American Surety Co. of New York v. Tarbutton

248 S.W. 435
CourtCourt of Appeals of Texas
DecidedFebruary 28, 1923
DocketNo. 2677. [fn*]
StatusPublished
Cited by18 cases

This text of 248 S.W. 435 (American Surety Co. of New York v. Tarbutton) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals of Texas primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
American Surety Co. of New York v. Tarbutton, 248 S.W. 435 (Tex. Ct. App. 1923).

Opinion

WILLSON, C. J.

(after stating the facts as above). The contentions presented in appellant’s brief are: (1) That the obligation sued on was not valid as a statutory bond because it was not conditioned as required *437 by the statute; and, therefore, that appellant’s liability was determinable with reference alone to rules applicable to common law bonds. (2) That it did not appear from the testimony that there had been a breach of the condition of the bond. (3) That appellant was not in any event liable for money deposited with the bank after August 31, 1921, nor for interest which accrued after October 21, 1921. the date when the bank was closed by order of the Commissioner of Insurance and Banking.

The first one of the contentions is predicated upon the view that the condition of the bond was materially different from the condition prescribed by the statute applicable, to wit, article 2771, Vernon’s Statutes, as amended by Act March 30, 1917, General Laws, c. 160 (Vernon’s Ann. Civ. St. Supp. 1918, art. 2771). The statute referred to required the bank, when it was selected as treasurer of the school district, to give a bond “conditioned for the faithful discharge of the treasurer’s duties and the payment of the funds received by him upon the draft of the president of the school board drawn upon order duly entered of the board of trustees. Said bond shall be further conditioned that the treasurer shall safely keep and faithfully disburse all funds coming into his hands as treasurer, and shall faithfully pay over to his successor all balances remaining in his hands.”

It will be seen on reference to the statement above that the bond contained a recital that the bank had been chosen depository for “the scholastic year beginning September 1, Í 920, and ending August 31, 1921.” Appellant insists that the recital was a part of the condition of the bond and operated to limit “the term of the appointment” in a way not authorized by the statute. But plainly, we think, the recital was not a part of the condition of the bond and is of no importance in determining the contention. The difference between the condition in the bond and the condition prescribed by the statxite lies alone in the fact that that in the statute required the treasurer, or depository of such funds “to safely keep and faithfully disburse same,” and to “faithfully pay over to his successor all balances remaining in his hands,” while that in the bond required the bank to “faithfully keep said funds and account for them,” with interest on the average daily balances, “to the school board of said district and to the state superintendent of public instruction according to law.”

The rule applicable has been stated as follows:

“Except where the statute, either expressly or impliedly, declares all bonds void which do not strictly comply with the requirements therein prescribed, a bond need not be in the exact words of the statute, and the fact that it slightly varies from the form prescribed will not invalidate it, provided it includes substan-fcially all that the statute requires, that is such obligations as are imposed by the statute, and allows every defense given by law, as where it is more specific than the statute requires, but imposes no additional obligation.” 9 C. J. 24; and see 4 R. C. L. 54; Johnson v. Erskine, 9 Tex. 1; Ward v. Hubbard, 62 Tex. 559; King v. Frazer, 2 Willson, Civ. Cas. Ct. App. § 788; Bank v. Parrish (Tex. Civ. App.) 207 S. W. 939; State v. Harper, 99 Tex. 19, 86 S. W. 920.

We think the bond is within the rule'stated, unless it should be said that the provision requiring the bank to account for interest on average daily balances rendered it more onerous than was authorized by the statute; and in that event that it would be invalid in that respect only, and would be enforceable in the respects it conformed to the requirement of the statute, within a rule stated in 9 C. J. 25, as follows:

“Where a bond contains the conditions prescribed by the statute,' and also contains conditions in. excess of those required, if the excess can be separated from the authorized portion without destroying the latter it may be rejected as surplusage and the rest of the bond held valid, in the absence of a statutory provision expressly or by implication making it void, unless the language of the bond precludes a construction giving it validity.”

Did the provision in the bond referred to render it more onerous than was authorized by the statute? We think not. The statute declared that “the treasurer of the school fund (quoting) shall be that person or corporation who offers satisfactory bond and the best bid of interest on the average daily balances for the privilege of acting as such treasurer,” and that the bond given should be conditioned, among other things specifically mentioned, “for the faithful discharge of the treasurer’s duties.” One of the duties of the treasurer was to pay interest it agreed to pay on funds intrusted to it, and the stipulation that it should pay interest on the average daily balances was no more than a particular specification, or definition, of an undertaking covered in a general way by the stipulation that it should “faithfully discharge the treasurer’s duties.”

We do not think the fact that the bond contained a provision that the bank should account “to the school board of the district and to the state superintendent of public instruction according to law,” and did not in terms require it to pay over balances remaining in its hands to its successor affected its validity as a statutory bond. The provision that the bank should account to the school board and state superintendent should be treated as surplusage if such accounting was not required by law, and the requirement of the law' that it should pay over balances in its hands to its successor should be read into the bond. The rule is “that the law” quoting further from 9 G. *438 J. 34, “at the time of the execution, of the bond is a part of it; if it gives the bond a certain legal effect it is as much a part of the bond as if in terms incorporated therein. Where a bond is given under the authority of a statute in force when it is executed, in the absence of anything appearing to show a different intention it will be presumed that the intention of the parties was to execute such a bond as the law required, and such statute constitutes a part of the bond as if incorporated in it, and the bond must be construed in connection with the statute and the construction given to the statute by the courts. Such a bond must be given the effect which in reason must have been intended by the statute. Whatever is included in the bond, and is not required by the law, must be read out of it, and whatever is not expressed, and ought to have been incorporated, must be read as if inserted into it.”

As we understand the record there is no merit in the contention that it did not appear that there had been a breach by the bank of the condition of the bond. The trial court found that the bank was insolvent on August 31, 1921, and at all times thereafter until it closed its doors on October 21, 1921. The finding is attacked on the ground that it was without support in the testimony. We think it was warranted by testimony in the record, but are not prepared to say that insolvency of the bank constituted a breach of the bond.

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Bluebook (online)
248 S.W. 435, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/american-surety-co-of-new-york-v-tarbutton-texapp-1923.