# Opposition Brief — New York v. Gebhardt

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## Record

- **Collection:** Supreme Court brief
- **Document type:** Opposition Brief
- **Published:** January 1, 1947
- **Citation:** 331 U.S. 819

## Text

Index.

Summary statement
Facts
Opinions: Below
Argument

Point I. The estate of the Debtor is summarily
entitled to the return of its pledged property
in which petitioners have no pecuniary in-
terest; and the Eleventh Amendment is not

applicable 5
Answering Petitioners’ Brief 11
Answering Petitioners’ Point I ll
Answering Petitioners’ Point Il 12
Answering Petitioners’ Point III 14
Conclusion 16
Appendix ......... 17

TABLE OF CASES CITED.

Alfred v. Esser, 91 Colo. 466; 15 Pac. 2nd 714, 715 14

Alvord v. Ryan, 212 Fed. 83, CCA 8th ........................ 7
Autler, In re, 23 Fed. Supp. 796. ~.....—-------------------- 7
Bajardi, In re, 9 Fed. (2d) 797; cert. den. 270 U.S

GBD cannnnncennnnnanenenernaeonsnsevennemnensnnnnsenccenscsecsseenesenenecamncs 10
Cook County National Bank v. U. 5., 107 U.S. 49010
Davis v. Gray, 16 Wall. 203 .................-..-.-.-------... 10
Dunne v. Slade, 162 Md. 274; 159 A. Tol .........-.. 14

Kaour, In re, 72 Ked. (2d) 719, aff'd AQ U.S. 613 y
Gamble v. Daniel, 39 Fed. (2d) 44/, CC. h; ap
peal dismissed 281 U. 8. 709; cert: den 282 _

ey ae = :
Gladding v. Atchison, 44 R. L 69: 1b A. Fa 1g
Hopkins v. Clemson College, 221 U. 5. 600, BLS. Ct. ]
654, 55 L. Ed. 890, 35 L. R. N "OL S.) 243 Av
Hughes v. Murphy, Ine., 169 Mise. 239 -....... 16

ii.
Page
Libby v. Hopkins, 104 U. S. 303 6
May v. Henderson, 268 U. S. 108, 69 L. Ed. 871 .... 10, 14
Morris v. Windsor Trust Co., 213 N. Y. 27, 29 ........ 6, 15

Porter v. Beha, 12 Fed. (2d) 513, 517 -000... 10
Osborn v. U. S. Bank, 9 Wheat. 738 10
State Mineral Lease Commission v. Lawrence, 171

Miss. 442; 157 So. 897, 898 13
State of New York v. Gebhardt, et al., 151 Fed.

(2d) 802 9
Sterling v. Constantin, 287 U. S. 378, 393; 77 L. Ed.

375 13
Thompson v. Auditor General, 261 Mich. 624; 247

N. W. 360, 362 ... 14
Tindal v. Wesley, 167 U. S. 204 13
United States v. Lee, 106 U. S. 196, 215, 216 ........ 13

STATUTES CITED.

Bankrupcy Act, Section 68a 7
Bankruptcy Act, Section 74 9
Bankruptcy Act, Section 77 2
Civil Practice Act, Section 266 14
Grade Crossing Elimination Act ....... 7
Laws of N. Y. 1928, Chapter 678 8
N. Y. Workmen’s Compensation Law, §50, subd.

3 . 3, 5, 9
Remington on Bankruptcy (5th Edition, Vol. 4)

MITE siteakiebiiamntiidakiiess 4 6
U. 8S. Constitution, Eleventh Amendment ................... 5, 9

APPENDIX.

McKinney’s Consolidated Laws, Vol. 64, Part 2,
TIE slik seinen iaieinancieionentsiumnimane 17

_

ar

In THE

Supreme Court of the United States

October Term, 1946

No.

In THE MATTER

of
New York, Ontario AND WesTERN Rartway Com-
PANY,

Debtor,

Tur PEOPLE oF THE State oF New York, THE Drrec-
tor cF Drvision or Se_r Insurance, THE INDUSTRIAL
ComMissIONER and the WorkMEN’s CoMPENSATION
Boarp OF THE State or New York,

Petitioners,
against

Raymonp L. GepHarpt and Ferpinanp J. SIeEGHARDT,
as Trustees of the above named Debtor,
Respondents.

