Davidson v. Chilberg
Davidson v. Chilberg
Opinion of the Court
In this action to compel a final accounting by respondent J. E. Chilberg and judgment for the amount
On July 7, 1910, the defendant J. E. Chilberg and the plaintiff, J. M. Davidson, entered into a contract containing the following terms: A recital that Davidson is indebted to the Scandinavian-American Bank in the sum of $28,875 and interest; is also indebted to William T. Perkins, and liable, together with Chilberg and W. H. Metson, as guarantors of certain indebtedness of the Kugarok Mining & Ditch Company. A recital that Davidson has transferred to Chilberg certain securities, later described, for the purpose of liquidating said indebtedness. A recital that there have been delivered to Chilberg the following securities: 50 shares New Washington Improvement Company, par value $5,000; 100 shares Hydraulic Contracting Company, par value $10,000; 100 shares Scandinavian-American Bank, par value $10,000; 49,399 shares Miocene Ditch Company; 2.000 shares of Goodro Mining Company; one-third of 501.000 shares Kugarok Mining & Ditch Company. A provision that Chilberg have power to sell such securities as follows: Stock of Scandinavian-American Bank at not less than $23,000; stock of Miocene Ditch Company to be sold to Pioneer Mining Company at fifty cents per share, payable one-eighth cash in November, 1910, one-eighth each year for seven years in notes payable to Chilberg or Scandinavian-American Bank. A provision that, out of the money received from such sales, Chilberg was to pay $7,500 to W. T. Perkins, pay in full Davidson’s indebtedness to the Scandinavian-American Bank, and apply the balance on any liability for which Davidson, Chilberg and Metson might be liable as guarantors for the Kugarok Mining & Ditch Company. A provision that the 50 shares of the New Wash
On June 10, 1913, another contract was entered into between Chilberg and Davidson containing the following terms: A recital of the execution of the contract of July 7, 1910, and transfer thereby of the interest of Davidson in the Kugarok Mining & Ditch Company. A recital of the authority to Chilberg to sell the interest of Davidson in the Kugarok Company. A recital that “the said J. E. Chilberg has negotiated a sale of all the interests of Davidson, Chilberg and Metson in the Kugarok Mining & Ditch Company, a corporation, whereby the said J. M. Davidson, J. E. Chil
Chilberg, during these transactions, was one of the chief executive officers of every one of the corporations, banks, mining companies and all which are involved in this case. He was trusted implicitly by Davidson, and the latter never knew what he did until long after it was done. This is substantially what occurred: In the' summer of 1910, immediately after the making of the first contract, Chilberg sold the Scandinavian-American Bank stock for $23,000, and the Mio.cene Ditch Company stock for $24,699.50, making a total of $47,699.50 that he received. Out of this he paid W. T. Perkins $7,500, the note of Davidson to the Scandinavian-American Bank of $29,127.30, and small loans to Davidson aggregating $600, making total disbursements amounting to $37,227.30. The balance is $10,372.20, which he admits that he has in his hands, and has had ever since 1910. The Hydraulic Contracting Company stock Chilberg never got, and the New Washington Hotel Company stock he returned to Davidson. He has in his hands undisposed of the Goodro Mining Company stock.
Respondent defended and claimed that the indebtedness as guarantor for the Kugarok Company had not been paid, and that the assets in his hands should be applied on the same.
The court found, that the agreements of July 7, 1910, and June 10, 1913, were entered into; that the indemnity or guaranty agreements therein referred to were executed as therein alleged; that the trustee, Chilberg, sold the stock of the Scandinavian-American Bank for $23,000, the amount shown by his accounting, and the Miocene Ditch Company stock for $24,699.50, the amount shown by his accounting; that the stock of the New Washington Improvement Company was returned to appellant at his request; that the stock of the Hydraulic Contracting Company and the Goodro Mining Company have not been sold; that the interests of appellant in the stock of the Kugarok Mining & Ditch Company had not been sold; that respondents, out of the proceeds of the sales made as above stated, paid the note of Perkins and the individual indebtedness of appellant, the Scandinavian-American Bank, and also approximately $600 loaned to appellant, leaving a balance in respondent’s hands, as trustee under the trust agreement, of $10,472.20, and concluded that respondent trustee should make all efforts to sell all unsold stock within five months.
