American Bonding Co. v. Second Nat. Bank

33 Ohio C.C. Dec. 502, 22 Ohio C.C. (n.s.) 177
CourtOhio Court of Appeals
DecidedMarch 22, 1915
StatusPublished

This text of 33 Ohio C.C. Dec. 502 (American Bonding Co. v. Second Nat. Bank) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Ohio Court of Appeals primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

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

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]*504cial 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]*505The 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.

From a careful examination of the evidence it is found by the court that Santmyer sold these two bonds to the Second National Bank about September 18, 1899, for the sum of $2,222.50, and that the purchase money for same was deposited in his individual account in that bank. It is contended by the bank that it did not purchase the bonds itself, but that they were sold by it for Santmyer to another of their customers, Hohnstedt. The books of the bank, however, show the purchase and sale, of such bonds by the bank itself. The bond daybook shows that such bonds were bought September 18, 1899, at a premium of $222.50, and sold September 28, 1899, at a premium of $280, showing a profit of $57.50 made by the bank. This evidence is -taken in connection with the testimony of Hohnstedt, who says that he did not know Santmyer; had no dealings with him; that his purchase of these two bonds was in connection with other United States bonds and municipal securities and they were bought from the bank itself by him. The actual transfer shown on the books of the United States Treasury, as executed by Santmyer, was dated October 2, 1899, and the new bonds were issued to Hohnstedt October 5, 1899. This transaction was based upon a letter written by William Albert on that day, as cashier of the defendant bank, who conducted the purchase and sale of said bonds on behalf of the bank. The discrepancy in these dates can not be considered material, because Mr. Albert did not send the bonds for transfer until he had arranged for their sale to Hohn[506]*506stedt, and they never were actually transferred to the name of the bank. The regulations of the United States Treasury required that the assignment of a bond for transfer must be executed and acknowledged before some United States officer or, among others, the cashier of a national bank. It appears that William Albert as cashier of the defendant bank took and certified the acknowledgment of the transfer of these two bonds, and oh the form of such transfer endorsed on the bond appears a note stating such requirement and also containing the following language:

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
33 Ohio C.C. Dec. 502, 22 Ohio C.C. (n.s.) 177, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/american-bonding-co-v-second-nat-bank-ohioctapp-1915.