Crawford v. LeFevre
Crawford v. LeFevre
Opinion of the Court
The decree appealed from dissolved a temporary injunction restraining the sale of twenty shares of the capital stock of the Peoples Trust Company of Martinsburg, W. Va., held by the defendant as collateral security for a debt due him from the plaintiff, on three grounds: (1) that the debt was not due; (2) that no opportunity to redeem had been allowed; and (3) that the notice of sale was defective and insufficient.
The subject matter of the bill was not the general or ultimate right of sale of the shares, but the particular áttempt to sell them therein alleged, under conditions and circumstances which, it is argued, did not confer right of sale, and upon a notice alleged to be insufficient for lack of personal service and brevity of time. Right to make a sale under conditions warranting it and upon sufficient notice was not denied, nor did it preclude right to judicial relief against the attempt complained of, if right of sale had not accrued, or, having accrued, the proceedings in the exercise thereof were invalid. As this bill was directed to a particular attempt at sale, it is not perceived how judicial knowledge of a possible accrual of a subsequent right of sale could have put an end to the controversy. That view would deny relief against an illegal sale in every instance of right to make a legal sale. Hence, the motion to dismiss is clearly not well founded.
Crawford’s note to LeFevre for $4,000.00 for payment of
Notwithstanding this delay of more than three months, the authorities do not sustain the view of acceptance of the renewal note. Though the retention of the new note was unreasonable, the old one was likewise retained, wherefore the debtor had no right to assume acceptance of his proposition of renewal. Delay in decision was all he had any right to assume. Lebanon National Bank v. Long, 220 Pa., 556; Allentown National Bank v. Clay Products Co., 217 Pa., 128.
The pledge of the certificate of stock was informal. There was no special contract authorizing sale thereof without notice. If allowance of a reasonable period for redemption was necessary, it is apparent that no opportunity for redemption before advertisement of the sale was afforded the debtor. His renewal note was returned one day and the sale advertisement published in a newspaper the next. An allowance of opportunity to redeem, after notice so to do, is a condition precedent to right of sale. Alexandra etc. R. Co. v. Burke et als., 22 Gratt. 254; 2 Kent’s Com. 582; Stearns v. Marsh, 4 Denio, 227; Tucker v. Wilson, 1 P. Wms. 261; Lockwood v. Ewer, Glanville, lib. 30, c 6. After that, there must be reasonable
Disallowance of an opportunity to redeem and lack of sufficient notice of sale should have constrained the court to leave the injunction in force and perpetuate it, unless the defendant should overcome the prima facie case against him by showing notice to redeem had been given and the debtor apprised of the time and place of sale, at least ten days before the date thereof.
Hence, the decree complained of will be reversed, the injunction reinstated and the cause remanded.
Reversed and remanded.
Reference
- Full Case Name
- W. H. Crawford v. O. B. LeFevre
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- 1 case
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- Published