there met A. A. Semsen, Supervisor of the Loan Department of appellee, in the office of Livingston & Livingston, attorneys for appellee, where a conversation took place relative to giving consent to the mortgage. Appellant was not present at this conference. Day told Semsen that he would not have sufficient money to cultivate and harvest a crop and he asked that appellee consent to the mortgage as prepared. Thereupon, Lawrence Livingston, one of said attorneys, wrote the following upon the bottom of said mortgage: “The foregoing mortgage is hereby consented to this 11th day of March, 1935. The Lincoln National Life Insurance Co. By,” and A. A. Semsen the company’s agent at the suggestion of appellee’s attorney affixed his name thereto.

At this meeting a letter was prepared addressed to Day, which was signed by ■both Semsen and Day. The letter reads as follows:

“March 11, 1935.
“Mr. George. W. Day, Reedley, California.
“Dear Sir: You have presented a chattel mortgage dated March 8th, 1935, to James Tozzi & Company, securing the sum “of $8000. You have represented to us that this money is to be used to help finance the growing and harvesting of crops on the property recently leased by us to you.
“At your request and at the request of your mortgagee, we have consented to said mortgage with the understanding and upon the representation that said money ■will be so used. It is understood 'that our rights under our lease shall not be affected in any way by our consent to this mortgage. You are to pay the mortgagee all amounts called for by the mortgage out of your own funds for your own share of the crop, and we are to receive our share of the crop net, free and clear.
“Please signify your agreement by signing below.
“The Lincoln National Life Insurance Company
. “By A. A. Semsen, Supervisor.
“I agree to the above
“George W. Day.”

On March 12, 1935, the day following the endorsement of consent upon the mortgage by appellee, Day and the appellant Tozzi signed the affidavit of good faith attached to the mortgage and made oath to the same before a Notary Public and the same was recorded with the Recorder of Fresno County on March 13, 1935.

The mortgage provided among other things:

“That as security for the payment of the sum of Eight Thousand Dollars ($8,000.00) to be advanced by the Mortgagee to the Mortgagor, as follows:
“Three Thousand Five Hundred Dollars ($3,500.00) on the date hereof; One Thousand Dollars ($1,000.00) on April 1st, 1935; One Thousand Five Hundred Dollars ($1,500.00) on May 1st, 1935; and Two Thousand ($2,000.00) Dollars on June 1st, 1935; to be repaid not later than [48]*48Nov. 15, 1935, and also of all expenses including attorney’s fees incurred by the mortgagee in enforcing or protecting this security, or protecting the property hereby mortgaged, with interest on such advances and expenses from dates when made and incurred at the rate stipulated in said note, the Mortgagor mortgages to the Mortgagee all the crops growing and to be grown and produced during the year 1935, upon that real property situate in the County of Fresno, State of California, described as follows,
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Related

Building Syndicate Co. v. United States
292 F.2d 623 (Ninth Circuit, 1961)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
103 F.2d 46, 1939 U.S. App. LEXIS 3499, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/tozzi-v-lincoln-nat-life-ins-ca9-1939.