BRIEF IN OPPOSITION TO PETITION FOR WRIT
OF CERTIORARI.

Statement.

Petitioners pray for a writ of certiorari to review a
decree of the Circuit Court of Appeals for the Second
Cirenit entered January 13, 1947 (R. 72), which modi-
fied an order of the District Court of the United States

ee ee |

OP RERMENIOTIO r

?

, _

fo: the Southern District of New York, dated April 18,
1946, by eliminating the State of New York as a party
and providing for dismissal of the petition as to it, and,
as so modified, the order appealed from was affirmed
(R. 72). ;

Respondents, as Trustees of the property of the Debt-
or, undergoing reorganization under Section 77 of the
Bankruptcy Act, instituted a proceeding by petition in
the Bankruptcy Court for a turn over order with relation
to a security deposit of the Debtor, amounting to $160,000
par value of bonds, which prior to bankruptcy had been
deposited by the Debtor as security for the performance
of its obligations arising under the Workmen’s Compen-
sation Law of the State of New York (R. 42-49).

The crder to show cause annexed to said petition and
served with it was directed solely to the Director of Di-
vision of Self Insurance, The Industrial Commissioner
and the Workmen’s Compensation Board. The State of
New York was not included as a party (R. 41).

The parties against whom the order to show cause was
directed appeared by answer in which the People cf the
State of New York voluntarily joined. The answer is in
the nature of a demurrer, denying none of the allegations
of the petition, but raising a question as to the jurisdic-
tion of the Court (R. 55-56).

The order of the District Court followed in which the
securities, constituting the security deposit, were directed
to be turned over to said Trustees (R. 31, 32, 23). An
appeal] was taken from that order to the Cireuit Court of
Appeals for the Seeond Circuit, which appeal was dis-
missed on the jurisdictional ground that it was rot a
finel order.

The parties then entered into a stipulation as to the
facts to which stipulation various exhibits were annexed

a

as a part thereof (R. 9-26). The stipulation was sub-
mitted to the Court upon the further petition of said
Trustees praying for a summary order against the per-
son, persons or Board possessed of the security deposit,
which by then had been reduced to $80,055.03 by the
voluntary surrender to the Trustees of $79,944.97 par
value of securities (R. 25-27).

Said petition was followed by the order of the District
Court, dated April 18, 1946, requiring the persons pos-
sessed of the security deposit, consisting of specifically
described bonds, to surrender the same to said Trustees
(R. 7, 8). From that order an appeal was taken to the
Cireuit Court of Appeals (R. 4, 5), which resulted in a
mocified affirmance. It is from this decision of the Cir-
cuit Court that the petitioners seek a writ of certiorari.

b}

Facts.

The facts are fully set forth in said stipulation and in
the exhibits annexed to and forming a part thereof.

The salient facts are that these securities are the prop-
erty of the Debtor; and that long prior to the filing of
the Debtor’s petition for reorganization the Debtor de-
posited said securities with the Industrial Commissioner
of the State of New York pursuant to subdivision 3 of
Section 50 of the Workmen’s Compensation Law to pro-
vide the security contemplated by law necessary to es-
tablish the Debtor as a self-insurer (R. 10).

The Trustee of the Debtor’s property made due appli-
eaticn for the release and surrender of the security de-
posit. On January 27, 1944, the Director of Division of
Self Insurance, acting for the Commissioner of the De-
partment of Labor of the State of New York, advised
the Trustee bv letter to the effect that the Industrial
Commissioner had authorized and approved the release

Sa A PT

5 ADEM NG LEO IRTEM LIE LE

4

of the security deposit on certain conditions, namely:
that $79,944.97 be paid into the Aggregate Trust Fund;
that certain obligations and administrative expenses be
paid and that a self-insurance report be filed; and that
there be provided a self-insurance release policy in the
amount of $75,000 as security for the obligations arising
out of the self-insurance periods specified (R. 11, 12).

Ali the conditions imposed were complied with (R. 13,
14). Thereafter the Director of the Division of Self In-
surance, acting on the instructions of the Attorney-Gen-
eral, refused to turn over the deposit (R. 15).

Opinions Below.

