Uebersee Finanz-Korporation, A. G. v. Markham

158 F.2d 313, 81 U.S. App. D.C. 284, 1946 U.S. App. LEXIS 3003
Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit·Decided October 21, 1946·No. No. 9187·Published·Cited by 9 cases

Opinions

GRONER, C. J.

The decision in this case turns upon the question whether the amendment of § 5(b) of the Trading with the Enemy Act by Title HI of the First War Powers Act oí 1941 has, by necessary implication, the effect of nullifying and rendering impotent § 9(a) of the original Act.1 Or, stated [314]*314more concisely, whether the amendment of § 5(b) in 1941, of itself and'without more, renders inoperative the rights conferred under § 9(a) of the original Act.

Appellant is a corporate national of Switzerland and at the outbreak of World War II was the owner of certificates of stock in sundry American corporations. The Alien Property Custodian, upder authority of amended § 5(b) and under Executive Orders 9095 and 9193, 50 U.S.C.A. Appendix, § 6 note, seized appellant’s property as the property of a “foreign country or a national thereof” and vested the same in himself. Since precisely this procedure is authorized under that section, obviously no exception can be had to this. But at that point appellant, claiming the right to recover the vested property under the provisions of § 9(a) of the Act, brought this suit, alleging, among other things, that before and at the time of the seizure it was a citizen of Switzerland; that it was not an enemy or ally of enemy; that it was not a “national of a designated enemy country”; and that the property was not then nor at any other time held for the benefit of an enemy or ally of enemy, nor for the benefit of a “national of a designated enemy country.”

The Custodian filed a motion to dismiss on the ground that the complaint failed to state a valid cause of action, and the District Court, without opinion, granted the motion. From that action this appeal is taken.

The basis of the motion to dismiss-is that it appears on the face of the complaint that appellant is a national of a foreign country and, this being conceded, the Custodian insisted and now insists that under the amended § 5(b) the vesting is absolute and not subject to attack.

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Uebersee Finanz-Korporation, A. G. v. Markham, 158 F.2d 313, 81 U.S. App. D.C. 284, 1946 U.S. App. LEXIS 3003 (D.C. Cir. 1946).

158 F.2d 313 (Uebersee Finanz-Korporation, A. G. v. Markham) — published by Counsel Stack Legal Research, free access to 12M+ legal documents.

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