Stratton v. Lawson
Stratton v. Lawson
Opinion of the Court
The opinion of the court was delivered by
On the 25th day of February, 1900, D. N. Holden and Lizzie Holden, his wife, were adjudged bankrupts by the district court of the TJnite.d States for the district of Washington, Northern division, and, 'on March 9th, appellant was appointed trustee of their estate in bankruptcy and qualified as such trustee. Thereafter this action was brought in the state court against the respondent to set aside a deed of certain real estate executed and delivered by Holden and wife to respondent within four months prior to the time the petition in bankruptcy was filed. The cause was tried in the lower court and findings made in favor of defendant, and a judgment entered dis
The facts disclosed by the record are substantially as follows: The Holden & Wilson Furniture Company, a corporation under the laws of the state, had been engaged in a large furniture business in Seattle for a considerable time prior to December 1, 1900. D. N. Holden and one H. D. Thomas were the owners of all the stock in the corporation. Holden had agreed to purchase the interest owned by Thomas for $22,500. On November 5, 1900, Holden, under his agreement, was required to make a payment of $12,500 to Thomas. On this date Holden called upon respondent and explained to him that the Holden & Wilson Furniture Company was doing a large and prosperous business amounting to from $25,000 to $30,000 per month gross receipts, with a net profit of from $3,000 to $4,000; that he desired to borrow $11,500 for ten days, with which to purchase the stock of Thomas; that he could arrange to repay the money within the ten days and would not let respondent hold the certificates of the whole stock of the corporation as security for the repayment thereof; and if, at the expiration of ten days, Holden still desired the money as a loan, he and his wife would give- respondent a mortgage on certain real estate belonging to them individually. Respondent- examined the real estate and the stock of furniture belonging to the corporation, satisfied himself as to the profits of the business, and loaned Holden the $11,500 for ten days without interest, taking as security therefor the certificates of stock named for the limited time, but relying upon the promise of Holden to give the real estate security if the money was not repaid at the expiration of the ten days. Thereafter Holden was not able to repay the $11,500, and said to respondent that he had some bills
“If a bankrupt shall have given a preference within four months before the filing of a petition, or after the filing of the petition and before the adjudication, and the person receiving it, or to be benefited thereby, or his agent acting therein, shall have had reasonable cause to believe that it was intended thereby to give a preference, it shall be voidable by the trustee, and he may recover the property or its value from such person.”
It is agreed that respondent, at the time he advanced the money and took the mortgage, fully believed that the corporation and Holden and wife were each solvent and fully able to meet their obligations. The only question to be determined, therefore, is whether respondent had reasonable cause to believe that Holden and wife were insolvent at the time. Holden himself testifies, in substance, that he was solvent; that on the 3d day of December, the receiver, after going thoroughly over the books, informed him that his equity in the corporation was not less than $30,000, and that he believed that there was $30,000 or $40,000 more than sufficient to pay all the debts of the corporation. Respondent testified that at the time the $11,500 was loaned, and before the mortgage was given, he consulted the bookkeeper for the Holden & Wilson Furniture Company, and that the books showed a large business running from $25,000 to $30,000, with net profits of from $3,000 to $4,000 per month. There is nothing shown in the record as to the personal liabilities of Holden and
“The resultant of all these decisions we take to be this: That the creditor is not to be charged with knowledge of his debtor’s financial condition from mere non-payment of his debt, or from circumstances which give rise to mere suspicion in his mind of possible insolvency; that it is not essential that the creditor should have actual knowledge of, or belief in, his debtor’s insolvency, but that he should have reasonable cause to- believe his debtor to be insolvent; that if facts and circumstances with respect to the debtor’s financial condition are brought home to him such as would put an ordinarily prudent man upon inquiry, the creditor is chargeable with knowledge of the facts which such inquiry should reasonably be expected to disclose.”
Applying this rule to the present case, and conceding, for the argument, that respondent made no inquiry into the condition of the debtor at the time he loaned the money and at the time he received the security, yet it cannot be reasonably contended that he should have acquired information which Holden did not possess, or different information from that which the receiver acquired after carefully examining the books of account and taking an account of the stock of furniture on hand. This information was
“A person shall be deemed insolvent within the provisions of this act whenever the aggregate of his property, exclusive of any property which he may have conveyed, transferred, concealed, or removed, or permitted to be concealed or removed, with intent to defraud, hinder or delay his creditors, shall not, at a fair valuation, be sufficient in amount to pay his debts.”
The aggregate of all the property belonging to the. corporation at a fair valuation two days after the mortgage was executed and delivered was more than sufficient to pay all the debts of the corporation and $30,000, in excess thereof, which represented Holden’s equity therein. In the complaint filed against the corporation by a creditor having a claim of $1,184.50, it is alleged for the appointment of the receiver, “that the defendant is indebted to various other creditors in the sum of about $60,000; that its assets are of the value of about $100,000, and that defendant is threatened with litigation that may dissipate and destroy said assets and the business of defendant.” Respondent, even if he knew there were $77,000 in debts outstanding against the corporation, and that some of the creditors were pressing for their claims, cannot be reasonably chargeable with knowledge that Holden and wife were insolvent under the Bankruptcy Act, supra. If they were not insolvent, Holden cannot be charged with reasonable cause to believe that they were insolvent, or that a preference was intended when the mortgage was given, or that there was any intent on the part of the respondent to avoid the provisions of the bankruptcy law. Respondent naturally desired security for his money, and under the
The canse is therefore affirmed.
Reavis, C. J., and Dunbar, Anders, Fullerton, White and Hadley, JJ., concur.
Case-law data current through December 31, 2025. Source: CourtListener bulk data.