Wagenhurst v. Wineland
Wagenhurst v. Wineland
Opinion of the Court
delivered the opinion of the Cotu’t:
As we have already stated, there was no testimony taken. The complainant, after interposing the general replication to the answers of the defendants, thus joining issue thereon, upon his own motion, set the case down for hearing on bill and answers filed. All the averments, therefore, in the answers, responsive to the allegations in the bill, are to be taken as true; as by setting the case down for hearing on bill and answer, the defendants are not offered an opportunity of proving their responsive averments, and the complainant is not entitled to rely upon the unsupported allegations of his bill to make out his case.
Conceding then, as has been done by the complainant, that the partnership between Moore and Wagenhurst for the construction of the sewers under the contracts Nos. 2361 and 2390; had been dissolved, and that prior assignments of the money retained under those contracts had been made to Reyburn and Little by Moore and Wagenhurst, the
Upon the hearing below the court passed a decree dismissing the bill; but, upon petition and reconsideration,, that decree was vacated, and a decree was passed instead thereof, giving full relief to the complainant. It is from this latter decree that this appeal is taken.
The partnership, as we have stated, is admitted by the pleading to have been dissolved on the 11th of September, 1897. This dissolution, however, did not exonerate the partners from the obligation imposed upon them, by the contracts and bonds made for the faithful performance of the work to be done under the contracts. The partners were not only obligated to construct the sewers, with respect to-which the contracts were made, but bound to keep them in good repair for a term of five years from the date of their completion. Act of Congress of June 11, 1878. In addition to the bonds given, as required by the statute, for the faithful performance of the work, a retention from the payments made, under the contract, of 10 per cent of the amount, is required to be made as an additional security, and to constitute a guarantee fund to keep the work in repair for five years; and which fund is required to be invested in interest-bearing bonds, etc., and the interest that may accrue on such fund so invested is required to be paid to the contractors. This guarantee fund for repair cannot be withdrawn or impaired by the dissolution of partnership of the contractors, nor can the security afforded by it be affected by assignment of the contractors. The dissolution of partnership may be effectual as between the partners themselves, and those who deal with them after such dissolution, but it can have no effect upon the status of the fund while it remains in or subject to the control of the treasurer of the United States, and liable to the purposes
As we have already stated, the pleadings, both bill and answers, disclose the facts, that the partnership between Moore and Wagenhurst had been dissolved, and all the right and interest of both partners in the funds retained for repairs under the contracts, had been assigned to Reyburn and Little, upon foil and adequate consideration, long before the assignment was made by Moore, in the name of Moore & Co., to Wineland, the complainant. And the first-question is, Was Moore, at the time of making that assignment to Wineland, in a condition to make a valid transfer or assignment of the retained repair funds in the control of the treasurer of the United States?
There is no allegation or pretense in this case that the complainant, Wineland, was not fully aware of the fact at the-time of the assignment to him from Moore, that the partnership between the latter and Wagenhurst had been
It is certainly a well-settled principle in the law of partnership, that in whatever manner the partnership is actually ended, there are certain effects and consequences of its determinatiou, which necessarily result from it as between the partners themselves, and will equally affect their transactions with third persons, where the latter have notice of the dissolution. As between the partners themselves the dissolution of the partnership puts an end to the joint powers and authorities of all the partners any farther to employ the property or funds, or credit of the partnership in the business or trade thereof, subject to certain well-recognized exceptions rendered necessary to the lawful settlement of the affairs of the late firm. None of the partners can create any new contracts or obligations binding upon the partnership; none of them can buy, or sell, or pledge goods on account thereof ; none of them can indorse, or transfer the partnership securities to third persons, or in any other way malee their acts the acts of the partnership. In short, none of them can do any act, or make any disposition of the partnership property or funds, in any manner inconsistent with the primary duty, now incumbent upon all of them, of winding up the whole concern of the partnership. Sto. on Part., Sec. 322, and the cases and authorities there cited; National Bank v. Norton, 1 Hill (N. Y.) Rep. 572; Ex parte Williams, 11 Ves. 5; Peacock v. Peacock, 16 Ves. 49, 57; Wilson v. Greenwood, 1 Swanst. 471; Crawshay v. Maule, 1 Swanst. 495; Pearpoint v. Graham, 4 Wash. C. C. Rep. 232; 3 Kent Com. (6th ed.), p. 63, and cases cited; Pars, on Part. (2d ed.), pp. 402-404. Mr. Parsons, in his work on Partnership,
It is a well-settled principle, that every person dealing with members of a dissolved partnership, is presumed to know the special rules of the law of partnership, and such person cannot ground a right or defense upon his ignorance of them. Pars, on Part., p. 233. It is very clear, that Moore had no greater authority over the affairs of the dissolved partnership than his copartner Wagenhurst had. And both the partners having disposed of all their rights and interests in the retained repair fund, it would seem to be clear that Moore had no further power or authority to make the subsequent assignment to the complainant, Wine-land, and that the latter could take no right or title by that assignment, to defeat the just rights and claims of the prior assignees, claiming by virtue of assignments of both the partners. The rights of both partners were extinguished in the funds attempted to be assigned, and were no longer subjects of assignment, under pretense of settling partnership affairs.
