Commercial & Savings Bank Co. v. Citizens National Bank

120 N.E. 670, 68 Ind. App. 417, 1918 Ind. App. LEXIS 85
CourtIndiana Court of Appeals
DecidedNovember 8, 1918
DocketNo. 9,658
StatusPublished
Cited by9 cases

This text of 120 N.E. 670 (Commercial & Savings Bank Co. v. Citizens National Bank) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Indiana Court of Appeals primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Commercial & Savings Bank Co. v. Citizens National Bank, 120 N.E. 670, 68 Ind. App. 417, 1918 Ind. App. LEXIS 85 (Ind. Ct. App. 1918).

Opinion

Felt, P. J.

Appellant, the Commercial and Savings Bank of Belief ontaine, Ohio, brought this suit against appellee, the Citizens’ National Bank, of Franklin, Indiana, to recover the amount paid by it to appellee on an alleged forged check.

The complaint was in four paragraphs, to which an answer was filed in six paragraphs.

Demurrers for insufficiency of facts alleged to state a cause of action were filed and overruled to each paragraph of the complaint. Demurrers for insufficiency of the facts alleged to constitute a defense to the cause of action stated in the complaint were filed to each paragraph of the answer, except the first, which was a general denial. Each of such demurrers were also overruled. Beplies in general denial were filed to each paragraph of the special answers.

[419]*419The parties made an agreement as to the evidence in the case. The court found for appellee and rendered judgment accordingly.

Appellant’s motion for a new trial was overruled, and it has assigned as errors relied on for reversal (1) the overruling of the demurrer to the second, •third, «fourth, fifth and sixth paragraphs of answer and (2) the overruling of the motion for a new trial. A new trial was asked on the ground that the decision is not sustained by sufficient evidence and that such decision is contrary to law.

Appellee contends that no question is duly presented by appellant’s brief under the rules of the court, because the pleadings are not set out in accordance with such rules, and because under points and authorities only abstract propositions of law are stated without being Specifically applied to any particular question presented by the record.

The briefs are subject to criticism, but, considering them in their entirety, we are able to ascertain the principal questions presented by the issues and relied on for reversal, as they arise under the motion for a new trial, and shall consider the same from the standpoint of the sufficiency of the evidence to sustain the finding and judgment of the court.

The substance of the evidence, as far as material, is as follows: Appellant was a banking corporation doing business in the State of Ohio, and appellee was a similar corporation doing business in the State of Indiana. On October 11, 1912, appellant received from appellee, through the United States mail, a check, which was as follows:

[420]*420“Beliefontaine, Ohio, Sept. 29, 1912.
“The Commercial & Savings Bank Co.
“Pay to the order of Myself. $320.00
Three hundred and twenty Dollars:
“W. H. Kellison.”

The check was stamped on the face as paid by appellant on October 11, 1912, and was indorsed »on the back “W. H. Kellison,” and, also—

“Pay Any Bank or Banker. All previous endorsements guaranteed:
“Citizens’ National Bank, Franklin, Indiana.
“J. FL.Tarlton, Cashier.”

-That • appellee sent with the check to appellant a slip reading as follows:

“The Citizens’ National Bank
Franklin, Indiana, Oct. 10, 1912.
“Commercial & Savings Bank Co. ’ ■ Bellefontaine, Ohio.
“We enclose for collection and return, Items marked X no protest.
Report by number.
No. on Amount.
X You $320.00 Respectfully,
O. C. Dunn, Cashier.”

The name of “W. H. Kellison” as maker and indorser of said check was a forgery. Appellant, relying upon the guaranty of appellee, did on October 41, 1912, pay appellee the amount of said check, less its charges of thirty cents, but at that time had no notice that the check had been forged, or that the indorsement by Kellison was a forgery, and in paying the same relied wholly upon the.indorsement of appellee. On October 16, 1912, appellant first discov[421]*421ered that said check was a forgery, and thereupon notified appellee by mail of that fact, and requested the return of the money. On October 19, 1912, appellant again communicated with appellee by mail, in which reference is made to a conversation over the telephone, and mention is made that the letter of October 16 did not reach appellee. In the letter dated October 19, it is stated that the check had been forged by a negro who was then in jail at Anderson, Indiana. Appellant also inclosed the check and asked appellee to remit the amount previously received from appellant in payment thereof. On October 22,1912, appellee returned the check by mail to appellant, and informed the latter that the check had been presented to it for payment; that the bank refused to pay the same, but took it for collection; that the check was thereupon sent direct to appellant for collection, was accepted by it as genuine, and a draft was sent appellee for the amount, less charges for collection; that it is “presumed a banker knows the genuineness of his customers’ checks before payment and we disclaim any further responsibility in the matter.”

The agreement as to the evidence further shows that on October 10,1912, a negro, who was a stranger to appellee, presented the check to the bank at Franklin, Indiana, for payment, and payment was refused; that appellee did not know the negro, but the check was taken for collection, and after it was collected by appellant and the amount sent to appellee, it paid the same to the man who had so presented the check as aforesaid, who falsely represented himself to be W. H. Kellison; that it did not receive notice of the forgery until after the money had been so paid, and did not then know where said negro was, nor have any knowl[422]*422edge of his location until informed by appellant’s letter of October 19 that he was in jail in Anderson; that said negro represented himself to be W. H. Kellison, but appellee did not know W. H. Kellison nor the negro who so represented himself to be Kellison, nor did it know the handwriting of W. H. Kellison; that when appellee so indorsed the check as aforesaid and sent it to appellant it accompanied the same with a slip, a copy of which is above set out, and thereby intended to place upon appellant the whole responsibility of determining the genuineness and value of the check; that when appellee received the money collected by appellant on said check it believed appellant had ascertained the check to be genuine, and thereafter paid the money over to the presenter of the check as aforesaid; that when appellee refused in the first instance to cash the check, and offered to take the same for collection, said colored man showed no hesitancy or unwillingness, but readily assented thereto, and later on called and inquired if the bank had received payment on the check; that W. H.

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Bluebook (online)
120 N.E. 670, 68 Ind. App. 417, 1918 Ind. App. LEXIS 85, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/commercial-savings-bank-co-v-citizens-national-bank-indctapp-1918.