The District Court by its unreported opinion, dated
September 20, 1945, held that the securities were de-
posited with the Industrial Commissioner for the specific
purpose of insuring the indemnification of the employees
of the Debtor for any liability to its employees, arising
under the provisions of the Workmen’s Compensation
Law; and that no right existed to dispose of the securi-
ties for any other purpose and that since all obligations
intended to be secured were fully satisfied and discharged
the Trustees presumptively are entitled to the return
thereof (R. 33-40; fol. 117).

The subsequent opinion by the District Court, also un-
reported, is merely an announcement of its decision (R.
9).

The Cireuit Court of Appeals rendered an opinion
which is reported in 158 Fed. (2d) 769.

5
ARGUMENT.
POINT I.

The estate of the Debtor is summarily entitled to
the return of its pledged property in which petitioners
have no pecuniary interest; and the eleventh amend-
ment is not applicable.

(a) The Industrial Commissioner received the deposit
for the specific purpose of securing the liability of the
Debtor to its employees for injuries arising under the
Workmen’s Compensation Law. Had the Debtor de-
faulted in that liability, of course, the deposit would have
been applicable to make good the awards to the em-
ployees. However, there was no such default. Instead,
the Director of Self Insurance designated the conditions
upon which the deposit would be surrendered and re-
turned. The District Court authorized the Trustees to
comply with those conditions. One was the payment of
$79,944.97 into the Aggregate Trust Fund to effect pay-
ment of the death claims. Another was the procurement
by the Trustees of a self-insurance release policy for
$75,000 to secure any contingent or future liability which
might arise with relation to injuries not resulting fatally.
Under the statute (§50, subdivision 3) that policy can
never be cancelled.

When the Trustees had fulfilled all of the conditions
imposed they were confronted with the manifestly unfair
position that the Industrial Commissioner would refuse
to discharge his fiduciary obligation and return the se-
curities because of the direction by the Attorney-General,
who undertook to divert the deposit to an obligation of
the Debtor entirely foreign to the subject-matter of Work-
men’s Compensation.

oe

a

6

Remington on Bankruptcy (5th Edition, Vol. 4), Sec-
tion 1447 states:

**§1447. Set-off by Pledgee of Excess Collateral
against Unsecured Claims—The application of sur-
plus collateral to a debt not secured by it is in
the nature of a conversion. When the trustee sues
to recover surplus collateral, the pledgee cannot
set off | counterclaims based on independent con-
tracts.

Cardozo, J., writing for the New York Court of Ap-
peals in Morris v. Windsor Trust Co. (213 N. Y. 27, 29),
said:

**T think the set-off is without sanction, either
statutory or equitable. A wrongdoer who has mis-
applied the subject of a trust is not entitled, either
under the Bankruptcy Act or under the rules of
equitable set-off, to apply a credit that belongs to
him in his own right in cancellation of his liability
as a fiduciary. * * *

‘**# * * This Court has many times held that a
contract of — creates a fiduciary relation be-
tween the pledgor and pledgee. * * * After the
debt secured by the pledge has been paid, the de-
fendant held the pledge without beneficial interest
or power of disposition. The one duty remaining
was to preserve it safely and return it to the
pledgor.”’

The Courts of the State of New York are not alone in
requiring faithful compliance with fiduciary obligations.

In Inbby v. Hopkins (104 U. S. 303) plaintiffs claimed
the right to set-off an unsecured debt due from Hopkins
against a sum of money remitted to plaintiffs by him with
directions to apply it on his mortgage debt. This the
plaintiffs refused to do and instead applied it on the un-
secured debt. The Court in its opinion (p. 308) said:

‘*Hopkins sent them the money and drafts, up-
on the faith and trust that they would be applied

—

according to his instructions. The refusal so to
apply them did not change the relations of the
parties to this fund, nor make that a debt which
before such refusal was a trust. To so hold would
be to permit a trustee to better his condition by
a refusal to execute a trust which he had assumed.”’

