Gamble v. Hollenbach
Gamble v. Hollenbach
Opinion of the Court
Opinion op the Court by
Affirming.
Plaintiff, Philip Hollenbach, brought suit against James E. Gamble to recover the sum of $3,030.00, claimed to be due on account of Gamble’s failure to deliver to plaintiff coupons in that amount which were attached to certain second mortgage bonds of the Watterson Realty Company, which plaintiff purchased from Hollenbach. Prom a judgment in favor of plaintiff, defendant appeals.
The Watterson Realty Company owned the Watterson Hotel in the city of Louisville, and its capital stock consisted of $250,000.00 preferred and $250,000.00 common. $5,000.00 of preferred stock was owned by John C. Lewis, while the remainder of the stock, both common and preferred, was owned in equal portions by Gamble and Sam P. Jones. The Watterson Realty Company also had outstanding $225,000.00 of first mortgage bonds and $325,000.00 of second mortgage bonds. Gamble owned $190,000.00 of second mortgage bonds.
Negotiations were had which resulted in the execution of a written contract on April 28, 1913, by which Gamble contracted to sell to Hollenbach one-half of the issue of common stock and one-half of the issue of preferred stock, except the $5,000.00 of preferred stock owned by
“$10,000.00 Louisville, Ky., Apr. 30, 1913.
On or before October 10, 1913, I promise to pay to the order of James E. Gamble,
Ten thousand .......................................................................no/100 dollar®.
at 528 West Main street.
Upon payment of this note by Phil Hollenbach Mr. James E. Gamble is to turn over to said Phil Hollenbach the same amount in bonds (second mortgage bonds of the Watterson Realty Co.), value received.
(Signed) Phil Hollenbach.”
There were ninety-five $1,000.00 bonds covered by the contract, and attached to each were semi-annual coupons for $30.00 each, which were payable on May 16th and November 16th of each year, and in order that he might be bound, Jones was a party to and signed the contract.
On May 16, 1913, a few days after the contract was executed, Gamble detached from the bonds ninety coupons for $30.00 each and cashed them. The coupons on the remaining five bonds were not cashed, as these bonds had been deposited by Gamble as a pledge for the performance of his contract, and not being in Gamble’s possession he was unable to detach the coupons. Eleven other coupons were also detached from the bonds and it is claimed by Hollenbach that these were never delivered by Gamble.
The question is, who was entitled to the coupons, Hollenbach or Gamble? The evidence and conduct of the parties throw but little light upon the question.
“ít is agreed between the parties that all of the common stock and all of the preferred stock, except the $5,000.00 owed by John O. Lewis, in other words, all of the stock, common and preferred and second mortgage bonds which are to be sold to Hollenbach, and all of said Gamble’s stock and second mortgage bonds, are to be deposited with the Fidelity & Columbia Trust Company, as trustee before any payment shall be made on said
Clause 5 provides: “Said Hollenbach will pay'the $12,000.00 cash and make and deliver the $6,000.00 note, payable in six months, with interest at six per cent, to Sam Jones as soon as everything hereby contracted for is turned over to his satisfaction.” Clause 6, after setting forth the payments to be made by Hollenbach, provides :
“Said Hollenbach further agree© to execute and deliver to said Gamble notes for the above mentioned payments and also to make and deliver to said Gamble a note for $30,000.00 payable on January 10th, 1915, with interest at the rate of six per cent per annum from January 10th, 1914, no interest to be paid on any notd or notes except the one to Jones, up to January 10th, 1914. The notes are to be plain promissory notes. Said Hollenbach agrees that all the bonds and. stocks sold to him shall be deposited with the Fidelity and Columbia Trust Company as collateral to secure the said payments heretofore agreed to be made by him, but to be delivered from time to time in the proportion in which he shall have paid for the same.”
The contract contains the further provision:
“It is further known to said Hollenbach and Gamble that all of the stock, common and preferred, herein contracted to be ©old and transferred to Phil Hollenbach, was originally issued by the Watterson Realty Company to Sam P. Jones and the major portion thereof now stands in the name of Sam P. Jones, and his wife and said parties join in this agreement and bind themselves to its terms and provisions.”
