Public-domain · open source
OpenJurist

275 F. 612

Docket No. 3767.

Brown v. Camp

Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals

Decided October 12, 1921.)

Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals · decided 1921-10-12

<p>Petition to Superintend and Revise from the District Court of the United States for the Northern District of Georgia; Samuel II. Sibley, Judge. _</p> <p>_ Petition in bankruptcy for allowance of a mortgage lieu by Herbert S. Brown and others, opposed by R. T. Camp, trustee in bankruptcy of John E. Brown, bankrupt. Order denying claim sustained, and claimants bring petition to superintend, and revise.</p>

Cited by 2 later decisions — most recently March 1971

1 federal appellate ·

2 counsel of record

Relies on Stewart v. Jaques · 20 Ga. App. 49 - Reynolds v. Tifton Guano Co.

Good law ✅— No negative treatment on recordhow we know

Petition denied · Decided 1921-10-12

View the full empirical analysis of this case →

¶11. Chattel mortgages <S=>47—Description held too indefinite.

¶2A chattel mortgage from father to son, describing the property mortgaged as “sufficient amount of lumber, shingles, brick, roofing, and cement in my possession,” was void as to judgment creditors for indefiniteness of description.

¶3<§=oFor other cases see same topic & KEY-NUMBER in all Key-Numbered Digests & Indexes

¶4*6132. Evidence (3)—Parol evidence iiiadmissiMe against trustee to show intent as to inilefinitely described snocigaged property.

¶5As against a trustee in bankruptcy, parol etidenee was inadmissible to show the intention of the mortgagee and bankrupt mortgagor as to the property intended to be covered by an indefinite description in a chattel mortgage.

¶6other eases see same topic & KEY-NUMBER in all Key-Numbered Digests & Indexes

¶7Petition to Superintend and Revise from the District Court of the United States for the Northern District of Georgia; Samuel II. Sibley, Judge. _

¶8_ Petition in bankruptcy for allowance of a mortgage lieu by Herbert S. Brown and others, opposed by R. T. Camp, trustee in bankruptcy of John E. Brown, bankrupt. Order denying claim sustained, and claimants bring petition to superintend, and revise.

¶9Petition denied.

¶10Stephen C. Upson, of Athens, Ga., for petitioner.

¶11Before WALKER, BRYAN, and KING, Circuit Judges.

¶12BRYAN, Circuit Judge.

¶13John E. Brown executed to his son, the petitioner herein, a mortgage note; the description of the property mortgaged being:

“Sufficient amount of lumber, shingles, brick, roofing, and cement in my possession.”

¶14Thereafter the said John E. Brown was adjudicated a bankrupt. Petitioner sought to set up and establish the lien of the mortgage, which the referee declined to permit him to do. The action of the referee was confirmed by the District Judge. The ground upon which a mortgage lien was held not to exist was that the description of the property attempted to be mortgaged was too vague, uncertain, and indefinite. The referee also declined to allow parol evidence upon the question of what property was intended by the mortgagor and mortgagee to be described.

¶15j 1 ] Under the amendment of 1910 (Comp. St. § 9631) a trustee in bankruptcy is vested with the rights and remedies of a creditor holding a lien by legal or equitable proceedings. This mortgage would have been void as against a judgment creditor. Reynolds v. Tifton Guano Co., 20 Ga. App. 49, 92 S. E. 389, and cases there cited. We are of opinion that a “sufficient amount” is not equivalent to all of the mortgagor’s property attempted to he described in the mortgage. The mortgage does not purport to cover all the property, but only a portion less than the whole of it. The fact that several articles were mentioned only serves to make the indefmiteness more pronounced.

¶16[2] Whatever the rule is as to the admissibility of parol evidence of the intention of the parties, mortgagor and mortgagee, where the rights of third parties are not involved, their understanding, except as expressed in the mortgage, could have no effect upon the power of the trustee in bankruptcy to assert the lien secured to a creditor or innocent purchaser. Stewart v. Jaques, 77 Ga. 365, 3 S. E. 283, 4 Am. St. Rep. 86.

¶17The petition to superintend and revise is denied.

/275/f1d/612 · .json · Public domain