“And it appearing to the court that in the event plaintiff in said two suits should prevail, then the matter of the said sum of $10,472.20, as well as said undisposed property covered by said trust will be practically determined, but, in the event defendant in said two actions should prevail, the defendant in this action shall then be at liberty to give the beneficiaries under said trust agreement notice of the fact that the subject-matter of the disposal of said $10,472.20 and said undisposed property, or the proceeds of the sale thereof, is hereby by the court in this action reserved for determination; and, should judgment be rendered in favor of defendant in said two actions, the same is not to be deemed as res adjudicata in this action as regards said trust property undisposed of, or the proceeds of the sale thereof, or*525 as regards said $10,472.20, but that question is hereby reserved for hearing and determination hereafter in this action, in the event defendant should prevail in said two actions. . . . That any disbursements made by defendant in this action, or any liability incurred by him, or any further liability which may be incurred by him in executing the trust conferred upon him by said agreement, be settled and determined whenever final decree shall be made and entered in this cause.”
Appellant alleges that the court erred, (1) in not charging Chilberg with interest since 1910 on the funds found to be remaining in his hands since that time; (2) in ordering the sale of the Hydraulic Contracting Company stock, Goodro Mining Company stock, and the Kugarok Mining & Ditch Company stock; (3) in assuming by its interlocutory decree to fix the effect of any judgments which might be rendered in the cases of Larson and Hanscome against him; and (4) in not entering a decree requiring the assets in Chilberg’s control delivered and paid over to appellant.
As to the first error, whether or not the trustee is liable for interest at the legal rate as demanded upon the $10,-472.20 admittedly in his hands since about July, 1910, depends upon whether or not appellant is entitled to have that fund paid over to him. If so, he is entitled to interest upon it.
This was not a general assignment for creditors out of which the action arose, but was a special assignment of certain properties to Chilberg as agent for the purpose of paying certain specified debts. As confidence and discretion were reposed, it created a special trust. The contract provided that, after the payment of the indebtedness of appellant to the Scandinavian-American Bank and the payment of his one-third of all the liabilities of the Kugarok Mining & Ditch Company, for which appellant is guarantor, together with J. E. Chilberg and W. H. Metson, any of the securities remaining unsold, or any of the assets thereby transferred or the proceeds of the sale thereof remaining, shall be transferred and returned to appellant.
We think the evidence amply justified a finding and conclusion contrary to that of the court below, viz.: that the trustee has either performed his trust or has violated it, and that the appellant is entitled to the distribution of the funds and property remaining in the trustee’s hands. The contract specifically, provided for the remaining property and funds to be paid over to appellant upon the consummation of the
As to the second error complained of, it suffices to say that the court erred in ordering the sale of any of the stock, for the reason that the trustee never had the Hydraulic Contracting Company stock and had no duty concerning it. The Kugarok Mining & Ditch Company stock is either sold or all the assets representing it sold, which amounts to the same thing, and the Goodro Mining Company stock, under the clear terms of the contract, .should be returned to the appellant upon the completion or violation of the terms of the agreement.
It is not necessary to determine the question whether the court had authority, as urged in the third ground of error, to assume in advance the effect of any judgments which might be rendered in the case of Larson and Hanscome against Davidson.
It is claimed by respondents that appellant should not recover in this action for the reason that he did not make the beneficiaries of the trust under the agreement of July 7, 1910, parties to his action, they having, it is shown, known of and assented to the assignment. These various beneficiaries are shown to be in this situation: One of them— Perkins—has been fully paid and has no further interest in the matter. The others are all companies in which Mr. Chilberg himself has a direct and, in some instances, controlling interest, such as president of the corporation. If they were entitled to have their rights adjudicated in this action, manifestly they had ample notice of the pendency of the action and of its object and could have intervened and set up their rights. Appellant’s rights herein depend wholly upon Chilberg as his agent and trustee. Under the clear terms of his contract and under the evidence of record, we are con
Judgment is so ordered. Reversed.
Ellis, C. J., Mount, and Chadwick, JJ., concur.
Case-law data current through December 31, 2025. Source: CourtListener bulk data.