WM. W. JACKSON, APPELLANT,
v.
H. W. WADE MANUFACTURING COMPANY, INC., A CORPORATION, APPELLEE

Fla. | 1931-09-19
Ellis and Brown, J.J., concur., Whitfield, P. J., and Terrell and Davis, J.J., concur in the opinion and judgment.
102 Fla. 970 Florida Supreme Court (1931) Positive Treatment
Also reported at: 136 So. 689
Cited by 13 cases

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Synopsis

The Florida Supreme Court reversed an order appointing a receiver over personal property claimed under a chattel mortgage/conditional sales contract. The court held that a vendor who retains title to property sold under a conditional sales contract cannot pursue both repossession and a debt judgment simultaneously, and the complaint failed to clearly establish which remedy was being sought.


Holding

The court held that a vendor retaining title under a conditional sales contract cannot pursue both repossession and a debt judgment, and therefore Wade's complaint failed to state sufficient grounds for appointment of a receiver because it did not clearly indicate which remedy Wade intended to pursue.


Key Quotes

“Where the vendor of personal property holds a conditional sales contract with the vendee in which the vendor reserves the title to the property and retains the right upon the failure of the vendee to make the stipulated payments to retake possession of the property the vendor cannot after exercising his rights to retake the property continue the pursuit of the purchaser on the debt. He cannot have both the remedy of retaking possession of his property and a suit to enforce the debt for the purchase price.”

Establishes the fundamental rule that a vendor under a conditional sales contract must choose between one remedy (repossession) or the other (debt collection), not both

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Facts & Procedural History

Wade Manufacturing Company sold restaurant fixtures to Jackson and Harrison under a retain-title contract and claimed a chattel mortgage lien on the p…

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Opinion of the Court
Buford, C.J.

Buford, C.J.

— The appeal here is from an order appointing a receiver to take possession of certain personal property upon which the complainant claimed a chattel mortgage lien. The complainant sold Jackson and Harrison certain fixtures for a restaurant and retained the title to the fixtures sold. Harrison sold out his interest to Jackson. Jackson filed petition in bankruptcy and there was set aside to him as his homestead exemption the personal property here sought to be subjected to foreclosure.

The only language in the retain title contract which *971could have been construed to have given the complainant any lien upon the property upon which it seeks foreclosure is:

“and all other furniture, fixtures and accessories comprising the complete store equipment and located in the store of the undersigned in Hollywood, Florida”.

Appellant bases his claim of lien on this language contained in the conditional sales contract. This language could be construed to create a lien upon that property which had later been set side to the bankrupt as exempt on account of homestead rights if the instrument is to be treated as a chattel mortgage.

The bill of complaint on its face indicates that the complainant does not propose to treat' the retain title contract as a mortgage as to that property sold by the complainant to the defendant and his former partner but it is apparent that complainant proposes to retake that property and in addition thereto to pursue the defendant for the value of it.

In Helton v. Sinclair, 93 Fla. 1121, 113 South. Rep. 568, this Court reiterated what had often before been held, and said:

“Where the vendor of personal property holds a conditional sales contract with the vendee in which the vendor reserves the title to the property and retains the right upon the failure of the vendee to make the stipulated payments to retake possession of the property the vendor cannot after exercising his rights to retake the property continue the pursuit of the purchaser on the debt. He cannot have both the remedy of retaking possession of his property and a suit to enforce the debt for the purchase price.”

Such facts however are not alleged in the bill of complaint to clearly show what course has been pursued or is to be pursued as to the other property described in the contract and alleged to have been purchased from the complainant. The bill showing upon its face that it is brought only to foreclose on a part of the property de*972scribed in tbe contract should show the right to such foreclosure. The right does not exist if the property for the purchase price of which the notes and contract were given has been retaken under retention of title by the vendor.

We find no sufficient basis in the bill of complaint for relief prayed and, therefore, no basis for the appointment of a receiver by a court of chancery.

The order appealed from should be reversed with directions that complainant be allowed to amend its bill within a short time to be fixed by the Chancellor and failing to do so the bill be dismissed. It is so ordered.

Reversed.

Ellis and Brown, J.J., concur.

Whitfield, P. J., and Terrell and Davis, J.J., concur in the opinion and judgment.

Brown, J.

(Concurring) :There is- nothing in the instrument here in question to show that it was a mortgage on any of the property therein, as was the case in Mizell Live Stock Co. v. McCaskill Co., 59 Fla. 322, 51 So. 547. It is clearly, on its face, a conditional sales contract, retaining title in the vendor. Without any language indicating an intention to create a mortgage, I cannot see how the mere inclusion in the description of the property of certain articles which were not sold by the vendor to the vendee could change the character of the instrument.

Concurrence
Brown, J.

Brown, J.

(Concurring) :There is-nothing in the instrument here in question to show that it was a mortgage on any of the property therein, as was the case in Mizell Live Stock Co. v. McCaskill Co., 59 Fla. 322, 51 So. 547. It is clearly, on its face, a conditional sales contract, retaining title in the vendor. Without any language indicating an intention to create a mortgage, I cannot see how the mere inclusion in the description of the property of certain articles which were not sold by the vendor to the vendee could change the character of the instrument.


Cases With Similar Vibessemantic neighbors from the corpus


Citator

Cited By

  • State v. Culbreath, 128 Fla. 210 (Fla. 1937)
    …v. Thomas, 101 Fla. 1015, 132 South. Rep. 824; Jordan v. State, 100 Fla. 494, 129 South. Rep. 747; Anderson v. Board Pub. Inst., 102 Fla. 695, 136 South. Rep. 334; Pierce v. State, ex rel. Trustees Special Tax School District No. 23, 103 Fla. 1032, 136 South. Rep. 689. We are not concerned in this case with the validity of any classification of counties which might convert a similar statute into a general statute resting upon a sound classification because in the case before us the Act, Chapter 16461, supra, doe…
  • …s approved. The result of the appeal was a reversal of the Chancellor’s order appointing a Receiver. The complainant was allowed time to amend its hill, failing to amend that the bill should be dismissed. See Jackson v. Wade Mfg. Co., 102 Fla. 970, 136 South. Rep. 689. While the case was pending in the Supreme Court, the Receiver made his report to the Chancellor, showing that he had obtained two hundred and sixty dollars as rental for the property, had expended sixty-three and had left on hand a balance of one…
  • …. 785;) Baer, et al., v. General Motors Acceptance Corporation, 101 Fla. 913, 132 Sou. 817; Commercial Credit Co. v. Miller, 111 Fla. 554, 149 Sou. 482; Helton, et ux., v. Sinclair, 93 Fla. 1121, 113 Sou. 568; Jackson v. Wade Mfg. Co., 102 Fla. 972, 136 Sou. 689, and cases cited in these opinions. At the time this suit was filed there was no chattel mortgage' in existence in favor of McCampbell .Furniture Stores, Inc. That mortgage was made, executed and delivered four days later, to-wit July 28, 1928, and…

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