Palmer v. Morgan
Palmer v. Morgan
Opinion of the Court
delivered the opinion of the Court:
A motion has been made to dismiss the appeal upon the ground that it was not expressly authorized by the court. As pointed out by counsel for appellants, this motion was not made until more than three months after the printing of the record, and until after appellees had obtained ah extension of time to file their briefs upon the merits. We agree with appellants that the allowance of this appeal by the learned trial justice and the approval of the appeal bond “is equivalent to leave by the court to the receiver to take an appeal.” Farlow v. Kelley, 131 U. S. appx. cci, and 26 L. ed. 427. The motion is overruled.
Since no local statute is applicable, as in Thomas v. Matthiessen, 232 U. S. 221, 58 L. ed. 577, 34 Sup. Ct. Rep. 312, the law of Delaware,' by which this corporation was created, governs in measuring and enforcing the liability of a stockholder. Converse v. Hamilton, 224 U. S. 243, 56 L. ed. 749, 32 Sup. Ct. Rep. 415, Ann. Cas. 1913D, 1292; Royal Arcanum v. Green, 237 U. S. 531, 59 L. ed. 1089, L.R.A. 1916A, 771, 35 Sup. Ct. Rep. 724. Section 20 of the general incorporation law of that state declares that “when the whole capital stock of a corporation shall not have been paid in, and the assets shall be insufficient to satisfy the claim of its creditors, each stockholder shall be bound to pay on each share held by him the sum necessary to complete the amount of the par value of such share as fixed by the charter of the company or its certificate of incorporation, or such proportion of that sum as shall be required to satisfy the debts of the company.” [Del. Rev. Code 1915, § 1934.] It is further provided that this sum or proportion may be recovered as provided for in sec. 49 of the same act, “after a writ of execution against the corporation has been returned unsatisfied as provided for in section 51 of this act.” Section 51- ordains that no suit shall be brought against any director or stockholder for any debt of a corporation of which he is such director or stockholder, “until judgment be obtained therefor against such corporation and execution thereon re
In Butler v. New Keystone Copper Co. — Del. —, 93 Atl. 380 (Feb. 2, 1915), it was ruled that “a distribution of all the assets (of the corporation) would clearly be a winding up which could be done legally only in the method provided by law.” There is one jurisdiction only, that wherein this corporation was created, where a decree binding all the stockholders may be entered “against the corporation in a suit brought against it under the State law for the purpose of ascertaining its insolvency, compelling its liquidation, collecting sums due by stockholders for subscriptions to stock, and paying the debts of the corporation.” Royal - Arcanum v. Green, 237 U. S. 531, 544, 59 L. ed. 1089, 1101, L.R.A. 1916A, 771, 35 Sup, Ct. Rep. 724. In that jurisdiction, by subscribing to stock, they conferred on the corporation authority to represent them, whether they be residents or nonresidents, and such representation binds them. • In Selig v. Hamilton, 234 U. S. 652, 58 L. ed. 1518, 34 Sup. Ct. Rep. 926, an action was brought in New York to enforce the liability of a stockholder of an insolvent Minnesota corporation, an assessment having been made against him in
We are of the opinion that this is, in, substance and effect, an attempt to wind up a Delaware corporation in the District of Columbia, and as this may be done only in Delaware, where all the stockholders may be brought in and the ratable assessment of each determined, the decree must be affirmed, with costs;
Affirmed.
Reference
- Full Case Name
- PALMER v. MORGAN
- Status
- Published
- Syllabus
- Appeal and Error; Corporations. 1. Tbe allowance by the lower court of an appeal by receivers, and the approval of their appeal bond, is equivalent to leave by the lower court to the receivers to take an appeal, and such an appeal will not be dismissed by this court, especially when the motion to dismiss was not made until more than three months after the printing of the record in this court and after the appellees had obtained an extension of time in which to file their brief upon the merits. 2. In measuring and enforcing here the liability of a stockholder of a corporation created under the laws of a State, the laws of that State govern, where there is no local statute which is applicable. 3. A suit in this District by the creditor of an insolvent corporation created under the laws of a State, and which is brought in his own behalf and in behalf of all other creditors who may come in, for the appointment of a receiver of its assets and unpaid stock subscriptions, and which results in the appointment of receivers and the filing by them of a petition against all holders of unpaid stock and for an assessment against them requiring them to pay their full liability on their stock and to establish the liability of holders who have received their stock as a bonus, — is in substance and effect an attempt to wind up a foreign corporation in this District, which can be only done in the State of its creation, and is therefore not maintainable.