Bank of United States v. Chemical Bank & Trust Co.

140 Misc. 394, 246 N.Y.S. 595, 1930 N.Y. Misc. LEXIS 1702
CourtNew York Supreme Court
DecidedDecember 2, 1930
StatusPublished
Cited by13 cases

This text of 140 Misc. 394 (Bank of United States v. Chemical Bank & Trust Co.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering New York 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 United States v. Chemical Bank & Trust Co., 140 Misc. 394, 246 N.Y.S. 595, 1930 N.Y. Misc. LEXIS 1702 (N.Y. Super. Ct. 1930).

Opinion

Walsh, J.

This action is brought to recover the sum of $34,500 and interest, alleged to be due the plaintiff under a guaranty alleged to have been executed and delivered by defendant’s testatrix to plaintiff on July 6, 1927, The guaranty reads as follows: " New York, 7/6, 1927. The Bank of United States, New York City, [395]*395N. Y. For and in consideration of one dollar ($1.00), the receipt of which is hereby acknowledged, and of your extending credit accommodations to Edward Rowan, Inc., hereinafter designated as borrower, we hereby jointly and severally guarantee to you the payment of any liability of said borrower to you heretofore, now or hereafter incurred, including any overdraft, promissory note, or amount authorized to be charged to the borrower, and all liabilities at any time incurred by said borrower to you, and agree to fully indemnify you against any loss or damage you may sustain on account of such liabilities, and we hereby jointly and severally agree to pay you immediately without demand any sum due or which may become due to you from said borrower whenever the latter shall fail to pay the same. This shall be a continuing guaranty and agreement of indemnity for any liability of the said borrower to you heretofore or hereafter incurred until written notice from us to you to the contrary shall be actually delivered to and acknowledged by you in writing, and this guaranty and indemnity shall be both supplemental and additional to any other guaranty or guaranties, indemnity or indemnities and security or securities heretofore or hereafter received by you from the borrower, the undersigned or any other person or persons to secure any liability of said borrower, and the liability of the undersigned hereunder shall not be affected or impaired by reason of the taking or releasing of any such other guaranty or guaranties, indemnity or indemnities, or security or securities without any notice to us. Notice of your acceptance of this guaranty and notice of transactions or liabilities contracted or incurred by Said borrower under this agreement, and of the default of said borrower, if any, are hereby waived. Margaret J. Rowan, L. S. Witness: Edward H. Rowan.”

The complaint alleges that, relying on said guaranty, plaintiff extended credit accommodations and loan to Edward Rowan, Inc., $34,500, evidenced by seven promissory notes, which plaintiff discounted for it. That upon the maturity of the notes, they were not paid and renewal notes were given on various dates between November 21, 1928, and January 16, 1929. Margaret J. Rowan died on March 19, 1928, which was before the last set of renewal notes was given to the plaintiff. Though the defendant claims that the evidence does not establish that the guaranty was signed by its testatrix, I find that it was so signed.

The guaranty on its face states that we hereby jointly and severally guarantee ” and we jointly and severally agree to pay,” and also that it is to continue until written notice from us to you.” By reason of these recitals, defendant contends that it was intended to be a joint and several obligation, and, as it never was signed by [396]*396any other guarantor, it never became binding on its testatrix. The general rule is that one signing and delivering an instrument is bound by its obligations although it was not executed by all parties for whose signature it was prepared, where there is nothing to indicate an intention by him who signed it that he was not to be bound until it was signed by the others, which intention is brought home to the obligee. When the intent is manifested that the contract is to be executed by others than those who actually signed it, it is "inchoate and incomplete and does not take effect as a binding contract unless executed by all the parties. Prima facie, the contract is that of defendant’s testatrix, and in the event she meant not to be bound by it she should have accompanied delivery of it with an expression of such intention. (Dillon v. Anderson, 43 N. Y. 231, 235; Parker v. Bradley, 2 Hill, 584; People v. Lee, 104 N. Y. 441, 445.)

It rests upon the person executing the instrument to establish that he was not bound by its provisions, and that the delivery was to be given in escrow, and not absolute. (Chouteau v. Suydam, 21 N. Y. 179.) Nothing is shown to warrant the conclusion that the testatrix indicated at the time of the delivery of the instrument that she did not intend to be bound unless other parties also signed. The original notes were not paid and discharged by the taking of the renewal notes. (Jagger Iron Co. v. Walker, 76 N. Y. 521; Garfield National Bank of City of New York v. Wallach, 223 App. Div. 303; Cohen v. Rossmoore, 225 id. 300; 8 C. J. p. 443, § 656, and cases cited.) The extension of time of payment did not release the guarantor. The instrument sued on is a continuing guaranty. It was given to plaintiff bank for the purpose of having it extend credit accommodations to its customer. It is broad in its scope, guaranteeing the payment of any liability of said borrower now or hereafter incurred, including any overdraft, promissory note, or amount authorized to be charged to the borrower, and all liabilities at any time incurred by said borrower to you.”

While no definite rule for the construction of contracts of guaranty can be extracted from the many decisions, each adjudication depending upon its own facts, the cardinal principle to be applied is to read the writing, and, taking its language in connection with the relative position and purpose of the parties, to gather from it their intent as to the questionable part. Here we have a continuing contract, practically unlimited in its scope, given to a bank for the purpose of having it extend credit accommodations to its customer. The rule seems to be that where a guaranty is given to a bank to secure advances on drafts and notes, the guaranty may be construed to apply to successive advances, [397]*397acceptances and. indorsements, which would be renewed from time to time. The reason for this rule is set forth in Merchants’ National Bank of Whitehall v. Hall (83 N. Y. 338), where, in construing an instrument somewhat similar to the one here under consideration, the court said (p. 343): The effect of a continuing security is that it applies to any future transaction between the parties that is within the limits of the agreement. The instrument before us is as wide in limit as it could well be. It does indeed specify the party for whose benefit it is made, and the person, Hall, whose dealings with that party are guaranteed. It also engages for the payment, rather than the collection, of the demands against Hall; though that is hardly a narrowing of the liability of the stock. By specifying the plaintiff, a National bank, as the party for whose benefit it is made, an implication arises that' the dealings of Hall and the bank are such as are usual in the business of a bank of loan and discount with a borrower from it. This might sometimes operate to limit the liability of the guarantor. Otherwise than by these there are no limits expressed in the assignment by which the operation and effect of it are held in. It specifies no kind of demand, no amount, no length of time of any indebtedness, no length of time for which the stock might be liable. In the last particular it was susceptible of a limit being put upon it, at any time after it was made, at the will of the defendant. She might, by giving notice, have restricted it to the demands actually held by.

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Bluebook (online)
140 Misc. 394, 246 N.Y.S. 595, 1930 N.Y. Misc. LEXIS 1702, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/bank-of-united-states-v-chemical-bank-trust-co-nysupct-1930.