Clark v. Patrick County Bank

159 S.E. 84, 156 Va. 553, 1931 Va. LEXIS 211
CourtSupreme Court of Virginia
DecidedJune 18, 1931
StatusPublished
Cited by2 cases

This text of 159 S.E. 84 (Clark v. Patrick County Bank) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of Virginia primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Clark v. Patrick County Bank, 159 S.E. 84, 156 Va. 553, 1931 Va. LEXIS 211 (Va. 1931).

Opinions

Epes, J.,

delivered the opinion of the court.

R. N. Clark and J. S. Martin owned jointly a lot of land near Stuart, Virginia, on which there was a garage and filling station. By deed dated December 15, 1925, Clark sold his half interest in this property to1 J. S. Martin for $1,200.00. The purchase price was evidenced by three notes for $400.00 each, dated December 15, 1925, drawn by J. S. Martin, payable respectively one, two' and three years after date to R. N. Clark or order; and J. S. Martin and wife executed a deed of trust, dated December 15, 1925, conveying the whole of said property to the Patrick County Bank, as trustee, to secure the payment of the three notes.

Clark endorsed these three notes and discounted them at the Patrick County Bank. When the first note fell due Martin failed to pay the note, and Clark then executed his note for $400.00, payable to the Patrick County Bank, and attached the past-due note of Martin thereto as collateral security. When Clark’s note fell due it was not paid, and on June 5, 1927, after due advertisement, the Patrick County Bank, trustee, acting through its trust officer, J. S. Taylor, sold the prop[555]*555erty at public auction. At this sale Clark became the purchaser of said lot, with the buildings thereon, at $1,075.00. The Patrick County Bank, trustee, prepared and executed a deed, dated June 10, 1927, conveying this property to Clark as the purchaser at said sale, and on or about that date tendered this deed to him. Clark, however, was in financial difficulties and was unable to make payment of the purchase price, and the deed was not delivered to him.

On November 13, 1928, Clark made a deed of assignment to J. M. Hooker, trustee, for the benefit of his creditors. This deed conveyed certain personal property, six specified parcels of real estate, and “all real estate wheresoever situated belonging to Robert N. Clark and wife whether in law or in equity.” Among the six parcels of real estate specifically conveyed is the lot above mentioned, with the garage and filling station. This deed contains no covenants of warranty, and no mention is made of the fact that Clark had not completed his purchase thereof under the deed of trust above mentioned.

This deed of assignment is made to secure twenty-seven specified debts, which are therein set out. Ten of these debts, aggregating $13,921.00, are listed as being due to Patrick County Bank, to-wit:

“(1) Patrick County Bank, Stuart, Va.....................................$8,600.00 with int. secured by a trust deed
“(2) Patrick County Bank, Stuart, Va..................................... 1,400.00 with int. secured by a trust deed
“(3) Patrick County Bank, Stuart, Va..................................... 500.00 with int.
“(4) Patrick County Bank, Stuart, Va..................................... 1,475.00 with int.
“(5) Patrick County Bank, Stuart, Va..................................... 1,200.00 with int. secured by a trust deed
“(6) Patrick County, Stuart, Va................................................. 125.00 with int.
“(7) Patrick County Bank, Stuart, Va..................................... 175.00 with int.
“(8) Patrick County Bank, Stuart, Va..................................... 100.00 with int.
“(9) Patrick County Bank, Stuart, Va..................................... 200.00 with int.
“(10) Patrick County Bank, Stuart, Va................................... 146.00 with int.

Item 5, for $1,200.00, is made up of the three notes for [556]*556$400.00 each, drawn by J. S. Martin and endorsed by R. N. Clark, secured by the deed of trust, dated December 15, 1925.

This deed of assignment contains the following provision: “It is further provided that all creditors who accept under this deed, do so in full satisfaction of their respective claims and shall be forever barred from further recovery of any balance.” (For statute authorizing such provision and giving full force and effect thereto, see Acts 1924, c. 434, p. 657, sec. 5278d, Michie’s Va. Code of 1930.)

The uncontradicted testimony of J. M. Hooker, the trustee under the deed of assignment, and of J. C. Shockley, the cashier of Patrick County Bank, is that the Patrick County Bank advised J. M. Hooker, trustee, that it refused to accept the provision made for it in the deed of assignment, and when J. M. Hooker, trustee, came to make sale under the deed of assignment in the latter part of 1929, he discovered that Clark had never settled for and received from Patrick County Bank, as trustee, a deed for the garage and filling station lot. He then .requested Mr. Shockley, the cashier of Patrick County Bank, to turn over to him the deed dated June 10, 1927, conveying the garage and filling station lot to Clark, which had been executed by the bank as trustee, but had not been delivered because Clark had not paid the purchase price, in order that he (Hooker) might have the deed recorded and get the title to this property straightened out.

The bank did this under the circumstances below set forth, and Hooker had the deed to Clark recorded. Hooker, acting as trustee under the deed of assignment, then sold this property, which was bid in by the Patrick County Bank for $500.00, and executed and delivered to the bank a deed for the property. The net proceeds of the sale, $470.00, were paid to the bank by Hooker, trustee, to be credited' on the notes of J. S. Martin, endorsed by R. N. Clark, secured by the deed of trust of December 15, 1929, and this sum was so credited by the bank.

[557]*557The uncontradicted testimony of J. M. Hooker with reference to the circumstances under which he received the deed from the bank and his handling of the matter is as follows :

“I went to see J. C. Shockley, cashier of Patrick County Bank, and requested that the deed that they, as trustee, had prepared and were holding until'the purchase price is paid, be recorded, so that I could sell it and get the title straight. I told him I would turn over the proceeds of sale of same to the bank to be credited on the J. S. Martin notes. I sold the garage and lot under the deed of assignment, and Patrick County Bank became the purchaser thereof, at the price of $500.00. The bank'paid me the $500.00, and I retained five per cent commission and $5.00 fee for deed, and turned the remaining $470.00 over to the bank as a credit on the $1,200.00 J. S. Martin note.”

The Patrick County Bank then brought its action in the Circuit Court of Patrick county against J. S. Martin and R. N. Clark on the said three notes for $400.00 each, asking judgment for $1,200.00 with interest thereon from December 15, 1925, five per cent collection fee, and $15.00 attorney’s fee, subject to a credit of $22.05 as of October 24, 1928, and a further credit of $470.00 as of November 21, 1929.

Martin set up the defense that he was entitled to a credit for the full amount of the net proceeds of the sale made by Patrick County Bank, as trustee, to R. N.

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159 S.E. 84, 156 Va. 553, 1931 Va. LEXIS 211, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/clark-v-patrick-county-bank-va-1931.