Lee v. Commonwealth Trust Co.
Lee v. Commonwealth Trust Co.
Opinion of the Court
Opinion by
Plaintiff appeals from a decree of the Court of Common Pleas of Allegheny County dismissing a bill brought to compel the surrender of certain shares of capital stock and for an injunction restraining their transfer to third persons on the ground that defendants fraudulently acted concerning their disposal in violation of an express agreement with plaintiff.
In 1909, John A. Howard, S. W. Harper and W. C. Handlan, three of defendants, undertook the task of consolidating a number of independent telephone companies doing business in the States of West Virginia, Ohio and Pennsylvania. Their plan involved the acquisition of a controlling interest in the capital stock of more than eleven companies, which stock was to be held by a company to be organized under the name of the National Telephone Corporation. For the purpose of carrying out this plan, a syndicate was formed by an agreement executed in 1909 between Howard, Harper and Handlan as parties of the first part and ten other persons designated as parties of the second part. It was provided inter alia that the new company should issue bonds to the amount of ten million dollars, which were to be secured by the capital stock of the various companies to be consolidated and the proceeds of the sale of such bonds used to pay for the stock and liquidate the indebtedness of the various companies taken over and furnish money for the general purposes of the business. The parties to the syndicate agreement each agreed to pay to the person chosen to act as treasurer the sum of $21,250.00, which fund was required immediately to acquire the stock of certain of the companies. In return
Plaintiff’s action is based on the allegation that this part of the agreement was not carried out by Howard
The agreement made by Howard for the purchase of 15,000 shares of the capital stock of the Pittsburgh and Allegheny Telephone Company from Hall and also the other agreement referred to above, were assigned to the National Telephone Corporation, which company assumed all the liabilities of Howard under the contracts.’ Howard received no benefit and made no profit thereon, the transaction being merely a part of the consolidation scheme in which he acted as promoter, and of which Hall had full knowledge. No part of the consideration was at any time paid by Howard to Hall but on May 8, 1909, a check for $10,000.00 on account was given him by the syndicate treasurer; on May 20th, a like check for $26,395.47 was given and on the same date, notes for $170,000.00 of one of the companies to be consolidated were given to Hall as further payment. The several other notes of Hall’s, which were outstanding, and for which his stock was pledged as collateral to various banks and trust companies, were also assumed by the syndicate. In a number of cases the new company substituted its own notes for those of Hall, but two notes, one for $200,000.00 and another for $72,000.00, were given to Hall and endorsed by him, that being the only condition on which the bank would surrender the old note and release the stock. Part of the relief asked for by plaintiff in his bill, is that he be released from liability on these two notes.
Each transaction in regard to the payment of stock bought by Howard was between Hall and the syndicate, and all payments were made direct to Hall, the parties treating the transaction as if the agreement had been made direct between Hall and the syndicate. Hall then
In 1909, the National Telephone Corporation executed a mortgage which was a lien on all the stock of the various companies held by the consolidated company, including the shares of the companies received from Hall. Later in the same year, Hall received 2,500 shares of the preferred stock of the new company, and, in 1910, 1,000 additional shares of that company, and on this stock he received two dividends. In July, 1910, receivers were appointed for the National Telephone Corporation by the United States District Court of West Virginia, whereupon, Hall tendered back his stock of that company and demanded a return of his Pittsburgh and Allegheny shares, which was refused. This latter stock was subsequently sold under foreclosure proceedings on the. mortgage given by the National Telephone Corporation and purchased by J. H. Vercoe, who previous to the sale was given notice of the plaintiff’s claim and subsequent to purchasing the stock was made a party to the bill. Having filed no answer a decree pro confesso was entered against him. No final order has been entered on that decree, consequently that matter is not before the court on this appeal. The court dismissed the bill as to the other defendants.
The court below found as a fact that Hall was aware that the 5,500 shares, which Howard agreed to dispose of for him, were transferred to the new company and placed under the lien of the general mortgage given by that company, and, with this knowledge, he received a part of the consideration for the stock. The court also found Hall was cognizant of the turning over by Howard of his contract for the purchase of the 15,000 shares of Pittsburgh and Allegheny Company stock to the new company. In fact, it is not disputed that Hall was aware that the new company had assumed liability there
Under this view of the case, it is unnecessary to discuss the question of whether a partnership existed among defendants.
The decree is affirmed at appellant’s costs.
Case-law data current through December 31, 2025. Source: CourtListener bulk data.