Lowell v. Brown
Lowell v. Brown
Opinion of the Court
I. These six preference cases, brought by the trustees in bankruptcy of Charles Ponzi, were, by agreement, heard together. They are described by counsel as intended to test, in the Court of Appeals, questions common to many hundred suits now pending and yet to be filed. While they are brought on the equity side of the court, the defendants have not objected that the plaintiffs have a full, adequate, and complete remedy at law. I assume that such objection, if valid, may be waived. Compare Warmath v. O’Daniel, 159 Fed. 87, 86 C. C. A. 277, and cases cited in note
By these typical suits the plaintiff trustees seek to recover from the defendants, who paid money to Ponzi, and thereafter demanded and received back the same sums, without interest or profit, the amounts thus paid and received, as unlawful preferences. The amounts involved and the dates of payment and receipt may be tabulated as follows:
Name of Defendant. Amt. Involved. Date paid in. Date Received Back.
Benjamin Brown.$1,200 July 20 and 24,1920 August 2, 1920
H. W. Crockford. 1,000 July 24, 1920 August 2, 1920
Patrick W. Horan. 1,600 July 24, 1920 August 4, 1920
Frank W. Murphy. 600 July 22, 1920 August 4,1920
Thomas Powers. 500 July 24,1920 August 3,1920
H. P. Holbrook. 1,000 July 22, 1920 August 4, 1920
$5,900
All the transactions fall within a period of about two weeks, between July 20 and August 4, 1920. All of the defendants received notes in the following typical form:
“The Securities Exchange Company, for and in consideration of the sum of exactly $.1,000, receipt of which is hereby acknowledged, agree to pay to the order of-, upon presentation of this voucher at ninety days from date, the sum of exactly $1,500 at the company’s office, 27 School street, room 227, or at any bank. The Securities Exchange Company,
“Per Charles Ponzi.”
The Securities Exchange Company was nothing but Ponzi.
These notes were all given back to Ponzi, when the defendants re-, scinded and received and cashed checks for like amounts, as hereinafter set forth. Defendants plead in some legally sufficient form that they were all victims of Ponzi’s fraud; that they elected to rescind, and did rescind; also that they had no reasonable cause to believe that the receipt of these moneys would effect preferences.
II. In December, 1919, Ponzi began, in a small way, selling such 50 per cent. 90-day notes, representing, in substance, that he had discovered that, through the use of international reply postal coupons, or the manipulation of foreign exchange, or both, he was able to make, within a very short time, 100 per cent, on all money intrusted to him, and was generously sharing this astounding profit with investors who should furnish him the money to’ enable him to do the business on a large scale» If, at the outset, he had any capital at all of his own, it apparently did not exceed $150. For present purposes, it may be assumed that he started as a penniless swindler. His scheme was simply the old fraud of paying the earlier comers profits out of the contributions of the later comers. In some fashion be caused it to be generally understood that, although his notes were written on 90 days’ time, he would redeem them in 45 days. By the spring of 1920 this scheme had, apparently through advertising by word of mouth of recipients of the 50 per cent, profit, spread like an infectious disease through the community. By July he was receiving contributions at the rate of about
Ponzi was adjudicated a bankrupt on October 25, 1920. The suit against Horan was begun on October 24, 1921, although actual service was not made until some days later. The plea of laches goes upon the theory that if Horan should be defeated he would have lost his right to prove his claim, because of the expiration of the year on October 25, 1921 — an inequitable result. The plea rests upon what appears to be a mistaken theory of the construction put upon Bankruptcy Act, § 57n (Comp. St. § 9641).- That section reads:
“Claims shall not be proved against a bankrupt estate subsequent to one year after the adjudication; or if they are liquidated by litigation and th® final judgment therein is rendered within thirty days before or after the expiration of such time, then within sixty days after the rendition of such judgment.”
The latter part of this provision, pertinently referred to by Judge Learned Hand as “the singularly blind language of the second sentence of section 57n” (see In re John A. Baker Notion Co. [D. C.] 180 Fed. 922, 924), has been construed so as to leave the door open to parties, situated like these defendants, to prove their claims at the expiration of litigation adverse to them. See In re Bergdoll Motor Co., 233 Fed. 410, 147 C. C. A. 346; Page v. Rogers, 211 U. S. 581, 29 Sup. Ct. 159, 53 L. Ed. 332; Keppel v. Tiffin Savings Bank, 197 U. S. 356, 25 Sup. Ct. 443, 49 L. Ed. 790; Hutchinson v. Otis, 115 Fed. 937, 942, 53 C. C. A. 419. Other decisions are collected in 1 Remington, Bankruptcy (2d Ed.) §§ 717, 727%; Collier, Bankruptcy (10th Ed.) § 746; Black, Bankruptcy, § 526. This plea of láches cannot be sustained.
