Corn Exchange Bank v. Farmers' National Bank

4 N.Y. St. Rep. 557
New York Supreme Court·Decided December 30, 1886·Published

Opinion

The findings of fact and conclusions of law and the opinion of the learned justice in the court below are as follows:

[558]*558First. That plaintiff is a banking association, duly incorporated under the Laws of the state of New York, and carrying on business in the city of New York, and the defendant is a banking association incorporated under the laws of the United States, and carrying on business at Lancaster, Pennsylvania.

Second. That on the 18th day of July, 1884, the defendant, at said Lancaster, drew a bill of exchange in writing, and directed the same to the First National Bank at the city of New York, and thereby required the said First National Bank to pay to Loftin Love, cashier, or order, the sum of $1,870, and sent the same to the plaintiff by mail.

Third. The said Loftin Love was then plaintiff’s cashier, and said draft was made payable to said Love, as such cashier, and not to him individually, and the same was in reality payable to the plaintiff.

Fourth. That said draft was drawn for the special purpose of paying a check drawn by Mary 0. Melson, executrix, on defendant, payable to the order of John J. Cameron, for the sum of $1,871.84, and bearing date July 9th, 1884, and was drawn for no other purpose.

Fifth. That on the 14th day of July, 1884, said check was the property of John J. Cameron, of Indianapolis, Indiana, and was in his possession, and oh that day he endorsed the same in blank and delivered it to the firm of A. & J. C. S. Harrison, of said Indianapolis, then doing business there as bankers, for collection, and received no consideration therefor, said firm receiving the said check for collection only.

Sixth. That said firm indorsed said check in the following words: “Pay to Loftin Love, Cr., or order, for collection, amount of A. & J. 0. S. Harrison, Indianapolis, Ind.,” and sent the same to the plaintiff by mail with other inclosures in a letter addressed to said Love, and dated Indianapolis, July 15, 1884, the body of which letter, including the signature, was printed, and was in the following words: “ Dear Sir: Your favor of , with inclosures, received. We inclose for credit as stated below. Respectfully yours, A. & J. C. S. Harrison,” at the foot of which was the following in writing:

Farmers’ National.......... $1,871 84
Sperry, B..................................... 6,755 98
Verbach....................... 1,199 63
Total..................................... $9,827 45

Seventh. That plaintiff endorsed said check to defendant’s cashier for collection, and sent the same to defendant for [559]*559payment, whereupon the said draft was drawn for the purpose of paying said check.

Eighth. That said Harrisons failed and suspended payment on the seventeenth day of July, 1884.

Ninth. That immediately after learning of said failure said Cameron, through said Mary C. Melson, requested defendant not to pay said check. That said draft had already been drawn and mailed to plaintiff.

Tenth. That subsequently, and before said draft was presented for payment, said Cameron, through said Mrs. Melson, requested defendant to stop payment of said draft, and pursuant to said request defendant notified the said First National Bank not to pay said draft, and said draft has not been paid.

Eleventh. That said check was returned by defendant to the drawer thereof, said Mary C. Melson, and was charged to her upon her account with defendant, upon which said check was drawn.

Twelfth. That said check was received by plaintiff on the 17 th day of July, 1884, and at that time and for several years prior thereto plaintiff had an account current with said Harrisons, and upon receiving said check credited the amount thereof upon said accomit.

The plaintiff kept only one form of account with said Harrisons.

Thirteenth. That neither Mary C. Melson individually or as executrix, nor John J. Cameron, were known to plaintiff at the time said check was received by plaintiff.

Fourteenth. That said check was so credited on said account, upon condition that if not collected it should be charged back to said Harrisons upon said account, and it was so charged back to said Harrisons upon said account,. on refusal of payment of said draft.

Fifteenth. That at the commencement of business on the 17th day of July, 1884, there was a balance to the credit of said Harrisons on said account.of the sum of $4,169.54; that on the same day the further sum of $8,306.96 was placed to the credit or said Harrisons on said account in addition to the amount of said check.

Sixteenth. That plaintiff paid certain drafts and certified a check for account of said Harrisons on said 17th day of July, 1885, but the amount of such payments and certification was less than the amount of said credits, not including the check in question, and there were no other payments or advances made by plaintiff on account of said Harrisons after receipt of said check and said certification and payments were not made by plaintiff on account of any particular item of commercial paper remitted to plaintiff by said Harrisons, but only upon general account.

[560]*560First. That at the time of the commencement of this action plaintiff was not the owner of the check in question, or its proceeds, and defendant was not indebted to plaintiff on account of said check in any sum whatever.

Second. That plaintiff was the agent of Cameron in the collection of said check, and Cameron was authorized to revoke such agency, and to direct the defendant not to pay the same or its proceeds to the plaintiff.

Third. That the debt represented by said draft was not due to, and did not belong to the plaintiff, and plaintiff, at the time of the commencement of this action, was not entitled to receive payment of the same, and said draft was then void and of no effect in plaintiff’s hands.

Fourth. That defendant is entitled to judgment for the dismissal of the complaint on the merits, with costs.

Lawrence, J.

I am of the opinion that there should be judgment for the defendant. Cameron delivered the check to the Harrisons for collection, and it was transmitted by them to the plaintiff also for collection. Cameron did not part with his title to the check or to its proceeds, and he could, as owner, if the draft had been paid, demand the payment of the money directly from the plaintiffs, and forbid their paying it to the Harrisons. Comstock v. Hoag, 5 Wend., 600; Sickles v. Gillies, 35 Supr. Ct., 14; Barker v. Prentiss, 6 Mass., 430; Dickerson v. Wason, 47 N. Y., 439. In point of fact he notified the defendants not to pay the check, which empowered them to stop the payment of the draft which they had forwarded to the plaintiff. In the case of the City Bank of New Haven v. Perkins (29 N. Y., 554), cited by the plaintiff’s counsel, the bills of exchange had been transferred to the plaintiff by the cashier of the bank which owned them.

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Corn Exchange Bank v. Farmers' National Bank, 4 N.Y. St. Rep. 557 (N.Y. Super. Ct. 1886).

4 N.Y. St. Rep. 557 (Corn Exchange Bank v. Farmers' National Bank) — published by Counsel Stack Legal Research, free access to 12M+ legal documents.

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City Bank of New Haven v. . Perkins
29 N.Y. 554 (New York Court of Appeals, 1864)
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90 N.Y. 530 (New York Court of Appeals, 1882)
Comstock v. Hoag
5 Wend. 600 (New York Supreme Court, 1830)
Barker v. Prentiss
6 Mass. 430 (Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court, 1810)