London v. O'DOUGHERTY

Decision Date13 March 1939
Citation102 F.2d 524
PartiesLONDON et al. v. O'DOUGHERTY.
CourtU.S. Court of Appeals — Second Circuit

Leon London, of New York City, for the motion.

Before L. HAND and CHASE, Circuit Judges and PATTERSON, District Judge.

PER CURIAM.

The question raised by this motion is whether one must secure the leave of this court to appeal from an order awarding him too small an attorney's allowance in a reorganization under the Bankruptcy Act. Section 24a, 11 U.S.C.A. § 47(a), requires leave only in case the order "involves less than $500", and if it governs this appeal, no leave was therefore necessary, for the appellant asked more than $500. However, appeals from allowances are directly governed by § 250, 11 U.S.C.A. § 650, which provides that "appeals may be taken in matters of law or fact" from such orders, "and may, in the manner and within the time provided for appeals by this Act title, be taken to and allowed by the circuit court of appeals". This language necessarily incorporates the provisions of § 24a as to the "manner" of taking an appeal, which need not be "allowed" by us, but lies as of right.

This would be enough if the reorganization proceeding itself had been started after September 22, 1938, when the amendments took effect. In fact it had then been pending more than three months. Section 276(c) (2), 11 U.S.C.A. § 676(c) (2), makes the provisions of Chapter 10 (including § 250 applicable to such reorganization proceedings) "to the extent that the judge shall deem their application practicable"; and "judge" means only a "judge of a court of bankruptcy", § 1(20), 11 U.S.C.A. § 1(20). Two alternatives are open: the judge may "deem" application of the provisions of Chapter 10 "practicable" or "impracticable" as a whole; or he may deal with them singly, the application of this one being "practicable", and of that, not. Plainly the second is the right interpretation, since the "practicability" of applying a provision depends upon what it requires: it would generally be impossible to say that all were, or all were not, "practically" applicable. If the judge is to act upon the provisions singly, it would be quite impermissible for him to declare when it was practicable to apply § 250, which relates to appeals to this court: § 276(c) (2) cannot cover appeals. We therefore turn to § 6(b) of the Chandler Act itself, 11 U.S.C.A. § 1 note, which declares to what proceedings the amendments as a whole are applicable. That indeed is in substantially...

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15 cases
  • State of California v. Fred S. Renauld & Co.
    • United States
    • U.S. Court of Appeals — Ninth Circuit
    • January 12, 1950
    ...exercise its discretion on the allowance of their appeals by reason of their erroneous reliance upon the permanency of London v. O'Dougherty, supra (2 Cir., 102 F.2d 524)." R. F. C. v. Prudence Securities Advisory Group, 1941, 311 U.S. 579, 582-583, 61 S.Ct. 331, 333, 85 L.Ed. 364. 4 That w......
  • Gerringer v. United States
    • United States
    • U.S. Court of Appeals — District of Columbia Circuit
    • March 15, 1954
    ...by Section 25, sub. a, of that Act, 11 U.S.C.A. § 48, sub. a. In so doing, the petitioners relied upon the decision in London v. O'Dougherty, 2 Cir., 1939, 102 F.2d 524, ruling that appeals from such orders could be taken as a matter of right by filing notices of appeal in the District Cour......
  • In re Prudence-Bonds Corporation
    • United States
    • U.S. Court of Appeals — Second Circuit
    • June 3, 1940
    ...be taken as of right under section 24, sub. a, 11 U.S.C.A. § 47, sub. a, and required no allowance by the appellate court. London v. O'Dougherty, 2 Cir., 102 F.2d 524. In reliance upon that decision each of the appeals at bar was taken by filing a notice of appeal in the district court, and......
  • Reconstruction Finance Corporation v. Prudence Securities Advisory Group
    • United States
    • U.S. Supreme Court
    • January 6, 1941
    ...for the Second Circuit had held that appeals from such orders (involving $500 or more) could be had as a matter of right. London v. O'Dougherty, 102 F.2d 524. Subsequent to the decision in the London case and prior to the decision of Dickinson Industrial Site, Inc. v. Cowan, supra, petition......
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