American Bonding Co. v. Second Nat. Bank

33 Ohio C.C. Dec. 502, 22 Ohio C.C. (n.s.) 177
Ohio Court of Appeals·Decided March 22, 1915·Published

Opinion

JONES, (O. B.), J.

The first question to be determined in this case arises upon the motion to dismiss the petition in error. It is contended that the American Bonding Co. of Baltimore, plaintiff in error, is a stranger to the case below and therefore has no power to file a petition in error in this case. The original plaintiff in the case below was John C. Healy, trustee, and he continued such party plaintiff until February 13,1909, when an order was made upon the application of the American Bonding & Trust Co. of Baltimore, Maryland, substituting it as plaintiff in place and stead of John C. Healy, trustee, and ordering the cause to proceed thereafter in its name as plaintiff. No new petition was filed by the American Bonding & Trust Co. as such substituted plaintiff, but an amended answer was filed after such substitution, February 23, 1909, by the defendant, the Second National Bank, in which answer no objection was made to the name of the company being substituted as plaintiff. A reply to this answer was filed in the name of the American Bonding & Trust Co., which was verified by John C. Healy as attorney.

The transcript of the appearance docket below shows in a number of instances steps taken by the substituted plaintiff under its then true name of the American Bonding Co. instead of under the named used in the entry of substitution, to wit, the American Bonding & Trust Co., and both the final judgment entry and the motion for new trial are in the name of American Bonding Co. If these two names indicate two separate companies, then no final judgment appears on the record as to the American Bonding & Trust Co. The judgment entry against the original plaintiff and the motion for new trial by the original plaintiff after substitution were both unnecessary and need not be considered, if the substituted party appears both in the entry and in the motion, is to be used. In other words, where substitution is made because of a transfer of interest pending the suit, it is not necessary or proper that the original party be nrmt.iTmp.rl in conjunction with the substituted party, who takes his place entirely.

Plaintiff in error offered in evidence in this court a printed certified copy of charter and amendments of the American Bonding Co. of Baltimore, from which it appears that by spe[504] cial act of the general assembly of Maryland, dated April 8, 1902, the charter of the American Bonding & Trust Co. of Baltimore City was amended so that the name of said body corporate was changed from the American Bonding & Trust Co. of Baltimore City to the American Bonding Co. of Baltimore, and that this change was accepted by the stockholders of said company under date of July 31, 1902.

From the evidence, therefore, the court finds that there is no question as to the identity of the substituted plaintiff below against whom under its changed name judgment was entered. A mistake was made because of the evident lack of information by the attorney at that time as to the changed name of said company, said company having become surety for the original trustee on his bond under the name of the American Bonding & Trust Co. and its name having been changed prior to the entry of substitution to the American Bonding Co. of Baltimore, which name should have been used in the substitution. The promiscuous use of these two names in the appearance docket and the use’of the correct name in the judgment entry and in the motion for new trial without objection at the time from the defendant indicates that, while no formal correction of the name as written in the entry of substitution was made, the court was properly advised and there was no question at any time as to the identity of the party.

Great liberality is shown under our code of practice in regard to correction of such mistakes. Section 11363 G. C., formerly See. 137 of the civil code, authorizes the correction of a mistake in the name of a party either before or after judgment, in furtherance of justice.

In State v. Telephone Co., 36 Ohio St. 296 [38 Am. Rep. 583], it was held:

“Where a corporation whose name is composed of several words is sued by a name in which a word in the corporate name is omitted, such omission or misnomer unless pleaded in abatement will be disregarded by the court.”

And in Doty v. Rigour, 9 Ohio St. 527, it is held:

“Amendments of the record may be made after proceedings in error commenced at any time while diminution may be suggested in the supervising court and certiorari awarded. ’ ’

[505] The question and effect of misnomer and the power of the court to correct mistakes of that character are fully discussed in Boehmke v. Traction Co., 88 Ohio St. 156 [102 N. E. 700].

The motion to dismiss the petition in error must therefore be denied.

This action was brought by John C. Healy, to recover the proceeds of two United States registered bonds of $1,000 each, which were held in trust by Charles Santmyer and were sold by him in violation of his trust to the Second National Bank. Mr. Healy had been appointed by the probate court as trustee of James Robinson, under the terms of the will of his grandfather, John Robinson, to succeed said Santmyer, who had been removed by the court. The American Bonding & Trust Company was surety on the bond of Santmyer as such trustee.

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American Bonding Co. v. Second Nat. Bank, 33 Ohio C.C. Dec. 502, 22 Ohio C.C. (n.s.) 177 (Ohio Ct. App. 1915).

33 Ohio C.C. Dec. 502 (American Bonding Co. v. Second Nat. Bank) — published by Counsel Stack Legal Research, free access to 12M+ legal documents.

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