In Alvord v. Ryan (212 Fed. 83 C. C. A. 8th) it ap-
peared that Alvord prior to his adjudication as a bank-
rupt delivered over to the defendant the title and posses-
sion of certain cattle to secure and indemnify the defend-
ant for possible liability on an undertaking which he had
executed upon request. The condition upon which the de-
fendant might have become liable upon the undertaking
did not arise. She sought to set-off the value of the cat-
tle against an unsecured claim which she had against
the bankrupt, but the Court (p. 87) held that this she
was not permitted to do; that the defendant was the
trustee of the plaintiff and that her holding of the money
was not in the same right as was her holding of the
claim against him; that the latter was personal whereas
the former was fiduciary; that these were not mutual
credits within the meaning of Section 68a of the Bank-
ruptey Act; and that the right of set-off did not exist.

In re Autler (23 Fed. Supp. 756) is another case of
an attempted set-off of trust property to satisfy an in-
dividual claim against the bankrupt for breach of con-
tract. Our Secretary of War, when a District Judge for
the Southern District of New York, held that Section 68a
only has application where the bankrupt and the creditor
owe one another and does not apply where the bankrupt’s
property is in possession of a creditor as bailee or trus-
tee.

The effort to set-off the security deposit against an
obligation of the Debtor arising under the Grade Cross-
ing Elimination Act of the State of New York is un-
warranted under the rules of law or equity and is not

|

authorized or contemplated by the provisions of that stat-
ute (Chapter 678 of the Laws of 1928). Section 4, Sub-
divisions 2 and 3, of that statute provide for the repay-
ment of funds advanced to the railroad; and in the event
of failure or refusal of the railroad company to repay
the installments as they fall due the same may be re-
covered as provided by Subdivision 3 of that section,
which provides:

‘The comptroller may certify the amount or
amounts so due and payable to the board of super-
visors of the county or counties in which the
crossing is located, whereupon, it shall be the duty
of such board of supervisors to apportion the
amount or amounts so certified to the several towns
and cities in such county according to the assessed
valuation of the real property of such railroad
corporation or corporations or the successor or suc-
eessors thereof in such respective towns and cities
and to place the several amounts so apportioned on
the respective assessment rolls of such towns and
and cities and to issue its warrant or warrants
for the collection thereof. Thereupon it shall be-
come the duty of such towns and cities through
their proper officers to collect the respective several!
amounts so apportioned in the same manner as
other taxes are collected in such towns and cities
and when collected to pay the same to the county
treasurer of such county who shall thereupon pay
the same into the state treasury. Any amount so
levied shall thereupon become and be a first and
paramount lien upon all real property of such rail-
road corporation or corporations or the successor or
successors thereof within such respective towns and
cities.’’

The validity and effect of the foregoing provision was
before the Circuit Court of Appeals in a proceeding
wherein it was sought to be determined that the mortgage
liens upon the property of the Debtor had priority over
any lien created pursuant to the provisions of the stat-

|

ute; and it was held that the mortgages were subordinate
to the grade crossing lien.

State of New York v. Gebhardt, et al., 151 Fed.
(2d) 802.

There exists nothing in the statute referred to to give
any right to the State to the security deposit and nothing
therein justifies a breach by the State or by its repre-
sentatives of the provisions of the trust created by the
third subdivision of Section 50 of the Workmen’s Com-
pensation Law.

(b) Petitioners have no pecuniary interest in the secu-
rities and the Eleventh Amendment, therefore, has no
application. The claim to the contrary is without sub-
stance. Compliance with the summary order will have
no bearing or effect upon the political or property rights
of the State.

The Cireuit Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit
In re Faour (72 Fed. [2d] 719, aff’d 293 U. S. 613) con-
sidered a case where the debtors in bankruptcy had been
private bankers. Pursuant to the New York Banking Law
the state superintendent of banks had taken over all
their assets for the purpose of liquidation. Thereafter
petition was presented to the Federal Court for a com-
position under Section 74 of the Bankruptcy Act. The
Federal receiver then made application for summary or-
der to have the Superintendent of Banks turn over all
property and to account for any paid out. Chase, J.,
among other things, said:

‘«* * * Within its sphere the jurisdiction of a
eourt of bankruptcy is paramount, * * *”’

“The District Court sitting in bankruptey has
ample power to administer all of the property and
hy summary order to require the appellant to turn
it over to be administered.”’

aAcnintenn ttt Sy

ep

10

This Court in May v. Henderson (268 U. 8S. 111, 69
L. Ed. 871), reversed the Court of Appeals for the Ninth
Cireuit and sustained the District Court in summarily
directing the payment of money over to the trustee in
bankruptcy. The late Mr. Justice Stone, writing for this
Court, said at page 115:

«“* © © But property held or acquired by others
for account of the bankrupt is subject to a sum-
mary order of the court, which may direct an ac-
counting and a payment over to the trustee or
receiver appointed by the bankruptcy court, (Cases
cited.) * * * Courts of bankruptey do not permit
themselves to be ousted of jurisdiction by the mere
assertion of an adverse claim. * * * It may disre-
gard the assertion that the claim is adverse if, on
the undisputed facts, it appears to be merely color-
able. (Cases cited.)

