27 F. 604 | S.D.N.Y. | 1886
The bankrupt having obtained his discharge in this court by order granted on the twentieth of September, 1884, after
Such a discharge cannot be vacated unless the court is satisfied that tiie creditor, or his representatives, had no knowledge of the objections at the time the discharge was granted. No order of reference should, therefore, be made, unless it appears upon the petition that at least there was reasonable cause to believe that the creditor was ignorant of the grounds raised for avoiding the discharge. It would be unjust to initiate an expensive and harassing proceeding unless the petition presented a reasonable prima facie case in respect to the creditor’s ignorance as well as in other particulars.
In this case the creditor did not prove his debt, and is now dead. The fact that his representatives had no knowledge of the grounds now' raised is immaterial. The only question is whether the creditor had knowledge. The first two specifications relate to matters happening within a few days prior to the bankrupt’s discharge; and there is a prima facie presumption, perhaps, that he was ignorant of those matters. No such presumption can be indulged in reference to the third, fourth, and fifth specifications, which are the same as were pending before the register for several years prior to the discharge. The mere averment by his executors that he had no knowledge, to the best of their belief, is not sufficient to put the bankrupt again upon trial in reference to those same matters so long pending.
The petitioners may take an order of reference to the register to take and report the evidence upon the first two specifications only. The other three are disallowed and stricken out.