United States v. Whisenant

75 S.W.2d 958, 19 A.F.T.R. (P-H) 1189, 1934 Tex. App. LEXIS 1591
CourtCourt of Appeals of Texas
DecidedOctober 13, 1934
DocketNo. 11633
StatusPublished
Cited by2 cases

This text of 75 S.W.2d 958 (United States v. Whisenant) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals of Texas primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
United States v. Whisenant, 75 S.W.2d 958, 19 A.F.T.R. (P-H) 1189, 1934 Tex. App. LEXIS 1591 (Tex. Ct. App. 1934).

Opinions

JONES, Chief Justice.

A receivership is pending in the Ninety-Fifth judicial district court of Dallas county, on the property of John W. Hooser, and Herbert W. Whisenant is the duly qualified and acting receiver. This appeal results from the' refusal of the trial court to allow the United States to intervene and file its claim for income taxes, assessed against Hooser prior to the receivership. For convenience, the parties will be referred to as appellant and ap-pellee. - The following are the necessary facts:

On July 6, 1928, the collector of internal revenue of Dallas received an assessment of income taxes against John W. Hooser and wife, for the years 1924 and 1925, amounting to $31,320.04; and on August 10, 1931, such collector received an assessment of income taxes for the year 1927 for the amount of $14,321.93. Notices of liens to secure both assessments were duly filed under a United States statute providing therefor.

Appellee was duly appointed receiver September 9,1931, and immediately qualified and received into his possession all of the property belonging to Hooser. A master in chancery was appointed, and, by an order of court, all of the claims filed were referred to him for adjudication.

[959]*959On November 13, 1931, an order was duly entered by the district court, requiring all claims to be filed by January 15, 1932, and barring from participation in the assets all claims not filed within such time. The order directed its publication in a newspaper of general circulation in the counties of Dallas, Tarrant, Smith, Busk, and Gregg was duly published in obedience thereto, and a copy of such order mailed to the address of all the then known creditors. The United States was not known as a creditor at this time, and was not named in the order, nor was a copy of the order mailed to the collector of internal revenue, in Dallas, or to any other government official.

On April 9, 1932, another bar order was entered, fixing May 15,1932, as the final date for filing claims, and providing that the failure to file a claim within said time would be a bar to participation in the receivership estate. This order was silent as to any publication, and it was not published in any newspaper; like the former order, it did not name the United States as a claimant, and no copy thereof was sent to the collector of internal revenue at Dallas, or to any other government official, charged with the duty of collecting income taxes.

The undisputed evidence shows that Thomas F. Johnson was the assistant to the collector of internal revenue in Dallas, and that his duties were particularly concerned with the collection of income taxes from estates in bankruptcy, receiverships, and administrations ; that he did not learn of the receivership in question until in July, 1932; that, when such knowledge was received, on July 21, 1932, the collector of internal revenue at Dallas filed with the clerk of the- district court, where the receivership was pending, a claim for the income taxes, above named, amounting to $45,611.97, claimed a first and prior lien against the assets of said estate, for the payment of said taxes, under section 3466, Bev. St. (USO, tit. 31, § 191 [31 USOA § 191]). This claim was referred by the clerk to the special master. At the time it was filed, neither the collector of internal revenue nor said assistant collector knew of the existence of either of the bar orders, above described. The claim was promptly prepared and filed, as soon as the assistant collector, Johnson, had knowledge of the pending receivership.

On November 2, 1932, the receiver filed a motion to strike the claim of appellant, filed with the clerk and referred to the special master, for the reason that it was filed after May 15, 1932, and, on November 12, 1932, the special master refused to consider the claim, for want of special leave of the court to intervene after May 15, 1932, the date of the expiration of the last bar order, and appellant was duly' notified of this action. Appellant then promptly filed its plea of intervention. This plea of intervention negatived any knowledge of appellant’s authorized agents of the existence of either bar order, when the claim was filed July 21, 1932, and asked the court for a nunc pro tune order, permitting the plea of intervention as of the date of July 21, 1932, the date the claim was filed with the clerk of the court; also that, in the event such nunc pro tunc order be denied, it then be granted leave to intervene and file and present the claim for income taxes. It is alleged in the plea that there had been no distribution of the assets of the estate, and no application for such distribution at the time of the filing of this plea; that the special master had not made a final report as to the adjudication of the claims referred to him, and that no claim would be prejudiced by the allowance of its claim for taxes.

The receiver’s answer to this plea of intervention, after setting up the history of the receivership, as above given, alleged in effect that the master in chancery, during the months of May, June, and the succeeding months of 1932, had heard evidence on all claims filed, and that the master had prepared his findings and recommendations, but such report had not been presented, at the request of the attorney for the receiver, pending the adjudication of one or more small claims; that, as a result of such hearings and negotiations, by the receiver and creditors, all claims were finally settled and determined, and liens fixed by the master in his recommendation to be made to the court, without any exception or threat of appeal, except in one case of unpaid royalties; that, as a result of the hearings before the master, and upon recommendations of the master, a contract was entered into by and between the receiver, and W. H. Goodnight and 40 others, who had interests in the properties belonging to the estate, whereby certain properties were paid by the receiver to Goodnight and the others, and under which contract the receiver agreed to pay as a part of the consideration for the property received into the estate from Goodnight and the others ten certain claims and obligations, aggregating $14,292.49; that the receiver entered into agreements with royalty owners under the McElroy lease, and compromised their several respective claims; that certain oil payments claimed by various [960]*960parties, as past-due and unpaid prior to the receivership, were compromised by agreements with the receiver; that, in addition thereto, all claims against the estate were either agreed to between ,the receiver and such claimants or fixed satisfactorily with the claimants by the findings of the master; that all of this work by the master had been done on the basis of the then known claims; and that to allow appellant to intervene and set up its claim would call for a readjustment of all such claims. On the hearing, the facts alleged by appellant were established by competent evidence, and the facts alleged by appellee, in reference to the delay and readjustment of all claims, were likewise established. It is clearly established that, to allow appellant’s plea of intervention, the final winding up of the receivership will be very much delayed.

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

Related

Phinney v. Langdeau
337 S.W.2d 393 (Court of Appeals of Texas, 1960)
United States v. Bullard
73 S.E.2d 179 (Supreme Court of Georgia, 1952)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
75 S.W.2d 958, 19 A.F.T.R. (P-H) 1189, 1934 Tex. App. LEXIS 1591, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/united-states-v-whisenant-texapp-1934.