Bryant v. Swofford Bros. Dry Goods Co., 214 U.S. 279 (1909). · Go Syfert
Bryant v. Swofford Bros. Dry Goods Co., 214 U.S. 279 (1909). Cases Citing This Book View Copy Cite
206 citation events (6 in the last 25 years) across 34 distinct courts.
Strongest positive: In Re Varona (vaeb, 2008-05-22)
Treatment trajectory · 1909 → 2026 · click a year to view as-of
1909 1967 2026
Top citers, strongest first. 12 distinct citers. How cited ↗
cited Cited as authority (rule) In Re Varona
Bankr. E.D. Va. · 2008 · confidence medium
Dry Goods Co., 214 U.S. 279, 290, 291 , 29 S.Ct. 614 , 53 L.Ed. 997 (1909)).
discussed Cited as authority (rule) Urban Properties Corporation v. Benson (2×)
9th Cir. · 1940 · confidence medium
Bryant v. Swofford Bros., 214 U.S. 279, 290, 291 , 29 S.Ct. 614 , 53 L.Ed. 997 ; Thompson v. Fairbanks, 196 U.S. 516, 522 , 25 S.Ct. 306 , 49 L.Ed. 577 .
discussed Cited as authority (rule) Bailly v. Loock
Cal. Ct. App. · 1930 · confidence medium
“Where the -contract was one of conditional sale the reservation of title in. the seller until payment for the property is made, will prevent the title from passing to the trustee, although the goods were in the possession of the bankrupt.” The text as thus stated in Corpus Juris, is sustained by the authorities cited. *229 In Bryant v. Swofford, Bros., 214 U. S. 279, 291 [ 53 L.
discussed Cited as authority (rule) In re C. J. Gelatt & Son
M.D. Penn. · 1928 · confidence medium
The right of possession or property may be thus reserved notwithstanding the delivery of the goods to the buyer or to a carrier or other bailee for the purpose of transmission to the buyer.” Section 4 of the Pennsylvania Conditional Sales Act of 1925 (P. L. 603) provides: “Every provision in a conditional sale, reserving property in the seller after possession of the goods is delivered to the buyer, shall be valid as to all persons, except ias hereinafter otherwise provided.” In Bryant v. Swofford Bros., 214 U. S. 279 , on page 289, 29 S. Ct. 614, 617 ( 53 L.
cited Cited as authority (rule) Burroughs Adding MacH. Co. v. Bogdon
8th Cir. · 1925 · confidence medium
If the contract here is a conditional sale, then it had, under the Colorado decisions (which govern in this character of question, Bryant v. Swofford, 214 U. S. 279, 290, 291 , 29 S. Ct. 614 , 53 L.
cited Cited as authority (rule) Industrial Finance Corp. v. Capplemann
4th Cir. · 1922 · confidence medium
Ed. 613 ; Bryant v. Swofford Bros., 214 U. S. 279, 290, 291 , 29 Sup. Ct. 614, 53 L.
cited Cited as authority (rule) In re Bettman-Johnson Co.
6th Cir. · 1918 · confidence medium
A. 6); Bryant v. Swofford Bros., 214 U. S. 279, 290, 291 , 29 Sup. Ct. 614, 53 L.
cited Cited as authority (rule) Anderson v. Oklahoma Moline Plow Co.
8th Cir. · 1917 · confidence medium
Ed. 285 ; Bryant v. Swofford Brothers, 214 U. S. 279, 290, 291 , 29 Sup. Ct. 614, 53 L.
cited Cited as authority (rule) Galbraith v. First Nat. Bank
8th Cir. · 1915 · confidence medium
A. 23 , affirmed 214 U. S. 279 , 29 Sup. Ct. 614, 53 L.
cited Cited as authority (rule) Mishawaka Woolen Mfg. Co. v. Westveer
6th Cir. · 1911 · confidence medium
Ed. 782 ; Bryant v. Swofford, 214 U. S. 279, 290, 291 , 29 Sup. Ct. 614, 53 L.
cited Cited as authority (rule) In re Wall
E.D. Okla. · 1910 · confidence medium
Rep. 111, 29 Sup. Ct. 614, 53 L.
discussed Cited "see" Vanston Bondholders Protective Committee v. Green (2×)
SCOTUS · 1947 · signal: see · confidence high
See Bryant v. Swofford Bros., 214 U. S. 279, 290-91; Benedict v. Ratner, 268 U. S. 353 ; Security Mortgage Co. v. Powers, 278 U. S. 149 .
Retrieving the full opinion text from the archive…
Bryant, Trustee of Newton & Co., Bankrupts,
v.
Swofford Bros. Dry Goods Co.
Supreme Court of the United States.
May 24, 1909.
214 U.S. 279
Mr. William H. Arnold, with whom Mr. Jaimes K. Jones was on the brief, for appellant:, Mr. Ernest S. Ellis, with whom Mr. Edgar C. Ellis was on the brief, for appellee
Moody.
notes and accounts mentioned. The demand was refused
Mb. Justice Moody,

after making the foregoing statement, delivered the opinion of the court.