But it is insisted on behalf of the complainant, Wine-land, and his case is founded exclusively upon the contention, that, claiming under the assignment to him of December 21, 1898, which was immediately recorded, and prior notice thereof given to the treasurer, Roberts, he thereby became entitled to a superior right and equity to that acquired by either Reyburn or Little, though he was a subsequent assignee, because of the fact, as he alleges, he is an innocent purchaser for value, without notice of the prior assignments. This contention assumes that Moore had authority to make the assignment to the complainant, in the partnership name, notwithstanding the dissolution of the partnership; — a proposition strongly controverted by the defendants, and whose position would appear to be strongly supported by the authorities to which we have referred.
A party setting up and relying upon the application of the principle of innocent purchaser for value without notice, whether as ground for relief or as matter of defense, in order to prevent fraud and collusion, and that the adverse party may have a fair opportunity to meet and repel'the claim, if it be unfounded in fact, must state in his pleading the deed or assignment under which he makes claim, the •date, and the parties thereto; that the vendor or assignor was. entitled, and rightfully conveyed or assigned; the consideration must be stated, with a distinct averment that it was bona fide and truly paid independently of the recital in the deed or assignment. Notice must be denied previous to and down to the time of paying the money and the delivery
In this case, the allegation made in regard to the complainant being a bona fide purchaser for value without notice, is wholly insufficient, and wanting in the essentials that constitute a bona fide purchaser for value without notice; and the general allegation of the bill that the complainant is such an innocent purchaser for value without notice, is flatly denied by the defendants in their answers. In the answer of Reyburn he utterly denies that Moore was possessed of any authority to make the assignment to Wineland; and he avers that he is justly and equitably entitled to the fund retained under contract No. 2361, and will be entitled to receive the same when it becomes payable by the treasurer, — certainly, as he avers, “ against subsequent parties who, long after the said contract was completed, and contrary to the spirit of the law as to government claims, attempt, as a matter of speculation, to secure for some unknown or doubtful consideration, a transfer of the same to themselves.” And in the answer of defendant Little, after denying all pretense of authority on the part of Moore to assign or transfer the fund retained under contract No. 2390, avers that “ the whole affair, as affecting this defendant, is fraudulent from begining to end.” In both answers, the facts and circumstances are stated from which the defendants have drawn their conclusions, as to the want of good faith in procuring the assignment to the complainant.
As we have before stated, the assignment to the complainant recites on its face the nominal consideration of $10; and in the bill it is simply alleged that, on the 21st day of December, 1898, an assignment in writing was made, under seal, by R. M. Moore as settling partner, to the complainant, of the whole and entire fund retained under the contract, “ predicated of a valuable and adequate consideration.” Rut of what this consideration consisted; when, and how it was paid, whether in full at the time of the assignment, or
The complainant having failed to make out his case, founded as it is, upon the alleged authority of Moore to make the assignment to him, and upon his being an alleged subsequent bona fide assignee for value, without notice of prior assignments for value, the decree of the court below must be reversed, and the cause be remanded to the court below that the bill may be dismissed; and it is so ordered.
Decree reversed and cause remanded.
A motion by the appellee to modify the decree was overruled.
Reference
- Full Case Name
- WAGENHURST v. WINELAND
- Status
- Published
- Syllabus
- Equity Pleading and Practice; Equitable Assignment; Partnership ; Priorities; Innocent Purchasers eor Value. 1. Where a cause in equity is set down for bearing by tbe complainant on bill and answers, all of tbe averments of tbe answer, responsive to tbe allegations of tbe bill, are admitted to be true. 2. Where, in a suit in equity set down for bearing by tbe complainant on bill and answer, it appeared ¡that tbe complainant asserted •title to certain funds in tbe bands of tbe Treasurer of tbe United States, being ten per cent retention or guarantee funds arising under contracts between a certain firm of contractors and tbe District of Columbia for public work, tbe complainant claiming that tbe firm’s interest in tbe funds had, after its dissolution, been assigned to tbe complainant by one of tbe partners, as settling partner, “ predicated of a valuable and adequate consideration” but not stating of what the consideration consisted, or any circumstances showing tbe bona fides of tbe transaction, while tbe defendant claimed to be entitled to the fund by reason of prior assignments from tbe partners, tbe complainant’s particular contention being that, as be had recorded and given notice of his assignment to tbe Treasurer of tbe United States he, the complainant, had a superior right to the defendants who had not recorded their assignments or given notice to the Treasurer of them; it was held that, even if it was to be assumed that the complainant’s assignor had authority after dissolution, to make the assignment in the firm’s name, the burden of proof was upon the complainant to prove that he was a l)ona fide assignee for value without notice of the prior assignments, and the allegations of his bill were insufficient to so show, especially as they were denied in the answers; and his bill was dismissed.