Bank of Kenton v. Sun Dial Ranch

138 P. 455, 69 Or. 128, 1914 Ore. LEXIS 322
CourtOregon Supreme Court
DecidedFebruary 3, 1914
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 138 P. 455 (Bank of Kenton v. Sun Dial Ranch) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Oregon Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Bank of Kenton v. Sun Dial Ranch, 138 P. 455, 69 Or. 128, 1914 Ore. LEXIS 322 (Or. 1914).

Opinion

Mr. Justice McNary

delivered the opinion of the court.

This is an action to enforce the payment of a negotiable note for $3,000, executed and delivered by the Sun Dial Ranch to the Bank of Kenton on the 5th day of November, 1911. The activities of the defendant are directed along the stock and ranch business. One Wm. Shepherd was the representative of defendant in the buying and selling of sheep, receiving a salary therefor of $500 a month, payable out of the profits of the enterprise. In the conduct of the business, Shepherd opened an account in his own name with' the bank, through which the financial transactions of the defendant were carried on, drawing drafts and checks against this account to pay for sheep which he bought, and likewise depositing to the credit of the account moneys derived from the sale of sheep.

By reason of Shepherd making overdrafts upon the bank, he and defendant became indebted to plaintiff. Defendant, on the 10th day of October, 1910, gave its note to the bank for $3,000; Shepherd at a time subsequently executing and delivering to plaintiff his personal note for $2,500. These two obligations were carried by the bank until a year following, when a statement of the account with Shepherd indicated that, in addition to the indebtedness evidenced by the two notes, he had overdrawn the account in the bank to the extent of $3,416.15.

[130]*130In response to a demand of plaintiff’s that an adjustment he made, Shepherd, with the concurrence of defendant, on October 18, 1911, executed to the bank the following instrnment:

“I, William Shepherd, hereby bargain, sell, and convey a certain lot of sheep known as the G-abel sheep, consisting of about 3,200 head, more or less, also about 370 other sheep, now at the Sun Dial Ranch near Fair-view, Oreg., for one dollar and other valuable .considerations to the Bank of Kenton, an Oregon corporation of Portland, Or.
“[Signed] Wm. Shepherd. [Seal.]
“Witnesses:
“J. Y. Burke.
“R. N. Thatcher.
“Dated this 18th day of October, 1911.
. “We hereby consent to the above assignment with the understanding that the proceeds of the sale of the above-described sheep shall be applied as follows: First, to the payment of the overdraft and notes of Wm. Shepherd, amounting to about $5,916.15; second, to the payment of the note and interest of the Sun Dial Ranch, amounting to $3,000.00; third, to the payment of the charges of the Sun Dial Ranch for care and pasturing of said sheep. The remainder, if any, to be held for the benefit of Wm. Shepherd and the Sun Dial Ranch as their respective interests may appear.
“[Signed] Sun Dial Ranch,
“By H. O. Campbell, Pres.”

Subsequently, and on November 5, 1911, defendant, upon the request of plaintiff, executed the note forming the groundwork of this action, and at the same time taking up the original note under date of October 10, 1910.

Further, there is evidence to support the statement that the officers of the Sun Dial Ranch, agreed with plaintiff to waive the provisions of the bill of sale, so that the money derived from a disposal of the sheep would not be required to be applied to the. payment [131]*131of the note in question, hut would be obtained from an independent source.

Counsel for defendant concede that but one question is here presented for determination, namely: If the testimony discloses that the money paid into the bank, subsequent to the execution of the bill of sale, exceeded the amount of all the indebtedness, including the note for $3,000, then it must follow that the obligation has been paid, and the judgment should be reversed. The position of the plaintiff’s counsel is that, upon the waiver of the terms of the bill of sale, all the money derived as a result of the sale of the sheep was deposited in the bank to Shepherd’s account, and thereafter drawn upon by him in payment of his and defendant’s obligations, apart from the note of $3,000, and that such findings by the trial court have, if supported by any competent evidence, the finality of the verdict of a jury.

1. This cause was tried by the court without the intervention of a jury, thereby giving the findings of the trial court the sanctity guaranteed to the verdict of a jury by Article VII, Section 3, of the Constitution of this state, as amended at the general election of' November, 1910, which provides: “In actions at law * * the right of trial by jury shall be preserved and no fact tried by a jury shall be otherwise re-examined in any court of this state unless the court can affirmatively say there is no evidence to support the verdict. * * ” Laws 1911, p. 7. Therefore, upon an appeal from a judgment in a law action tried by the court without the assistance of a jury, this court will refrain from re-examining any fact found by the inferior tribunal, unless it affirmatively appears from the record that there is no evidence to support the findings: Rehfield v. Winters, 62 Or. 299 (125 Pac. 289); Sun Dial Ranch v. May Land Co., 61 Or. 205 (119 Pac. 758); Astoria R. R. Co. v. Kern, 44 Or. 538 (76 Pac. 14). [132]*132This statement of the law as a guide, it will be necessary to search the record to ascertain whether the case measures up to the requirements of the organic law.

2. While differing with the conclusions of the court, it is admitted by counsel for defendant that there was competent evidence introduced at the trial conducing to show that the terms of the bill of sale given by Shepherd to plaintiff had been waived by the officers of the bank. So the question resolves itself into this: Was the note sued on paid, either directly, or by the deposit of funds, the application of which should have been made to the liquidation of the debt in controversy? The testimony is uncontradicted that Shepherd carried the defendant’s account at the bank in his own name, and checked actively against the account, at times depleting the funds on deposit by effecting overdrafts of considerable portions. On some occasions the funds would be checked to meet the personal obligations of Shepherd, and at other times the demands of defendant.

Mr. Burke, cashier of the bank, testified that the money derived from the sale of the sheep identified in the bill of sale was placed in the bank by Shepherd to his own account. Upon this point, we quote from the witness:

“Q. The money realized out of the sale of those sheep was handled in what way?
“A. The money came in by Mr. Shepherd’s deposit, as he would sell them along with other money; we didn’t pay much attention to the bill of sale after we had found out the true situation as to all the money that had to be paid out in addition to what was owing. As a matter of fact, I was being owed for the whole $6,000, and Shepherd was bringing in money then every day or two for that matter.”

At another time the cashier testified that it was agreed the note under consideration should be liquidated by the sale of sheep other than those described [133]*133in the bill of sale. On that phase of the case, the testimony is as follows:

“A. Mr. MeGaw and Mr.

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Bluebook (online)
138 P. 455, 69 Or. 128, 1914 Ore. LEXIS 322, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/bank-of-kenton-v-sun-dial-ranch-or-1914.