American National Bank & Trust Co. v. Kushner

174 S.E. 777, 162 Va. 378, 1934 Va. LEXIS 252
CourtSupreme Court of Virginia
DecidedJune 14, 1934
StatusPublished
Cited by25 cases

This text of 174 S.E. 777 (American National Bank & Trust Co. v. Kushner) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of Virginia primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
American National Bank & Trust Co. v. Kushner, 174 S.E. 777, 162 Va. 378, 1934 Va. LEXIS 252 (Va. 1934).

Opinion

Holt, J.,

delivered the opinion of the court.

Under review is a declaratory judgment. The trial court, in a joint petition, was asked to say who was justly entitled to a certain deposit made by the Danville General [380]*380Hospital, Incorporated, with the American National Bank and Trust Company of Danville, and now held by it. This agreed statement of facts is set out in the joint petition:

“On Jufy 2, 1932, American National Bank and Trust Company conveyed to John A. Hawkins, Jr., the real estate in the city of Danville known as ‘Edmunds Hospital.’ The purchase price of this property was $15,000, whereof $1,000 was paid in cash, and whereof $14,000 was evidenced by a note secured by a deed of trust from John A. Hawkins, Jr., and wife, to John W. Carter, Jr., trustee, bearing date of Jufy 2, 1932. This note for $14,000 was dated Jufy 2, 1932, executed by John A. Hawkins, Jr., and Danville General Hospital, Incorporated, as joint makers,, and was payable to the American National Bank and Trust Company six months after its date, with six per cent interest thereon payable semi-annually. - The hank did not and would not consummate the sale of this property to John A. Hawkins, Jr., until the Danville General Hospital, Incorporated, agreed to and did sign, as joint maker, the $14,000 note evidencing the deferred installment of the purchase price. Carmen M. Hawkins, the wife of John A. Hawkins, Jr., and the president of the Danville General Hospital, Incorporated, acting pursuant to resolutions of the incorporators and members of the Danville General Hospital, Incorporated, a copy of which is attached to this petition, executed, in the name of the corporation as joint maker, the $14,000 note above mentioned. The note contained, on its face, the following provisions:
“ ‘Value received. We, makers and endorsers, and each of us, hereby waive the benefit of our homestead exemption as to this obligation, and presentment, demand of payment, protest and notice thereof of this note, and agree that any'money on deposit with tire above named bank in the name of any of us may be applied at any time to the payment of or as a credit on this note, and that if this note is collected by an attorney by suit or [381]*381otherwise, to pay in addition to the amount due hereon ten per cent of said amount as attorney’s fees, in no case-to be less than $5.’
“The Danville General Hospital, Incorporated, a non-stock corporation, whose members and incorporators were John A. Hawkins, Jr., Carmen M. Hawkins and Benjamin P. Kushner, desired to operate a hospital in the city of Danville, and desired to conduct such business in the building purchased by John A. Hawkins, Jr., as aforesaid, which building had formerly been used as a hospital, and was adapted to that purpose. Its incorporators and its officers intended to procure the use of said building before and at the time of its incorporation, and to that end its officers, directors and incorporators were willing to sign, and its president, duly authorized thereunto, did sign the note above referred to. Subsequent to July 2, 1932, and until December 17, 1932, the Danville General Hospital, Incorporated, operated a hospital on said property purchased by John A. Hawkins, Jr. It was agreed between John A. Hawkins, owner, and John A. Hawkins, secretary-treasurer of Danville General Hospital, Incorporated, that he was to receive $150 per month rent for the use of said building, and in pursuance of said agreement, three checks for $150 each, filed herewith, were paid on this account. A copy of the charter of the Dan-ville General Hospital, Incorporated, is filed with this petition, as a part thereof.
“On December 17, 1932, the Danville General Hospital, Incorporated, executed and delivered unto Samuel A. Kushner, trustee, a general deed of assignment, conveying all of its property in trust for the benefit of creditors. At the time of the execution of this deed of assignment,, the Danville General Hospital, Incorporated, was insolvent, and it had to its credit in its checking account with the American National Bank and Trust Company the sum of $930.70. After the recordation of this deed of assignment, the American National Bank and Trust Company applied this balance of $930.70 to- the credit of the Dan-[382]*382ville General Hospital, Incorporated, as a credit on the joint note of John A. Hawkins, Jr., and Danville General Hospital, Incorporated, for $14,000, which note was not due, but was to become due on January 2, 1933. Subsequent to the time that the bank applied this balance as a credit on said note, and prior to January 2, 1933, the due date of said note, Samuel A. Kushner, trustee, aforesaid, made demands upon the American National Bank and Trust Company for payment to him of $930.70, the balance in said bank to the credit of the Danville General Hospital, Incorporated, on the date of the execution of its deed of assignment, which demand the bank declined to meet.
“The fair market value for the property conveyed by the bank to John A. Hawkins, Jr., on December 17, 1932, and at the present time, is less than $9,000.”
This resolution was adopted by the hospital board:
“Be it resolved by the incorporators and members of the Danville General Hospital, Incorporated, all of them being present at this meeting held tin® 2d day of July, 1932.
“That whereas, John A. Hawkins, Jr., proposes to buy from the American National Bank and Trust Company of Danville, Danville, Virginia, the property situate in the city of Danville, known as the ‘Edmunds Hospital property’ and more fully described in a deed from said American National Bank and Trust Company of Danville, Dan-ville, Virginia, to John A. Hawkins, Jr., of even date with this resolution; and
“Whereas, the said John A. Hawkins, Jr., proposes to permit this corporation to use said property for the operation of a hospital in said city of Danville, upon such terms and conditions as may be hereafter mutually agreed upon by said John A. Hawkins, Jr., and this corporation; and
“Whereas in order to purchase said property it is necessary for the said John A. Hawkins, Jr., to give his note for the deferred purchase price in the sum of $14,000 to[383]*383gether with this corporation as a joint maker thereof, said note to be payable six months from the date hereof; to draw interest at the rate of six per cent per annum, payable semi-annually, to be payable to bearer and to be-secured by a deed of trust on said Edmunds Hospital property.
“Therefore, be it resolved: That this corporation agrees to become a joint maker on said note and Carmen M. Hawkins, its president, is hereby authorized and directed to execute said note as a joint maker and to deliver the same to the American National Bank and Trust Company of Danville, Danville, Virginia.”

The trustee contends that this note is an accommodation note, so far as the hospital is concerned, and is therefore ultra vires and absolutely void, and further that the doctrine of estoppel cannot be invoked.

As a general proposition it is undoubtedly true that a corporation in the absence of authority conferred by statute or by charter cannot execute accommodation paper. Food Products Co., Inc. v. Pierce, 154 Va. 74, 152 S. E. 562.

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Bluebook (online)
174 S.E. 777, 162 Va. 378, 1934 Va. LEXIS 252, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/american-national-bank-trust-co-v-kushner-va-1934.