Auerbach v. Barrett

214 A.D. 279, 212 N.Y.S. 141, 1925 N.Y. App. Div. LEXIS 10499

This text of 214 A.D. 279 (Auerbach v. Barrett) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Appellate Division of the Supreme Court of the State of New York primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Auerbach v. Barrett, 214 A.D. 279, 212 N.Y.S. 141, 1925 N.Y. App. Div. LEXIS 10499 (N.Y. Ct. App. 1925).

Opinion

Burr, J.:

The action is based upon two claims arising out of foreign exchange transactions. No written complaint was served, and the grounds of these two causes of action are contained in the plaintiff’s bill of particulars. In each case the judgment entered restored to the plaintiff the original consideration given by the plaintiff upon the transaction, with interest. Upon neither cause of action did the plaintiff offer any testimony to fix damages.

As to the first cause of action the bill of particulars sets forth:

“ 1. That heretofore and on or about the 4th day of September, 1917, this plaintiff delivered to this defendant the sum of $140 and received from the defendant a check as follows:

No 1017

“ ‘ The Adams Express Company

Cheque

1 New York, September fourth, 1917.

“ ‘ On presentation of this original cheque, Duplicate Unpaid, pay from our credit balance to the order of Feiwel Auerbach, Rub 1000 00/100 the sum of Rubles One thousand and no/100. “ ‘ To Russian Commercial and Industrial Bank.

Petrograd, Russia.

“ ‘ THE ADAMS EXPRESS COMPANY,

“ ‘ C. S. Spencer, Treasurer.

“ ‘ Countersigned

“ ‘-.C. A. Packie, Agent.’

[281]*2812. That within a reasonable time after September 4th, 1917, this plaintiff being unable to present the check for payment returned the same to the defendant and demanded the refund of his, money.

3. That this defendant thereupon failed and refused to refund the proceeds of said check delivered to the defendant and that this plaintiff has been damaged in the sum of $140 with interest from September 4, 1917.”

As appears from the testimony of plaintiff, the reasonable time ” referred to in paragraph 2 is about one month. This would place the plaintiff’s tender of the draft to the defendant at New York and his demand for refund at an early date in October, 1917. The second Russian (Bolshevik) revolution occurred in November, 1917.

The plaintiff’s allegation that he “ returned ” the draft to the defendant is not substantiated by the evidence. The draft in duplicate was in his possession when he brought suit, and he produced it on the trial and still has it. Plaintiff did, however, offer to return the draft and demanded his money back. Plaintiff testified: “ Q. The draft marked Plaintiff’s Exhibit 4 is dated September 4, 1917; how long after that was it that you went to the main office and offered to return this draft? A. It is the first time when I— Q: Please, Mr. Auerbach, how long after this did you go to the main office, a month or two? How long after? A. It is about a month maybe. Q. Did you get your money back? A. No, never.”

The plaintiff’s allegation that he was unable to present the draft for payment in Russia is also without substantiation upon the record. The proof merely shows without explanation that he never presented the draft at the bank upon which it was drawn. Q. Was this draft ever presented by you to the bank on which it was drawn? A. No, never. * * * Q. As a matter of fact, you never presented this draft marked Plaintiff’s Exhibit 4? A. No. Q. Did you ever receive back the sum of $140? A. No, never.”

The Bolshevik revolution in November might have provided an explanation for the plaintiff’s failure to present the draft, but, as appears, it was tendered to the defendant at New York and restitution demanded about a month before the revolution, and a considerable time before the plaintiff could have known of its approach. “Q. Just answer the question: Did you ask them to give you back the money before you read of the Bolshevik uprising? A. Sure.”

The demands which the plaintiff made upon the defendant at its New York office were not for the proceeds ” of the check, [282]*282but for the money which he had originally paid for it, i. e., for a refund, not for payment.

The defendant’s liability upon this instrument is governed by the provisions of the Negotiable Instruments Law applicable to foreign bills, of exchange. (Richard v. Connecticut Electric Mfg. Co., 200 App. Div. 681; Goeske v. Taylor, 205 id. 429; Neg. Inst. Law, §§ 210, 213, 321.) Section 213 of the act distinguishes between inland and foreign bills of exchange, as follows: “An inland bill of exchange is a bill which is, or on its face purports to be, both drawn and payable within this State. Any other bill is a foreign bill. * *

Section 321 enacts that: “ A check is a bill of exchange drawn on a bank payable on demand. Except as herein otherwise provided, the provisions of this chapter applicable to a bill of exchange payable on demand apply to a check.”

The provisions of the law applicable to a bill of exchange are as follows: Section 130: “ Presentment for payment is not necessary in order to charge the person primarily liable on the instrument. * * *. But except as herein otherwise provided, presentment for payment is necessary in order to charge the drawer and indorsers.”

Section 160 enacts that: “ Except as herein otherwise provided, when a negotiable instrument has been dishonored by non-acceptance or non-payment, notice of dishonor must be given to the drawer and to each indorser, and any drawer or indorser to whom such notice is not given is discharged.”

Section 189 enacts that: “ Where any negotiable instrument has been dishonored it may be protested for non-acceptance or nonpayment, as the case may be; but protest is not required, except in the case of foreign bills of exchange.”

Section 260 provides that: “ Where a foreign bill appearing on its face to be such is dishonored by non-acceptance, it must be duly protested for non-acceptance, and where such a bill which has not. previously been dishonored by non-acceptance is dishonored by non-payment, it must be duly protested for non-payment. If it is not so protested, the drawer and the indorsers are discharged. Where a bill does not appear on its face to be a foreign bill, protest thereof in case of dishonor is unnecessary.”

The defendant is the drawer of this bill of exchange. Its liability thereon is secondary and not primary. In Richard v. Connecticut Electric Mfg. Co. (supra) plaintiffs in that case contended that the defendant drawer of bills of exchange drawn in New York for acceptance in Kobe, Japan, was primarily liable thereon under section 130 of the Negotiable Instruments Law, and that, therefore, [283]*283presentment for payment was not necessary in order to charge him upon the instrument. But Mr. Justice Laughlin, speaking for a unanimous court, said of section 130: I am of opinion that the provisions of that section are not in point here, for this was «not a case of failure to present a negotiable instrument to one primarily liable thereon for payment, but of failure to present these foreign bills of exchange for acceptance; and the drawer of such bills of exchange is not primarily hable thereon and is only hable, according to the statute, upon failure of the drawee on due presentment to accept, or on due demand to pay, and on due protest for non-acceptance or non-payment.”

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
214 A.D. 279, 212 N.Y.S. 141, 1925 N.Y. App. Div. LEXIS 10499, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/auerbach-v-barrett-nyappdiv-1925.