III. While all the cases are, on the main issues, similar, the Brown case, No. 1263, is, in two material aspects, distinguishable. The defendant is an infant, and defends by his guardian ad litem. It also appears that of the sum of $1,200 paid in by him on two days, July 20 and 24, one-half, $600, was, without Brown’s knowledge, put in his name by another infant, Gross, a friend of Brown. Gross made the investment in Brown’s name, fearing that his family would have the good sense to object if they learned of it. Brown collected the whole $1,200 under circumstances common to all of the cases, and turned over Gross’ half, $600, to him. The plaintiffs nevertheless contend that Brown is liable for the whole $1,200.
Of course these defendants, and all other victims, were creditors of Ponzi in the sense that they had provable claims. Crawford v. Burke, 195 U. S. 176, 25 Sup. Ct. 9, 49 L. Ed. 147; Tindle v. Birkett, 205 U. S. 183, 27 Sup. Ct. 493, 51 L. Ed. 762; Clarke v. Rogers, 228 U. S. 534, 33 Sup. Ct. 587, 57 L. Ed. 953. So far as now appears, they could prove on the notes. And apparently, since the amendment of
In that case, the appellant had been fraudulently induced to raise the bankrupt’s credit from $1,000 to about $6,000. On discovering the fraud, instead of rescinding the sale of the goods thus fraudulently procured, book accounts to the amount of about $4,000 were turned over to him. The decision below that this was a voidable preference was reversed by the Court of Appeals, opinion by Circuit Judge Mack. The court said:
“But on June 9th appellant conccdedly had a right to rescind the fraudulent sales and to recover back such of the goods as were then in the bankrupt’s possession. Clearly a return of these goods would not be a preference; to the extent of their value, payment could no more effectuate a preference; neither transaction would diminish the estate to which bankrupt was then entitled. That appellant did not expressly assert a right of rescission is immaterial; it relinquished that right in confirming the sale; it then gave up the property interest equal to the value of the goods then on hand. To that extent the transfer was for a present consideration, and not preferential.”
This case is in point. The defendants here, like the appellant in that case, “concededly had a right to rescind” the transaction and get back their money. The plaintiffs concede that if they did “get back their money” — that is, money that came out of a fund identified as one 'including their contributions — there was no preference. But, even if Ponzi paid them out of money derived from those who, by subsequently proving their claims, either on their notes or for the amounts paid in, waived the right to rescind, his estate was not diminished; for the de
Moreover, if the money with which Ponzi paid these defendants came technically out of a fund made up in whole or in part of money belonging to other cestuis, who have not waived the torts, it is far from clear that such moneys ever became Ponzi’s estate within the meaning of the Bankruptcy Act. Compare National Bank of Newport v. National Bank of Tittle Falls, 225 U. S. 178, 184, 185, 32 Sup. Ct. 633, 56 L. Ed. 1042; New York County Bank v. Massey, 192 U. S. 138, 147, 24 Sup. Ct. 199, 48 L. Ed. 380. It is plain, however the legal elements are stated, that Ponzi’s “estate,” if he had any, was neither increased nor diminished by the short-lived, fraudulently induced contributions, and withdrawals of these defendants.
' Neither of these first two cases was a preference case. Both were petitions to revise orders of distribution of funds among special claimants, in which the courts proceed under general equity principles, and not in accordance with the specific requirements of the preference statute. As I construe them, they have little or no bearing on the questions here presented, which, as already stated, are questions of technical statutory preferences.
This contention as to burden of proof cannot, in my view, be sustained. 2 Black on Bankruptcy (3d Ed.) § 614. The burden is upon the plaintiffs tó show that the defendants have received unlawful preferences. Even if, ,as the plaintiffs contend, the money paid by Ponzi to these defendants came out of deposits held by Ponzi as trustee ex maleficio for other dupes, I do not believe "the plaintiffs can on that ground maintain these preference suits. They must show that Ponzi’s estate — that is, an estate distributable to Ponzi’s creditors (not belonging in equity to cestuis) — was diminished by the payments made to these defendants.
On all-the evidence, I find and rule that the defendants were not, when paid, creditors within the meaning of section 60 of tire Bankruptcy Act, and also that Ponzi’s estate was not diminished by these, payments.
But, even if the burden of proof is upon the defendants to show that their moneys came back out of a deposit charged with a trust in
These six checks were promptly cashed at the Hanover Trust Company. But in this connection, at the plaintiffs’ request, 1 find, if material, that approximately 500 other checks were given by Ponzi for the sums originally contributed by the recipients thereof, for amounts not shown in the evidence, either seriatim or in the aggregate, and that such) checks had not, at the beginning of the bankruptcy proceedings, been cashed; that claims in bankruptcy grounded on such checks were filed and allowed. It does not appear whether any of said unpaid checks were or were not ever presented to the Trust Company for payment. Counsel agree that the accounts in the Hanover Trust Company, although carried in several names, were all Ponzi’s accounts. The relation of the defendants’ payments and receipts to this fund in the Hanover Trust Company will be more clearly shown by setting forth a consolidated statement, prepared by the plaintiffs’ expert accountant, of these accounts from July 19 to August 11, 1920, inclusive.
