Randall v. Fox
Randall v. Fox
Opinion of the Court
A statement of the proceedings in the case is necessary. The action was brought by P. R. Fox, the appellee, 'against the El Globo Mining and Milling Company, a corporation, to recover upon a promissory note of the corporation for $15,000, which had been assigned to Fox by Charles P. Romadka, the payee. The note in question was executed by Charles A. Romadka, the president of the corporation, who was the son of Charles P. Romadka, the payee. The note was payable on September 15, 1907. On May 2, 1908, default having been made by the company in the payment of the note, this suit was filed by Fox, assignee of the payee, in the district court, the complaint being the ordinary complaint on a promissory note alleging the making, execution and delivery of the note for a valuable consideration, and its assignment to the plaintiff in the case before maturity for a valuable consideration. On May 4, 1908, the company, by its president, C. A. Romadka, appeared and filed a document confessing judgment, and thereupon on the same day judgment was entered in favor of Fox against the company for the amount of the note and interest. On May 21, 1908, Joshua O. Lee, a stockholder of the company, filed a motion to have the judgment vacated and for leave to intervene and defend. On June 22, 1908, an order was entered vacating the judgment theretofore entered, and allowing any stockholder to enter an appearance and file an answer in defense. Thereafter Lee, as such stockholder, and one Board-man, also a stockholder, each filed separate answers in the action. A general demurrer to the Boardman answer was sustained by the court and leave to amend denied. The case was thereafter set by the court for trial on the issues raised by the complaint and the Lee answer, and thereafter, on motion of the attorneys for Lee, the trial order was vacated, and the case continued to the 18th of November, 1908, for trial. On the 16th of November the plaintiff filed a motion to reinstate the judgment theretofore entered and vacated, which motion was set for hearing on the 18th of November, and the intervener, Lee, was given notice of such hearing. Upon the hearing of
The appellant’s contention seems to be twofold: First,that the court had no authority or power to enter the judgment appealed from at the time it was so entered and under the conditions then existing; and, second, that, if such power existed, the court erred in holding that the answer of Lee was insufficient to raise a defense.
As to the first contention, the appellant cites the case of Arizona, etc. Min. Co. v. Benton, 12 Ariz. 373, 100 Pac. 952, as authority. We held there that such an answer as originally
The stockholder Lee, having obtained the right he sought— the judgment formerly entered having been set aside by the trial court and the stockholder having been allowed to intervene and file his answer, and having filed such answer — is thereafter in precisely the same position as if such intervention had been by the corporation, or as if he had originally appeared and answered as a defendant in the case. If, therefore, the answer interposed by the intervener, Lee was insufficient to constitute a defense to the matters set forth in the complaint of the plaintiff, the plaintiff was entitled upon a motion duly made to have judgment upon the pleadings if such pleadings warranted judgment being entered. Judgment on the pleadings is a practice recognized by this court. Miles v. McCallan, 1 Ariz. 491, 3 Pac. 610; Finley v. City of Tucson, 7 Ariz. 108, 60 Pac. 872. In this case judgment was rendered by the court according to the recital of the judgment as follows: “Plaintiff now moving for reinstatement of the judgment heretofore rendered and for judgment on the record, files, and pleadings herein, the court now being fully advised in the premises, and having reconsidered the evidence offered on behalf of the plaintiff at the time of the former
The complaint was an ordinary one upon a promissory note. The answer admitted the making, execution, and delivery of the note by the corporation to the payee. It excepted from such admission that the note was executed for a good and valuable consideration, or for any consideration whatsoever. There is no denial, however, in the answer that it was executed for a valuable consideration. The answer denies the assignment by Chas. P. Romadka to Pox of the note for a valuable consideration. It alleges affirmatively that Lee was a stockholder; that Romadka, the president of the corporation, and Romadka, the payee of the note, were son and father, respectively; that other stockholders holding with the Romadkas a majority of the stock were related or closely identified with each other; that from the sale of the treasury stock the sum of $166,500 was realized, and had been sent to Charles A. Romadka, the president and active manager of the company, for disbursement by him on behalf of the company, and that Charles A. Romadka had been practically continuously from the inception down to the institution of the action in question in sole charge of the disbursement, expenditure and outlay of the funds of the corporation and of the affairs of the corporation; that two directors friendly to the interests of the minority had been ousted from the board of directors by the Romadkas and their associates because of their desire to investigate the doings of Romadka; that Romadka, the president and manager, was incompetent for his position; that the business of the company had been eondue'ced by him. in an unskillful, wasteful, and extravagant manner; that the. directors and majority stockholders had refused to remove Romadka although they knew of his ineompetency; that Romadka issued a report to the stockholders, which was inaccurate, false, and untrue, and knowingly so to Romadka, and that the report was made to defraud and deceive the stockholders and to cover up misappropriations on the part of Romadka; that a subse
The allegations of the answer are sufficient to show that whatever defense the company or the minority stockholders might have as against Charles P. Romadka, the payee of the note, is available against Fox, the assignee, but that such defense, if not available against the payee, is not available against the assignee. Assuming the allegations of fraud and dishonest management in the affairs of the corporation to be sufficiently alleged in the answer, and that ás a direct result of such dishonesty the corporation had to borrow money to meet its indebtedness, and that such dishonesty was known to the person who loaned the money, nevertheless such a state of affairs is no defense in an action at law by the person loaning the money upon the note given by the corporation for such loan. The allegations of the answer affirmatively show that the note was given for funds actually advanced to the corporation by Romadka, and that the money so advanced by Romadka to the corporation was actually disbursed by the corporation in payment of debts of the corporation. That the need of the corporation for this money was brought about by reason of mismanagement, dishonest acts, or the alleged conspiracy affords no defense to the. corporation or to the minority stockholders in this action upon the note to the company given for the money so advanced to the company. The money having been given to the company and expended by the company in the payment of its debts, the company is liable for the repayment thereof, and must meet-the obligation of the note given for such repayment. The relief sought for the alleged fraud, mismanagement and conspiracy must be obtained in some- other suit or proceeding.
LEWIS, J., concurs in the result. DOE, J., concurs. CAMPBELL and DOAN, JJ., not sitting.
Reference
- Full Case Name
- LAURA LEE RANDALL, Intervener and v. P. R. FOX, and Appellee EL GLOBO MINING & MILLING CO.
- Status
- Published