Brown v. Schintz

67 N.E. 172, 202 Ill. 509
CourtIllinois Supreme Court
DecidedApril 24, 1903
StatusPublished
Cited by17 cases

This text of 67 N.E. 172 (Brown v. Schintz) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Illinois Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Brown v. Schintz, 67 N.E. 172, 202 Ill. 509 (Ill. 1903).

Opinions

Mr. Justice Wilkin

delivered the opinion of the court:

Counsel for defendants in error object that the transcript of the record is incomplete and insufficient to present the errors insisted upon. The principal question raised in the Appellate Court, and again in this court, is whether the above named checks constituted payments by Schintz to Brown on the $3200 building loan. The parts of the record contained in the transcript sufficiently present that question, and for such purpose the transcript is sufficient. (See authorities cited in the opinion of the Appellate Court.) Of course, errors cannot be insisted upon which the transcript fails to show. As was said in Bertrand v. Taylor, 87 Ill. 235: “This court cannot properly consider any question arising upon the record unless we have a full record before us, or it is made known to us in some approved manner that the transcript contains all parts of the record material"to the question submitted to us for decision.” See, also, Culver v. Schroth, 153 Ill. 437; Deimel v. Parker, 164 id. 627.

It is further objected that the transcript is insufficient because the certificate of evidence certifies only what the evidence tended to show. For the purpose of raising legal questions it is sufficient if it appears from the bill of exceptions or certificate that the evidence tended to support the issue. Costly v. McGowan, 174 Ill. 76; Johnson v. Johnson, 187 id. 86.

On the principal question, as above stated, the controversy is between Brown and wife and Huber and Mann, whether or not the decree in favor of the latter is, under the law, authorized by the facts. They claim only the amount of the two checks mentioned in the foregoing statement, amounting to $1200, and interest to be prorated between them according to the amounts held by them, respectively, against Brown, their contention and the holding of the courts below being that such checks were payments, upon the consideration for which their trust deeds were given, — that is, an advancement to that amount by Schintz upon the building loan. It is conceded that, deriving their interest in those trust deeds by assignment from Schintz, they held them subject to all the infirmities to which they would have been subject in his hands. The position of counsel for plaintiffs in error is, that under the facts the making and delivery of said checks to Thomas Brown were in no proper sense payments upon said loan, and therefore the consideration for the notes and trust deeds wholly failed, — a complete defense against the trust deeds in the hands of Schintz, and, consequently, against his assignees. They say these checks were absolutely worthless. But that is not a fair statement of their real character. At the time, they were drawn and delivered to Brown, the drawer (Schintz) had funds on deposit sufficient to pav them in full, and hence they were at that time perfectly good. Although they were not actually paid to the parties to whom Brown assigned them, that was because the parties failed to present them to the Merchant’s Loan and Trust Company in apt time. The non-payment was attributable wholly to 4he negligence of the holders. All parties agree that the' bank being located and all parties interested residing in the same city, it was the duty of the payee or his assignees (the same diligence being required of the assignees as of the drawee) to present the checks to the bank for payment on the same day, or, at farthest, the next day, after they were delivered and endorsed, within banking hours, and that the failure to do so absolutely discharged the endorser, Brown. (Bickford v. First Nat. Bank, 42 Ill. 238; Story on Promissory Notes, 495; Strong v. King, 35 Ill. 9; 5 Am. & Eng. Ency. of Law, —2d ed. — 1042; 2 Daniel on Neg. Inst. 516; 2 Randolph on Com. Paper, 1103; Merchants Bank v. Spicer, 6 Wend. 443; Little v. Phehix Bank, 2 Hill, 423; Veazie Bank v. Winn, 40 Me. 60.) The maker, Theodore H. Schintz, however, remained liable unless he suffered some loss by reason of the holder’s failure to present them in apt time. (See same authorities.) Brown received the checks on Friday, July 16, and immediately endorsed them to his contractors in payment of his liability to them. They neglected to present them to the bank on -or before the next day, Saturday, the 17th, but held them until the following Monday, the 19th, when payment was refused. It is agreed that if presentment had been made on Saturday they would have been paid in full. Under this state of facts there can be no doubt that Brown, as endorser, was discharged from all liability upon them.

It is welRsettled that as between Brown and the parties to whom he endorsed the checks there was, under the facts, an absolute payment of his liability to the endorsees to the amount of $1200. Thus, it is said in Story on Promissory Notes (sec. 104): “If a creditor accepts the note of a third person, or draft or bill, though not in payment, he accepts the duty of doing everything necessary to fix the liability of the parties to the paper.” And again (sec. 117): “On the other hand, the party receiving the same is bound, under such circumstances, to make due presentment of the note and to give due notice of its dishonor, otherwise by his laches he makes the note bis own and discharges the party from whom he received it from any loss sustained thereby.” In his work on Bills of Exchange (4th ed. sec. 112,) the same author says: “The receipt of a bill implies an undertaking on the part of the endorsee, receiver or other holder, to every other party to the bill who would be bound to pay it and who would be entitled to bring an action on paying it, to present it in proper time when necessary for acceptance, and at maturity for payment. A default in any of these respects will discharge the party in respect to whom there has been any default, and who otherwise would be bound to pay the same, from all responsibility on account of the non-acceptance or non-payment of the bill, and will operate as a satisfaction of any debt or demand for which it was given.” Daniel, in his work on Negotiable Instruments, (sec. 1623,) states the rule as follows: “The receipt of a check, therefore, before presentment, if there is no laches on the part of the holder, is not payment of the debt for which it is delivered. But if the party receiving it is guilty of laches in presenting it, and the bank in the meantime suspends payment, he thereby makes it his own and it shall operate as payment of his debt, the drawer having funds in the bank at the time of drawing the check and not having withdrawn them.” See, also, 3 Randolph on Com. Paper, 1562.

This controversy, as before said, is between Brown and wife and Huber and Mann. The assignees of the checks are not parties to this writ of error and their rights are in no way involved. Brown received the checks in part payment upon his contract with Schintz to furnish the money for the building, in consideration of which his notes and trust deeds were.executed. He paid them on his liability to bis contractors under circumstances which made that payment absolute, and legally-discharged him, to that extent, from all further liability upon that indebtedness. How can he then be heard to-say he received no part of the consideration for which his notes and trust deeds were executed?

It is claimed by counsel for plaintiffs in error that the-holders of the checks produced them before the master, who returned them into court with his report, and they say they are not outstanding and will be treated as canceled, within the rule announced in Heartt v. Rhodes, 66 Ill. 351.

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Bluebook (online)
67 N.E. 172, 202 Ill. 509, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/brown-v-schintz-ill-1903.