““* * * Having assumed to take possession of the
property of the bankrupt for its account, it was
their legal dutv to turn the property or its pro-
ceeds over to the trustee in bankruptcy, or to ac-
count for their inability to do so by showing
either a disposition of it in performance of a legal
duty assumed toward the bankrupt or the bank-
rupt’s trustee, or by clothing themselves with the
protection of a claim adverse to the bankrupt,
which was not merely colorable.’’ (Italics sup-

plied.)
See also:

Hopkins v. Clemson College, 221 U. 8S. 656, 31 8.
Ct. 654, 55 L. Ed. 890, 35 L. R. A. (N. S.) 248.

Porter v. Beha, 12 Fed. (2d) 513, 517.

Cook County National Bank v. U. S., 107 U.S. 445.

Osborn v. United States Bank, 9 Wheat. 738.

Davis v. Gray, 16 Wall. 208.

In re Bajardi, 9 Fed. (2d) 797, cert. den. 270 U. Ss.
651.

Gamble v. Daniel, 39 Fed. (2d) 447, C. C. A. 8th
Cireuit; appeal dismissed 281 U. S. 705; cert.
den. 282 U. S. 484.

11

Answering Petitioners’ Brief.

The first two points of petitioners’ brief propound legal
doctrines with which this Court is not now concerned,
since they have no application under the facts as stipu-
lated. However, some observations and analysis of the
cases cited by petitioners may be helpful to the Court.

Petitioners’ Point I.

Notwithstanding the fact that the Court below dis-
missed the petition as against the State, the latter by
joining in the petition for the writ is still insistent upon
remaining in the proceeding as a party.

Petitioners say (p. 7) that the elimination of the State
as a party does not alter the fact that the suit is still
against the State, asserting that the immunity of the State
from suit cannot be circumvented by limiting the suit to
one against its officials. In support of this contention,
petitioners have cited several cases, beginning with
Louisiana v. Jumel.

None of these cases have any application. In each
the property involved was that in which the State had a
proprietary interest. The State, therefore, was the real
party against whom the relief was sought.

Petitioners say (p. 8) that the State has directed
its official to apply the property in question to an in-
debtedness owing by the Debtor and that the order of the
Court below is in direct conflict with these instructions by
reason of which it is said that the suit is actually against
the State. Several cases are cited in support of the con-
tention, beginning with the case of Lankford v. Platte
Iron Works. None are controlling nor have they any
application on the facts presented by this record. The

12

subject-matter of every one was something in which the
State had a proprietary interest. None of them held or
supported the position that the State has any legal
right to direct its officials to become wrongdoers in viola-
tion of a lawful decree.

Petitioners’ Point II.

The decision of the Cireuit Court of Appeals does not
conflict with any decision by this Court.

Great Northern Life Insurance Co. v. Read does not
support petitioners’ contention. This Court in its opinion
(p. 51) said that a State could not be controlled by
‘‘eourts in the performance of its political duties through
suits against its officials.’’

Ford Motor Co. v. Department of Treasury of the State
of Indiana was instituted by petitioner in the District
Court of the United States for the Southern District of
Indiana to compel a refund of gross income taxes paid to
the Department. Of course, the suit was one against the
State in which the latter had a direct pecuniary interest,
the subject-matter being taxes already paid into the
Treasury of the State as to which a refund was sought.

Kennecott Copper Corp. vr. State Tax Commission in-
volves the question as to the jurisdiction of the District
Court with relation to a suit instituted to recover taxes
illezally collected. Clearly the State was the real party
jn interest. Mr. Justice Reed, writing for the Court, said

(p. 673):

‘“‘This is a suit against the state. Utah has
established an adequate procedure for the recoverv
of taxes illegally collected. When the state collects
a tax under protest, the money is segregated and
held for the determination of the taxpayers’ rights
with provision for any deficiency for interest or
costs to be paid by the state.”’