The • merchandise which was delivered by Swofford Bros. Dry Goods Co. to E. M. Newton & Co. was delivered under the terms of a written contract. That contract provided that the title to the goods until their sale; and to the proceeds derived from their sale, whether in the form of cash, notes or book accounts, should be and remain in the Dry Goods Company. The contract gave the Newtons the right to sell the goods in the ordinary course of business, but, as has been said, provided that the proceeds of the sale, in .whatever form they existed, should be the property of the Dry Goods Company. When the Newtons became insolvent and ceased- business they, in recognition of the obligations due from them under this contract, returned to the Dry Goods Company, that part of their goods which remained unsold. The character and marks of the goods rendered) them capable of being identified and separated. They turned over at the same time, as and for the notes and accounts representing the proceeds of sales of the company’s goods, certain notes and customers’ accounts. It was found as a fact that one-half in amount of these notes and accounts represented the proceeds of sales of other goods than those dehvered under the contract. It, therefore, now appears, if it is competent to show it, that this one-half of the[*290] notes and accounts did not belong to the Dry Goods Company, and ought not to have been turned over to it, and that, on the contrary, they should have gone into the estate of the Newtons, who subsequently became bankrupt. Three days after the surrender of this property the Newtons, on their voluntary petition, were adjudged bankrupts and the appellant was appointed receiver. . He demanded of the Dry Goods Company the possession of the goods, notes and accounts mentioned, but the demand was refused. Subsequently a written contract was entered into between the Dry Goods Company and the receiver, with the approval of the referee. No' fraud, or deceit induced the making of this contract.. By its terms the Dry Goods Company, on its part, surrendered the goods, notes and accounts to the receiver, and agreed that he might dispose of them in connection with the assets of. the estate, and that the proceeds of the property thus disposed of should be held in lieu of it to abide the determination of a court of-competent jurisdiction. The receiver, ón the other hand, agreed that the goods, notes and accounts were in the actual and adverse possession of the Dry Goods Company, and that the goods were part of those delivered to the Newtons under the contract between them and the Dry Goods Company before referred to, and that the notes and. accounts were the proceeds of other goods delivered under that contract. Subsequently, the receiver was appointed- trustee and sold the goods and collected a part of the notes and accounts. The proceeds of the goods, and of the collections are held to await the .result- of this litigation, which is in.the form of an intervening petition of the Dry Goods Company.

We think it clear that the contract under which the goods were delivered to the Newtons was one of conditional sale. Harkness v. Russell, 118 U. S. 663; Wm. W. Bierce, Ltd., v. Hutchins, 205 U. S. 340. There is nothing in the nature of this contract which would forbid the parties from entering into it, if it is valid by the laws of, the State where, made, but in bankruptcy the construction and validity of such a contract must be[*291] determined by the'local laws of the State. Thompson v. Fairbanks, 196 U. S. 516; Humphrey v. Tatman, 198 U. S. 91; York Manufacturing Company v. Cassell, 201 U. S. 344. That such a contract is a conditional sale and is valid without record is the law of Arkansas. Triplett v. Mansur & Tebbetts Implement Co., 68 Arkansas, 230. The trustee has no higher' rights in this regard than the bankrupt. York Manufacturing Co. v. Cassell, supra.

It follows that, so far as the identified goods and notes and accounts are concerned, the intervenor, the Dry Goods Company, must prevail.

' It has turned out, according to the finding of facts, that some small fraction of the goods and about one-half of the notes and accounts which were delivered by the Newtons to the Dry Goods Company, as and for the goods, notes and accounts which were the property of that company, were not in fact such, and the question therefore arises whether, under the circumstances disclosed in the findings, the trustee is entitled to avail himself of these facts. We think it was rightly held by the court below that he was not. There seems to be no reason for a nice consideration of the powers of receivers and trustees. When the receiver was appointed he found all the property in dispute in the hands of the Dry Goods Company, to which it had been delivered by the Newtons, as and for the property of the company, and by which it had been received as its own property. When the receiver made his demand for it the return was at first refused. The parties in the controversy, then being at arm’s length, agreed that if the Dry Goods Company would give tip the advantages of possession and instead of converting the goods, notes and accounts into cash in its own way and on its own account, permit the receiver to dp so, then those goods should be deemed part of those delivered-under the contract and the notes and accounts the proceeds of other goods delivered under the contract. This arrangement was approved by the referee. The trustee has taken the property under it and has never offered to return the property," or[*292] any part of it. The property has in large part been sold or otherwise disposed of in the course of the bankruptcy administration. Under these circumstances we are of opinion that the trustee, the appellant in this case, was bound by the agreement of the receiver, that all the property in dispute should be conclusively deemed that which passed under the original conditional contract or. the proceeds thereof.

Judgment affirmed.