Comte Guy Dubern v. Girard Trust Bank

454 F.2d 565
CourtCourt of Appeals for the Third Circuit
DecidedFebruary 9, 1972
Docket19515
StatusPublished
Cited by13 cases

This text of 454 F.2d 565 (Comte Guy Dubern v. Girard Trust Bank) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Comte Guy Dubern v. Girard Trust Bank, 454 F.2d 565 (3d Cir. 1972).

Opinions

OPINION OF THE COURT

GIBBONS, Circuit Judge.

Appellant, Comte Guy Dubern, a citizen and resident of France, is the universal legatee under the last will and testament of Ellen Wain de St. Marc, Marquise de Meyronnet de St. Marc. In that capacity Dubern in this diversity case sues the Girard Trust Bank over its handling of certain securities transactions on behalf of the marquise shortly before her death on February 26, 1964. Under French law a universal legatee is an approximate combination of the sole beneficiary and personal representative of a decedent’s estate under Pennsylvania law.

The relationship between Girard and decedent marquise was set forth in a letter agreement dated May 10, 1946 (Exhibit P-1) establishing what Girard refers to interchangeably as a Supervised Agency Account or an Investment Advisory Account. In that agreement the decedent, referred to as the owner, directs Girard to open such an account “ . . . and to hold therein as Agent for the Owner all stocks, bonds, securities, and other property, from time to time deposited . . . subject to the following instructions . . . ”. The instructions refer to a semi-annual analysis of the account after review by Girard. The agreement provides, however, that “[t]he reviews made by the Company are to be supervisory only, and no action is to be taken with respect to the Account except upon the direction and sole responsibility of the Owner.” It also provides that “[t]he Company, as Agent, will buy and sell stocks, bonds, or other investments comprising or to comprise the Account, upon the written direction of the Owner, or such person or persons as the Owner may from time to time designate by proper written authority.” Although the management of supervised agency accounts was housed in Girard’s trust department, it is clear that the relationship between the decedent and Girard was that of principal and [567]*567compensated agent, not that of settlor and trustee or cestui and trustee.1

On March 12, 1963 the decedent executed a written power of attorney which among other extremely broad powers authorized Dubern to withdraw funds from any bank, to sell securities of whatever kind and wherever located and to make purchases of other securities. Girard was advised of the execution of this power of attorney on March 28, 1963. It declined to acknowledge Dubern’s authority over the funds in its custody for some time, however, apparently out of concern over the authenticity of the power of attorney or over the principal’s capacity. On December 20, 1963, it did finally agree to acknowledge Dubern’s authority to this extent:

“It was not our intention to question the authenticity of the instrument forwarded to us by Mr. Prat. It appears, however, the effect of such a Power of Attorney in your country differs from our practice here, and some difficulties remain to our way of thinking. We are most anxious to cooperate with you in handling the Marquise’s affairs, and rather than press the legal question further, we would like to offer a suggestion which may, for the present at least, resolve our difficulties in a manner satisfactory to both of us.
We have no hesitancy in remitting funds from the Investment Advisory Account for deposit to the Marquise’s account in Barclay’s Bank, Cannes. We would then inquire, whether, under your Power of Attorney, you could not handle any required distribution from the Barclay’s account.
* * * * * *
We will await your instructions, although if for any reason you .desire a remittance before year end, you might wire us instructions.”

(Exhibit P-29).

Thus as of December 20, 1963 Girard, while acknowledging the authenticity of the power of attorney to Dubern, declined to follow his instructions to the full extent specified in the agency agreement, Exhibit P-1.

On February 1, 1964, Dubern, by a letter which was received at Girard on February 5th and translated on February 7th, instructed Girard to sell securities in order to raise $115,000 and to transfer this sum to decedent’s account at Barclays Bank. The translation of this letter, Exhibit P-31, discloses that Dubern was still dissatisfied about Gir-ard’s long delay in arriving at a decision with respect to its duty to act on his instructions. He also wrote (as translated) :

“For the immediate present, I give my accord to your proposal ordering payment of funds only under my signature and solely for the benefit of the account of Ellen Wain de St. Marc, Marquise de St. Marc, with Barclays Bank, Cannes.
[568]*568■X * * * -X- X
Your customer may, in France, take into account her age, obtaining double the income indicated above, exempt from present and future tax. The capital indexed on the price of gold in Paris and the stocks having a very large market. On short term the risk of effective devaluation of french [sic] money is thus covered in a rather satisfactory manner.”

(Exhibit P~31)

The second quoted paragraph may have lost something in translation. In any event, what Dubern had in mind was the purchase of a bond known as a Rente Pinay, issued by the government of France, indexed to gold, traded on the Paris Bourse, and having the unique characteristic that it was free of all taxation, including the payment of French succession taxes. Anticipating the transfer to Barclays Bank, he instructed that bank to make the investment in Rente Pinay as soon as the $115,-000 was received from Girard. (Exhibit P-33).

The decedent was then 83 years of age. Late in February her health deteriorated. On February 21 Dubern sent two separate cables requesting immediate transfer of funds. At his request, on that same date Barclays Bank, New York, inquired by telephone when the funds would be available. On February 26 the decedent died before the funds were transferred. Dubern was obliged to pay succession duties to the French government at the rate of 60 per cent of the net assessable value of the estate. Had the transfer been accomplished in time for purchase of the Rente Pinay bonds before decedent’s death the succession duties would have been $69,000 less. He sues for this amount. In addition, since the $115,000 was still in the United States at the time of decedent’s death and Girard could not transmit the funds until an estate tax return had been filed with the Internal Revenue Service here, Dubern seeks recovery of interest on the funds withheld while tax clearance was obtained.

Girard’s answer admitted receipt of the February 1, 1964 letter (Exhibit P-31). It denied any breach of duty on its part and pleaded affirmatively that Dubern lacks standing to sue and that the power of attorney under which he acted was of no legal effect in February 1964. The case was tried without a jury. On October 7, 1970 the district court, without making findings of fact, entered judgment in favor of Girard. This appeal followed.

The single ground of decision of the district court, which it made without considering any other issues in the case, was that the plaintiff had failed to prove recoverable damages. The court concluded that the only permissible measure of damages for an agent’s failure to comply with an order to sell stock is the decline, if any, in the value of the stock.

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Comte Guy Dubern v. Girard Trust Bank
454 F.2d 565 (Third Circuit, 1972)

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Bluebook (online)
454 F.2d 565, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/comte-guy-dubern-v-girard-trust-bank-ca3-1972.