13

Mine Safety Appliances Company v. Forrestal resulted
in a dismissal of the complaint in which it is held that
the United States was an indispensable party, Mr. Justice
Black, who delivered the opinion of the court, saying
(p. 167):

““* * * The sole purpose of this proceeding is to
prevent the Secretary from taking certain action
which would stop payment by the government of
money lawfully in the United States Treasury to
satisfy the government’s and not the Secretary’s
debt to the appellant.’’

In the Matter of State of New York this Court held
that whether a suit is one against a State is determined
‘“‘by the essential nature and effect of the proceeding,
as it appears from the entire record’’ (p. 500). The pro-
ceeding involved the question of liability for damage oc-
casioned while tugs were under charter to the Superin-
tendent of Public Works and it was held that the pro-
ceeding essentially was one against the State.

It is well settled that a suit against an officer or agent
of a State or of the United States is not necessarily a suit
against the State or the United States; and that where
the officer or agent makes claim to the contrary the burden
is upon him to show that the State is the real party in
interest; and that the Eleventh Amendment gives no im-
munity to officers or agents of a State withholding the
property of a citizen without authority of law.

Tindal v. Wesley, 167 U. S. 204.

Sterling v. Constantin, 287 U. S. 378, 393; 77 L.
Ed. 375.

U. S. v. Lee, 106 U. S. 196, 215, 216.

For decisions of State Courts holding to the same effect
see:
Gladding v. Atchison, 44 R. I. 69; 115 A. 423.

State Mineral Lease Commission v. Lawrence, 171
Miss. 442; 157 So. 897, 898.

—ys

14

Thompson v. Auditor General, 261 Mich. 624; 247
N. W. 360, 362.

Dunne v. State, 162 Md. 274; 159 A. 751.

Alfred v. Esser, 91 Colo. 466 ; 15 P. 2d 714, 715,

Petitioners’ Point III.

Petitioners say that the mere fact that the State claims
title to the fund was sufficient to deprive the Court of
jurisdiction, a position in conflict with the decision by this
Court in May v. Henderson, supra.

Siegel v. State of New York is one where the receiver
in bankruptcy surrendered a liquor license and became
entitled to a refund. The State, however, applied the
refund in payment of taxes due from the bankrupt.
There, however, the refund merely constituted a debt to
the bankrupt without any fiduciary relationship. Further-
more, the Liquor Law provided that on an application for
payment of a refund all taxes and penalties due the State
shall be deducted therefrom. No such provision is con-
tained in the Workmen’s Compensation Law.

Petitioners cite only a portion of Section 266 of the
Civil Practice Act as amended in 1936, which has the
effect of leaving the Court in the dark as to the purpose
and seope of the section. It follows:

**$266. Counterclaim defined.

‘*A counterclaim may be any cause of action in
favor of the defendants or some of them against
the plaintiffs or some of them, a person whom a
plaintiff represents or a plaintiff and another per-
son or persons alleged to be lable.”’

A mere definition of a eounterelaim is not calculated to
change the substantive law. The section prior to amend-
ment permitted a party to counterclaim a cause of ac-
tion which arose out of the same transaction set forth

eo

15

in the complaint or which was connected with the subject
of the action, except that a cause of action on contract
was the proper subject of counterclaim against any other
cause on contract. The amended definition of a counter-
claim includes any cause of action in defendant’s favor
against the plaintiff.

But there still must be a cause of action without which,
of course, there can be no counterclaim; and it must be a
cause of action of substance hefore it can be sued upon
or counterclaimed.

The position of petitioners that the decisions in Morris
v. Wmdsor Trust Company and Pink v. Title Guarantee
and Trust Co. are now impaired by reason of the
amended definition of a counterclaim is clearly unfounded.

The opinion of Cardozo, J., in the Morris case recog-
nized that the counterclaims probably did not come
within the enumerated classes of the statute, and the
dismissal of the counterclaims resulted rather from the
determination that the set-off was without any legal sanc-
tion and because the defendant was undertaking to repudi-
ate its fiduciary obligation by reason of which it was
referred to as a wrongdoer.