Hanover Trust Company.
Consolidation of All the Charles Ponzi Accounts.
Deposits.
The items in the column headed “Transfers” refer to sums gathered by Ponzi into the Hanover Trust Company from other banks. The items in the first column are payments of victims like the defendants. All the moneys of these defendants were deposited in this Trust Com
Brown’s, the earliest case, may be taken as typical. The plaintiffs contend that, because the amount on deposit on July 20, $681,723.44, was, if all the intervening withdrawals were applied to that balance alone, fully withdrawn by July 26 at the latest, the payment on August 2 to the defendant Brown did not come out of a fund which included his original contributions of July 20 and 24 of $1,200.
It follows that all moneys received and paid by such creditor victims must be regarded, for present purposes, as Ponzi’s money; i. e., money loaned to him. Compare Crawford v. Burke, 195 U. S. 176, 25 Sup. Ct. 9, 49 L. Ed. 147; Hewitt v. Hayes, 205 Mass. 356, 363, and cases cited on page 364, 91 N. E. 332, where it is explicitly ruled that such depositors, by proving in bankruptcy, elect as their remedy to be creditors. So proving, they lost their right to rescind; their money was loaned to Ponzi.
It follows that on August 4, after the defendants had cashed all their checks, there still remained at least $20,165.67 of the fund on deposit on July 20, when Brown’s money went into the trust fund; for this was the smallest balance on any day now material. If we take the next earlier transactions, Horan’s and Holbrook’s, on July 22, these sums were part óf a balance of $736,154.84, and after their withdrawal on August 4, there was a balance of $313,737.08. It is obvious that we need not resort to the theory of the restoration to an exhausted trust
Mention may be made of the fact that, in addition to the moneys appearing in this consolidated account in the Hanover Trust Company, Ponzi had actually there on deposit $1,500,000 more, represented by time certificates of deposit taken out for the purpose of preventing embarrassment to the bank through which the Hanover Trust Company checks were cleared. While these certificates were negotiable, they were not in fact negotiated. They were grounded on moneys received prior to the earliest date here significant, July 20.
Plaintiffs contend, and on this point I think they are right, that the existence of this additional fund of $1,500,000 has nothing to do with the issue here involved. There is no evidence that any part of that $1,500,000 was derived from these defendants, or that any of their payments came out of it. But, if material, it is a fact that Ponzi had in this Trust Company during the period in question a deposit ranging from $2'500,000 down to little over $1,500,000.
On all the evidence I find that the defendants had no reasonable cause to believe that the money received by them by payment of the checks drawn on the Hanover Trust Company did not come from the specific fund into which their moneys had gone. I find this, even if, in fact, it did not come from such fund.
So far as I am aware, the classes of creditors referred to in the preference section are such creditors as those to whom taxes are owing, employees, and any others who by the laws of the states or of the United States are entitled to priority as distinguished from general unsecured creditors. 2'Collier, Bankruptcy, supra, p. 895. Such classification obviously does not fit this case.
In a word, I am unable to believe that the preference section of the Bankruptcy Act is applicable to this case. I find nothing supporting the plaintiffs’ main contentions in Clarke v. Rogers, 228 U. S. 534, 33 Sup. Ct. 587, 57 L. Ed. 953; and Schuyler v. Littlefield, 232 U. S. 707, 34 Sup. Ct. 466, 58 L. Ed. 806. Compare Crawford v. Burke, 195 U. S. 176, 25 Sup. Ct. 9, 49 L. Ed. 147; Tindle v. Birkett, 205 U. S. 183, 27.Sup. Ct. 493, 51 L. Ed. 762; Friend v. Talcott, 228 U. S. 27, 33 Sup. Ct. 505, 57 L. Ed. 718.
In my view, no case cited, properly analyzed, supports the plaintiffs’ contention. Both the issues and the record in this case are radically different from those before Judge Morton in Lowell v. Ashton (D. C.) 272 Fed. 536. There is nothing in that record indicating what Judge Morton’s views would be on the questions with which I must deal. In effect, the plaintiffs seek a ruling that an insolvent swindler •cannot assent to the rescission of any of his swindling transactions without thus making his temporary victims unlawfully preferred creditors, assuming bankruptcy within four months and reasonable cause to believe him insolvent. I am constrained to reject that proposition.
The bills must each be dismissed, with costs.
Reference
- Full Case Name
- LOWELL v. BROWN, and five other cases. In re PONZI
- Cited By
- 12 cases
- Status
- Published