City of Wessington Springs v. Smith

223 N.W. 723, 54 S.D. 515, 1929 S.D. LEXIS 364
CourtSouth Dakota Supreme Court
DecidedFebruary 21, 1929
DocketFile No. 6637
StatusPublished
Cited by12 cases

This text of 223 N.W. 723 (City of Wessington Springs v. Smith) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering South Dakota Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
City of Wessington Springs v. Smith, 223 N.W. 723, 54 S.D. 515, 1929 S.D. LEXIS 364 (S.D. 1929).

Opinion

CAMPBELL, J.

The defendant Smith was treasurer of the plaintiff city, and furnished an official bond as such treasurer, executed by the defendant Fidelity & Deposit Company, the condition of which bond was as follows:

“Whereas, Stanley S- Smith was duly appointed city treasurer in and for the city of Wessington 'Springs, state of -South Dakota, for the unexpired) term beginning March I, 1923, and ending May 1, 1924, or until his successor is duly elected and qualified: The condition of the above obligation is such that, if the said Stanley S. Smith shall render a true account of his office, and of the doings therein to the proper authority, when required thereby, or by law, and shall promptly pay over to the person or officers entitled thereto, all money which may come into his -hands by virtue of his said office, and shall faithfully account for all the balances of money remaining in his hands at the termination of his office, and shall hereafter exercise all reasonable diligence and care in the preservation and lawful disposal of all money, books, papers, securities, or other property appertaining to his said, office, and deliver them to his successor, or to any person authorized to 'receive the same, and if he shall faithfully and impartially, without fear, favor fraud or oppression, discharge all other duties now or thereafter required of his office by law, then this bond- to be void; otherwise,' in full force and effect.”

The treasurer, Smith, was assistant cashier of Farmers’ Savings Bank of Wessington Springs, a banking corporation under the laws of this state, and in his capacity as treasurer deposited funds of the plaintiff city in such bank. The bank closed for liquidation on February 5, 1924, at which time the treasurer had on deposit in said bank of -city funds the sum of $13,154.68, and this action was instituted to recover that amount, being brought originally on the theory that the treasurer was an insurer of municipal funds in his hands.

Defendants demurred to the complaint, and their demurrers were overruled, and upon appeal this court reversed the orders appealed from (50 S. D. 133, 208 N. W. 580), on the authority of Edgerton, etc., District v. Volz, 50 S. D. 107, 208 N. W. 576, wherein this court held, in substance, that in view of the provisions of section 9013, Rev. Code 1919 (providing that a state bank which had fully complied with the provisions of the Depositors’ Guaranty Law need not give other security to become a depositary for public [517]*517funds), and chapter 335, Laws 1921 (making it mandatory for treasurers- of counties, municipalities, townships, and school districts to deposit moneys with which they were officially chargeable in banks within the state of South Dakota), a school district treasurer, who in good faith selected- a state bank as a depositary without requiring bond, and deposited money therein, was not liable for the loss thereof by failure of the bank.

The case being remanded after the former appeal, the complaint was amended to include the following allegation: “That the said defendant Stanley S. Smith, as treasurer of the city of Wessington Springs aforesaid, and while he was the assistant cashier of the said Farmers’ Savings Bank of Wessington Springs, deposited from time to time the funds belonging to- the plaintiff in said bank. That, at the time of making said deposits in said bank, the said, bank, as -defendant Stanley S. Smith at all times well knew, was financially unsound andi insolvent; but, notwithstanding the condition of said bank and his knowledge thereof, the said defendant Stanley S. Smith negligently an-d for the purpose of increasing the deposits of said bank, of which he was an officer, and in the interest of said bank, continued from time to time to make deposits therein, and negligently permitted the said deposits to remain in said- bank until on or about the 4th -day of February, 1924, when said bank was placed in the hands of the superintendent of banks of the state of -South Dakota, on account of its insolvent condition.”

The -case was tried to the court, a jury having been waived by stipulation, and the -court made the following findings, among others: “That on the 5th day o-f February, 1924, the defendant Stanley S. Smith, as such 'treasurer of the city of Wessington Springs, had on hand of the .funds belonging to the plaintiff the sum of thirteen thousand one hundred- fifty-four andi 68/100 ($13,154.68), which said- funds had theretofore been deposited and were then on deposit, by him with the Farmers’ Savings Bank of Wessington Springs, a banking corporation created under and existing by virtue of the laws of the state of South Dakota, of which said bank the said Stanley S. 'Smith was at all times in the complaint mentioned the assistant cashier. That the said defendant Stanley S. .Smith, as treasurer of the city of Wessington Springs aforesaid, andi while he was the assistant cashier of the said Farmers’ -Savings Bank of Wessington Springs, South Da[518]*518kota, from time to time, deposited the funds belonging to the plaintiff in said bank, -during the whole of the term- of office of said defendant Smith as treasurer of said city. That on February 5, 1924, the said Farmers’ Savings ’Bank of Wessington Springs, South Dakota, failed to open for business, and its assets and property were taken into- the custody and control of the superintendent of banks of the state of South D'akota for liquidation, on account of the insolvent 'Condition of said bank. That for a long time prior to said February 5, 1924, and- at least as early as during the month of August, 1923,. the said Farmers’ Savings Bank of Wessington Spring's was unsound and insolvent, and from at least about the 1st of August, 1923, down to the time of the closing- of said- bank, the defendant Stanley S. Smith well knew and- had reasonable -cause to- believe that said bank was financially unsound and insolvent, but notwithstanding the insolvent -condition of said bank, .and his knowledge thereof, the said defendant Stanley S. Smith negligently and in bad faith, and for the purpose of increasing the deposits of said bank of which he was an officer, and in the interest of said bank, continued from time to time to make deposits in said bank and negligently and in bad faith permitted the said deposits to remain in said bank until the closing thereof as hereinbefore found. That from the time the said Smith- had actual knowledge and reasonable cause to believe that said -Farmers’ Savings Bank of Wessington -Springs, South Dakota, was financially unsound and insolvent, about August 1, 1923, and down to the date of the -closing of said bank, the said Smith deposited funds of the plaintiff in the said bank in amounts largely exceeding the amount o-f funds o-f plaintiff remaining on deposit in said bank at the time o-f the- closing thereof; and the defendant Smith, as treasurer aforesaid, negligently and carelessly and in bad faith and in disregard of his duty to- plaintiff, deposited more than the sum of fifteen thousand dollars ($15,000) of the funds of the plaintiff in said Farmers’ Savings Bank of Wessington Springs, -South Dakota, after he well knew and hadl reasonable cause to believe that said bank was financially unsound and- insolvent.”

Judgment was entered in favor of the plaintiff for the full amount prayed for in the complaint, and from- that judgment and from an order denying its application for new trial, the defendant Fidelity & Deposit 'Company has appealed.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
223 N.W. 723, 54 S.D. 515, 1929 S.D. LEXIS 364, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/city-of-wessington-springs-v-smith-sd-1929.