Wootton Land & Fuel Co. v. Ownbey

265 F. 91, 1920 U.S. App. LEXIS 1378
CourtCourt of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit
DecidedMarch 30, 1920
DocketNos. 5265, 5266
StatusPublished
Cited by26 cases

This text of 265 F. 91 (Wootton Land & Fuel Co. v. Ownbey) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Wootton Land & Fuel Co. v. Ownbey, 265 F. 91, 1920 U.S. App. LEXIS 1378 (8th Cir. 1920).

Opinion

MUNGER, District Judge

(after stating the facts as above). [1] The special master allowed to Ownbey a sum of salary and his living expenses. 'Phis was based upon-testimony by Ownbey and Cheney as to the alleged agreement between Morgan, Cheney, and Ownbey, at [94]*94Morgan’s library in New York City, in December, 1909, whereby it is claimed Ownbey was to receive this allowance. The finding of the master that Ownbey was not required to account to the company for his transactions occurring before April 16, 1910, was also partly based upon this conversation and agreements claimed to have been made at that time. By proper exceptions the question is presented, upon such facts, whether those who- are not directors or officers of a corporation, but are the owners and holders of almost all of the capital stock and are the beneficial owners of the remaining shares, which stand in the names of nominal owners, may bind the.corporation by a contract bétween themselves whereby a debt in favor of the corporation is to be extinguished, and an obligation of the corporation-in favor of one of them imposed, when the articles of incorporation place the management of the company’s affairs in the hands of its board of directors. The. further question is also presented whether such stockholders, assuming to contract on behalf of the corporation, are estopped from denying such an agreement to be the agreement of the corporation, if the obligee has acted upon the faith of this agreement as an act of the corporation. The general rule as to contracts and conveyances on behalf of the corporation was stated by Chief Justice Shaw in Smith v. Hurd, 12 Metc. (Mass.) 371, 385 (46 Am. Dec. 690), as follows:

“The individual members of the corporation, whether they should all join, or each act severally, have no right or power to intermeddle with the property or concerns of the bank, - or call any officer, agent, or servant to account, or discharge them from any liability. Should all the stockholders join in a power of attorney to any one, he could not take possession of any real or personal estate, any security or chose in action, could not collect a debt, or discharge a claim, or release damage- arising from any default, simply because they are not the legal owners of the property, and damage done to such property is not an injury to them. Their rights and their powers are limited and well-defined.”

And this rule has often been followed. Humphreys v. McKissock, 140 U. S. 304, 312, 11 Sup. Ct. 779, 35 L. Ed. 473; De La Vergne Co. v. German Savings Inst., 175 U. S. 40, 53, 54, 20 Sup. Ct. 20, 44 L. Ed. 65; Sellers v. Greer, 172 Ill. 549, 50 N. E. 246, 40 L. R. A. 589; Puritan Coal Mining Co., v. Pennsylvania R. Co., 237 Pa. 420, 85 Atl. 426, 432, Ann. Cas. 1914B, 37; 2 Cook on Corps. (7th Ed.) § 709. See, also, First Nat. Bank of Memphis, Tenn., v. Towner, 239 Fed. 433, 440, 152 C. C. A. 311; Woodruff v. Shimer, 174 Fed. 584, 586, 98 C. C. A. 430; Denver Engineering Works Co. v. Elkins (C. C.) 179 Fed. 922.

But the principle of equitable estoppel is frequently applied to deny a defense that might otherwise have prevailed. Nothing is better settled than that one, who, by his acts or representations, or by his silence when he ought to speak out, intentionally or through culpable, negligence, induces another to believe certain facts to exist, and the latter rightfully acts on such belief, so that- he would be prejudiced, if the former is permitted to deny the existence of such facts, is thereby conclusively estopped from making such denial. Dickerson v. Colgrove, 100 U. S. 578, 580, 25 L. Ed. 618; Union. Pacific Ry. [95]*95Co. v. United States, 67 Fed. 975, 979, 15 C. C. A. 123; Canadian Northern Ry. Co. v. Northern Miss. Ry. Co., 209 Fed. 758, 126 C. C. A. 482; 2 Pom. Eq. Jur. § 805.

In this case Morgan and Cheney, stockholders, but assuming to act for the corporation, are said to have made a contract for the benefit of the corporation with Ownbey, the owner of the remainder of its stock, and Ownbey, claiming to have relied upon those agreements, alleges he has executed his part of the agreement. If the contracting stockholders permitted Ownbey to render services and expend moneys, and to act in accordance with such a contract, they may not be heard, in a suit brought for the benefit of themselves, as the only other owners of stock, to deny the validity of the assent of the corporation. Colorado Springs Co. v. American Pub. Co., 97 Fed. 843, 853, 38 C. C. A. 433; United States v. Milwaukee Refrigerator Transit Co. (C. C.) 142 Fed. 247, 255; Breslin v. Fries-Breslin Co., 70 N. J. Law, 274, 282, 58 Atl. 313; In re Newman, [1895] L. R., 1 Ch. Div. 674, 686; Ebelhar v. Nave (Ky.) 119 S. W. 1176; First Nat. Bank v. Winchester, 119 Ala. 168, 24 South. 351, 72 Am. St. Rep. 904; Bundy v. Iron Co., 38 Ohio St. 300-311, 312; Brown v. De Young, 167 Ill. 549, 555, 47 N. E. 863.

[2] In Ownbey’s answer he set forth a counterclaim alleging an employment as manager by the company, the performance of the services, and that they were reasonably worth $1,000 per month. - Appellants assert that proof of an express contract for payment of that amount for such services was inadmissible under the plea of quantum meruit. Appellants, in their replication to this answer, alleged the nonexistence of any contract, express or implied, between the company and Ownbey, relating to compensation for his services. In an action for an accounting, no cross-bill on the part of the defendant is necessary in order that he may recover any balance in his favor. The plaintiff by his bill in such a case submits himself to the result of the accounting, whether it be for or against him. Whittemore v. Patten (C. C.) 84 Fed. 51, 56; McManus v. Sawyer (D. C.) 231 Fed. 231, 238; 1 Corp. Jur. 639.

The court, on an application of the master for instructions relating to the taking of the account, ordered the master to disregard all matters of pleading and to proceed with the accounting in accordance with equity rule No. 63 (198 Fed. xxxvii, 115 C. C. A. xxxvii). No exception was taken to this order, and it is now too late to insist that Ownbey was limited to the proof of an implied contract for services.

This brings us to the next controverted question — whether agreements were made such as Ownbey claims. As to the salary and living expenses, both Cheney and Ownbey testified repeatedly that a verbal agreement was made at a meeting of the three men in Morgan’s library by which Ownbey was to continue as the business manager of the company, and that he was to receive for such services $1,000 per month and also his living expenses for himself and family, not to. exceed $500 per month. Morgan’s death before this suit was brought precluded the possibility of testimony from the only other participant in this alleged transaction, but there are many circumstances that [96]*96militate against the probability of any such contract. Some of these facts may be briefly stated. Ownbey never drew or demanded any salary in the 57 months that he continued to act. The company’s 'books were kept under his direction, and no entry was made relating to either of such items. In a voluminous correspondence thereafter maintained between Ownbey and Morgan, Cheney, Mills, and Joyce, no mention is made of the subject.

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Bluebook (online)
265 F. 91, 1920 U.S. App. LEXIS 1378, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/wootton-land-fuel-co-v-ownbey-ca8-1920.