International Trust Co. v. Union Cattle Co.

• Decision Date: 15 November 1892
• Citation: 3 Wyo. 803,31 P. 408
• Parties: INTERNATIONAL TRUST CO. v. UNION CATTLE CO. et al. AMERICAN LOAN & TRUST CO. v. SAME. FAY et al. v. SAME
• Court: Wyoming Supreme Court

31 P. 408

3 Wyo. 803

INTERNATIONAL TRUST CO. v. UNION CATTLE CO. et al.

AMERICAN LOAN & TRUST CO. v. SAME.

FAY et al. v. SAME

Supreme Court of Wyoming

November 15, 1892

Error to district court, Laramie county; RICHARD H. SCOTT, Judge.

Applications by the International Trust Company, the American Loan & Trust Company, and Henry H. and J. S. Fay, Jr., for dividends on alleged indebtedness of the Union Cattle Company, insolvent of which Frederick P. Voorhees is receiver. From refusal to allow the claims the claimants bring error. Affirmed.

Affirmed.

Potter & Burke, for plaintiffs in error.

Lacey &amp Van Devanter, for defendants in error.

CONAWAY J. GROESBECK, C. J., and MERRELL, J., concur.

OPINION

CONAWAY, J.

These three cases present the same question, and, by agreement of counsel and order of the court, have been argued and submitted together. The Union Cattle Company, one of the defendants, is an insolvent corporation. Frederick P Voorhees, the other defendant, is sole receiver, in possession and control of all the assets, of the insolvent company, for the purpose of winding up its affairs under the direction of the district court, which, on petition of certain creditors, appointed him as receiver. He reports $ 168,000 on hand for distribution among the creditors. The plaintiffs in error are creditors holding the promissory notes and negotiable bonds of the company to large amounts as evidence of the indebtedness of the company to them. They also hold the negotiable bonds of the insolvent company for further large amounts, but not representing any further actual indebtedness, but, as they claim, as collateral security for the payment of the actual indebtedness. Plaintiffs claim dividends upon these bonds, as well as upon the bonds and notes representing actual indebtedness, until such indebtedness is fully paid. The district court denied the claim for dividends on the so-called collateral security. By several assignments of error the plaintiffs in error raise in this court the sole question of the correctness of this order of the district court. This is a case of insolvency, and the object of the suit, as authorized by the law, is to wind up the affairs of the insolvent company, convert its assets into money, and apply the money, pro rata , in payment of the debts. Plaintiffs seek more than a pro rata payment on the actual indebtedness of the company to them. The mere statement of the case would seem to exclude plaintiff's claims, in the absence of any lien upon or pledge of any specific assets. Plaintiffs derive the right to dividends upon these collateral bonds from the law of collateral securities. They cite Colebrooke on Collateral Securities to show that the creditor may proceed to collect both the principal debt and the collateral securities at the same time. This is good law, and the inference is unavoidable that, if plaintiffs can collect both the actual debt and these additional bonds, they are entitled to dividends on both. But Colebrooke, in his discussion of the subject, never admitted the idea that one personal obligation of the debtor could become collateral security for another obligation of the same debtor. He says, at section 2: "Collateral...