Becker Steel Co. of America v. Cummings

• Citation: 10 F. Supp. 343
• Parties: BECKER STEEL CO. OF AMERICA v. CUMMINGS, Atty. Gen., et al.
• Decision Date: 28 September 1934
• Court: U.S. District Court — Southern District of New York

10 F. Supp. 343

BECKER STEEL CO. OF AMERICA v. CUMMINGS, Atty. Gen., et al.

District Court, S. D. New York.

September 28, 1934.

Townsend & Kindleberger, of New York City, for plaintiff.

Martin C. Conboy, U. S. Atty., and Francis H. Horan and Irvin C. Rutter, Asst. U. S. Attys., all of New York City, for defendants.

MACK, Circuit Judge.

The bill alleges in substance that plaintiff is an American citizen; that its property was seized by the former Alien Property Custodian as the property of an alien enemy and thus wrongfully seized; that it was sold for $20,000; that nearly $4,000 was paid out by the Alien Property Custodian as expenses directly connected with the sale of such property; that theretofore an action was begun and a decree rendered in this court for $20,000, the value of the property so seized, without any allowance for the expenses so incurred; that that decree was satisfied and full releases given by plaintiff on the payment of only the net amount of some $16,000; that thereafter, due to a later decision of the Supreme Court, the government paid plaintiff interest on the $16,000, and that the amount deducted for the expenses, nearly $4,000, is still owing to the plaintiff. It seeks to recover this sum together with interest thereon from the time of the sale from the present Alien Property Custodian and the present Treasurer of the United States.

An earlier suit for the same purpose was dismissed in this court with affirmance by the Circuit Court of Appeals on the ground that the reviver against the then Alien Property Custodian and Treasurer was improper. Becker Steel Co. v. Hicks, 66 F.(2d) 497.

Defendants' motion is based upon the propositions, conceded by plaintiff, that the suit is in substance against the United States, and that the only authorization for such a suit is section 9 (a) of the Trading with the Enemy Act as amended (50 USCA Appendix § 9 (a). Defendants contend that section 9 (a) requires for jurisdiction allegation that the Alien Property Custodian or the Treasurer of the United States actually holds, at the time of suit, the moneys sought to be recovered. Plaintiff has failed to allege any such present holding; indeed, it is expressly negatived by the bill. The allegations in the thirty-second paragraph of the bill are not an assertion that either of these defendants now has such money on hand, but only that they "must be deemed in justice and truth to have" that money.

It is to be noted that plaintiff does not...