The reference in petitioners’ brief (p. 15) to the Pink
case is inaccurate and may well be misleading. A quota-
tion is set forth from page 172 of the prevailing oninion
and united with it without justification or reason is a
quotation from the dissenting opinion; and the assertion
is not well founded that the decision was limited to the
construction of former Section 266. Instead, the Court
was careful to point out that the claims of the parties
were not held in the same right (p. 176).

Kaufman v. Providence Savings Bank & Trust Co.
does not aid petitioners. There the plaintiff borrowed
money of the defendant on a note and put up securities

J

16

as collateral thereto. The owner of the note then sold
the collateral and plaintiff sued the noteholder for con-
version. The Court held that a set-off was proper, since
the debt owing by the maker of the note was admittedly
overdue and unpaid at the time of the suit. Obviously
no criticism can be directed against the conclusion of the
Court. If the debtor here had defaulted on its work-
men’s compensation obligations, the Industrial Commis-
sioner could have disposed of the security deposit to
satisfy those obligations. That was the very purpose in
making the deposit.

See:
Hughes v. Murphy, Ine., 169 Mise. 239.

CONCLUSION.

It is respectfully submitted that no question is pre-
sented which warrants a review by this Court, and it is
urged that the petition be denied.

Dated, April 12, 1947.

ELBERT N. OAKES,
Attorney for Respondents,
39 Broadway,
New York, New York.
White & Case,
Attorneys for Bankers Trust Co. as Trustee,
14 Wall Street,
New York, New York.
Willkie, Owen, Otis, Farr & Gallagher,
Attorneys for New York Trust Company, as Trustee,
15 Broad Street,
New York, N. Y.
Kaye, Scholar, Fierman & Hays,
Attorneys for Independent Group of Bondholders,
149 Broadway,
New York, N. Y.

17

APPENDIX.

Vol. 64, Part 2 of McKinney’s Consolidated Laws:

**$50. Security for payment of compensation.

‘‘An employer shall secure compensation to
his employees in one of the following ways:

ied * * #

9 *? ¢

**3. By furnishing satisfactory proof to the com-
missioner of his financial ability to pay such com-
pensation for himself, in which case the commissioner
shall require the deposit with the commissioner of
such securities as the commissioner may deem nec-
essary of the kind prescribed in subdivisions one,
two, three, four and five, and paragraph a of sub-
division seven of section two hundred and thirty-
nine of the banking law, in an amount to be de-
termined by the commissioner to secure his lia-
bility to pay the compensation provided in this
chapter. The commissioner may also require an
agreement on the part of an employer to pay any
awards commuted under section twenty-seven of this
chapter, into the special fund of the state fund, as a
condition of his being allowed to remain uninsured
pursuant to this section. The commissioner shall
have the authority to deny the application of an
employer to pay such compensation for himself or
to revoke his consent furnished, under this section
at any time, for good cause shown. The employer
qualifying under this subdivision shall be known
as a self-insurer.

‘‘If for any reason the status of an employer
under this subdivision is terminated, the security
bond deposit referred to herein shall remain in the
custody of the industrial commissioner for a pe-
riod of at least twenty-six months. At the expira-
tion of such time or such further time period as the
commissioner may deem proper and warranted un-
der the circumstances, and so designates, the com-
missioner may accept in lieu thereof, and for the

Pane teas

18

additional purpose of securing such further and
future contingent liability as may arise from prior
injuries to workers and be incurred by reason of
any change in condition of such workers warranting
the industrial board making subsequent awards for
payment of additional compensation, @ policy of
ansurance furnished by the employer, his heirs or
assigns or others carrying on or liquidating such
business. Such policy shall be in a form approved
by the superintendent of insurance and issued by
the state fund or any insurance company licensed
to issue this class of insurance in this state. It
shall only be issued for a single complete premium
payment in advance by the employer. Jt shall be
given in an amount to be determined by the indus-
trial commissioner and when issued shall be non-
cancellable for any cause during the continuance
of the liability secured and so covered.’’ (Italics
supplied. )

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Source: Frix Law Library, https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/documents/brief%3Amicro_IA40386416_1079%3A2. Public record. Not legal advice.
