McCune v. First Nat. Trust & Savings Bank

• Decision Date: 28 March 1940
• Docket Number: No. 9270.,9270.
• Citation: 109 F.2d 887
• Parties: McCUNE et al. v. FIRST NAT. TRUST & SAVINGS BANK OF SANTA BARBARA et al. SAME v. SMITHERAM et al. In re MORTGAGE SECURITIES, INC., OF SANTA BARBARA.
• Court: U.S. Court of Appeals — Ninth Circuit

109 F.2d 887 (1940)

McCUNE et al. v. FIRST NAT. TRUST & SAVINGS BANK OF SANTA BARBARA et al. SAME v. SMITHERAM et al. In re MORTGAGE SECURITIES, INC., OF SANTA BARBARA.

No. 9270.

Circuit Court of Appeals, Ninth Circuit.

February 5, 1940.

Rehearing Denied March 28, 1940.

T. H. Canfield, of Santa Barbara, for appellants.

W. P. Butcher, of Santa Barbara, Cal., for appellees First Nat. Trust & Savings Bank et al.

W. P. Butcher and Stanley Tomlinson, both of Santa Barbara, Cal., for appellees Smitheram, Squier and Goux.

Before GARRECHT, HANEY, and STEPHENS, Circuit Judges.

HANEY, Circuit Judge.

Appeals have been taken from orders denying a petition to vacate an adjudication in bankruptcy, and granting a petition to intervene.

On May 9, 1938, the First National Trust and Savings Bank of Santa Barbara, hereafter called the national bank, one Hoefer, one Davidson and his wife, filed a petition in the court below praying that Mortgage Securities, Inc., a California corporation, hereafter called the bankrupt, be adjudged bankrupt. The petition alleged the insolvency of the bankrupt, indebtedness of the bankrupt in excess of $1,000, and acts of bankruptcy. No question is raised as to these allegations, but the controversy relates to the number of creditors filing the petition.

The petition alleged that bankrupt was indebted to the national bank for the principal amount of $50,000 as evidenced by promissory notes, and that Hoefer, Davidson and the latter's wife, were creditors of the bankrupt because of facts related in the petition. These facts were that the petitioners last named were stockholders of the bankrupt and as such were liable for the debts of the bankrupt in a specified proportion; that prior to October 15, 1936 "certain creditors" of bankrupt demanded and received of such petitioners payments on account of the stockholder's liability of such petitioners; and that by such payments such petitioners became creditors of the bankrupt in the amounts so paid, on the theory that such petitioners became subrogated to the claims of the creditors to whom payment was made. The petition does not disclose the names of such creditors.

The order of adjudication and reference was made on June 1, 1938.

On April 20, 1939, there was filed by appellants in the court below a petition for an order vacating the order of adjudication. It was alleged therein that the bankrupt was indebted to the County National Bank and Trust Company of Santa Barbara, hereafter called the county bank, in the amount of $30,000 as evidenced by two promissory notes; that prior to the filing of the petition in bankruptcy herein, the county bank assigned the notes to one Kaysser, who assigned them to appellant McCune, who has since been the owner and holder thereof; that the national bank and the county bank assigned their claims to Kaysser for the purpose of enforcing the rights of the banks against the stockholders of the bankrupt; and that the amounts paid by Hoefer, Davidson and the latter's wife were paid on the banks' claims against them as stockholders of the bankrupt. It was asserted that the national bank had no provable claim against the bankrupt because it had assigned its claim, that the claims of Hoefer, Davidson and the latter's wife were not provable claims, and that therefore the order of adjudication should be vacated for lack of jurisdiction, and the petition for adjudication be dismissed.

On May 23, 1939, there was filed in the court below a petition praying for leave to be joined as intervening petitioning creditors for the adjudication of the bankrupt by three alleged creditors, two of whom were attorneys claiming an amount due them for legal services rendered the bankrupt, and the other of whom claimed an amount deposited with bankrupt on the purchase of a "1st mortgage certificate". On May 29, 1939 appellants filed an answer to such petition denying that the third creditor had a provable claim, but did not deny the claim of the attorneys.

The national bank, Hoefer, Davidson and his wife filed an answer to the petition of appellants for an order vacating the adjudication on June 5, 1939. It was alleged therein that the assignment by the national bank to Kaysser of the notes owing it by the bankrupt "was made solely and exclusively for the purpose of enforcing collection of said promissory notes" and that prior to the filing of the petition for adjudication, Kaysser re-assigned the notes to the national bank.

The trustee appointed in the bankruptcy proceedings appeared and moved to dismiss the petition of appellants for vacation of the order of adjudication.

Hearing was held by the court below on May 29, 1939. At the hearing there was considerable argument, and appellants' counsel sought, but was refused, permission to file affidavits as to the time when appellants first obtained knowledge that the petition for adjudication allegedly disclosed on its face that there were not three creditors having provable claims. No evidence of any kind on any other issue of fact was offered by any of the parties.

Subsequently, the trial court denied the petition of appellants for an order vacating the order of adjudication, granted the trustee's motion to dismiss such petition, and granted the petition to intervene. These appeals which were consolidated were taken from the orders made.

Appellants contend that the alleged claims of Hoefer, Davidson and wife were not provable claims because their claims arose by subrogation pursuant to Cal.Civil Code § 322a which is unconstitutional and void. It is contended that § 322a, which provides that a stockholder who pays on account of his liability as such is subrogated to the claim of the creditor so paid violates the Fourteenth Amendment, and clause one, Section 10 of Article 1 of the Constitution of the United States, U.S.C. A., and section 13 and 16 of Article 1 of the Constitution of California. The argument is that prior to the enactment of § 322a, the creditor could proceed against the stockholders and then could share in the assets of the corporation with other creditors who did not then include the stockholders proceeded against; but after enactment of § 322a the creditor could share in the assets of the corporation only with other creditors who included the stockholders who had paid on their liability to the creditor, and thus the creditor's recovery would be less.

We agree with Patek v. California Cotton Mills, 4 Cal.App.2d 12, 40 P.2d 927, that § 322a is not unconstitutional. So far as the creditor is concerned he has the same rights he had before enactment of the statute, i. e., the right to proceed against the stockholders and the right to proceed against the corporation and share in the assets. The creditor has been deprived of none of his rights although his exercise thereof may bear less fruit, but he is in no...