The concluding clause is a© follows:
“This agreement and contract shall take effect immediately between said James E. Gamble and Phil Hollenbach, as soon as matters are settled by Phil Hollenbach, Sam P. Jones, Mrs. Sam Jones and others above named, to the satisfaction of said Gamble and ©aid Hollenbach. ’ ’
A supplemental contract was signed on April 28, 1913, which was made a part of the original contract. One of the provisions of this contract was as follows:
Another provision was :
“Now this agreement and contract between said James E. Gamble and said Phil Hollenbach, as an addition to and modification of said contract of even date herewith, witnesseth that the said Gamble for himself, his heirs, personal representatives and assigns, warrants, guarantees and covenants to and with said Phil Hollenbach, his heirs, personal representatives' and assigns that all of the common and preferred stock and second mortgage bonds which by said contract of even date herewith are sold and agreed to be sold and delivered by said Gamble to said Phil Hollenbach and each and every share and bond thereof is and are, one and all, genuine, valid and lawful obligations, bonds, and stock, common and preferred, of the Watterson Realty Company and free from any lien, privilege or encumbrance and that the issue of the same and every share and bond thereof is lawful and valid and that the assignments and transfers thereof and of every share and bond thereof to said Phil Hollenbach are and forever shall be valid and legal and pass and convey to and vest in said Phil Hollenbach a good, absolute and valid legal title to the same and every share and bond thereof, and that ©aid Gamble and his heirs, personal representatives and assigns, shall forever, at his and their own proper expense and labor, forever warrant and defend the lawful and absolute ownership, right and title of said Phil Hollenbach to the same and every bond and share thereof to said Phil Hollenbach and his heirs, personal representatives and assigns forever.”
The argument in behalf of Gamble proceed© along the following lines: The words, “will sell and deliver,” “the amount to be sold and delivered,” “are to be sold to Hollenbach,” “Gamble’s agreement to sell and deliver the same,” “so that the said Gamble shall sell and deliver,” considered in connection with the fact that
It must not be overlooked-that the expressions above referred to are not the only ones bearing on the question. By clause 6 Hollenbach “agrees that all the bonds and stocks sold to him shall be deposited with the Fidelity & Columbia Trust Company as collateral to secure the said payments heretofore agreed to be made to him, but to be delivered from time to time in the proportion in which he shall have paid for the same.” By the supplemental contract, which was made part of the original contract, Gamble guaranteed the genuineness, and validity of all the common and preferred stock and second mortgage bonds, which “by the said contract of even date herewith are sold and agreed to be sold and delivered by said Gamble to said Phil Plollenbach. ” Gamble further covenanted that the “assignments and transfers thereof and of every share and bond thereof to said Phil Hollenbach are and forever shall be valid and legal and pass and convey to, and vest in, said Phil Hollenbach a good, absolute and valid legal title to the same and every share and bond thereof.” Not only so, but clause 3 provided that “all of said Gamble’s stock and second mortgage bonds are to be deposited with the Fidelity & Columbia Trust Company as trustee before any payment shall be made on said stock and bonds to be held as security for the fulfillment of said Gamble’s agreement to sell and deliver the same, and shall be delivered as paid for, in accordance with this agreement.” Moreover, it was provided that the “contract shall take effect immediately between said James E. Gamble and Phil Hollenbach, as soon as matters are settled by Phil Hollenbach, Sam Jones, Mrs. Sam Jones and others above named to the satisfaction of said Gamble and said Hollenbach.” Whether the title passes by contract of sale is always a question of intention, and the fact that the property is not to be delivered until paid for is not conclusive. While the question is not altogether free from doubt, the following circumstances convince us that a present sale was contemplated. In the first place, the stock and bonds were to be deposited with the trust company before Hollenbach made any payment, and the first payment was to be made on May 10th,
We see no reason to disturb the chancellor’s finding that the eleven coupons of, November, 1913, were not delivered to Hollenbach.
Judgment affirmed,
Case-law data current through December 31, 2025. Source: CourtListener bulk data.