County of Okeechobee v. Fla. Natl. Bank of Jax

150 So. 124, 112 Fla. 309
Supreme Court of Florida·Decided May 9, 1933·Published·Cited by 20 cases

Opinions

Buford, J.

Suit was filed by the appellants here, County of Okeechobee,- Florida, and F. M. Mobley, J. W. Swain, A. L. Thompson, W. E. Arnold and F. H. Baggott, as and constituting the Board of County Commissioners of Okeechobee County, Florida, against the Florida National Bank of Jacksonville, Jacksonville, Florida, and J. P. Cochrane, *310 as Liquidator of the Peoples Bank of Okeechobee, Okeechobee, Florida.

The bill of complaint was bottomed on a tri-party trust agreement entered into between Florida National Bank of Jacksonville, the Peoples Bank of Okeechobee and the Board of County Commissioners of Okeechobee County, Florida, on the 10th day of April, 1927, in the following language, to-wit:

“This Agreement, entered into this 10th day of April, A. D. 1927, by and between Florida National Bank of Jacksonville, Florida, Peoples Bank of Okeechobee, Florida, and Board of County Commissioners of Okeechobee County, Florida, has for its purpose the following:

“In consideration of the loan to the Peoples Bank of Okeechobee by the Florida National Bank of Jacksonville of $300,000.00 of obligations of the United States of America, and other bonds as represented by Custodian’s Receipts Nos. 1424,- for $28,000, 4010 for $50,000, 4113 for $10,000, 4142 for $100,000, 4143 for $75,000, 4150 for $25,000 and 4151 for- $25,000, of the Jacksonville Branch of the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta, Georgia, assigned to the Board of County Commissioners of Okeechobee County, the Peoples Bank of Okeechobee has directed that the proceeds of the Okeechobee County Road No. 29 Bond Issue amounting to approximately $500,000.00 be deposited with the Florida National Bank of Jacksonville, in an account designated ‘Peoples Bank of Okeechobee.’ It is understood that the bonds referred to are to secure the aforesaid’ deposit and said funds so deposited are to be withdrawn from the Florida Bank of Jacksonville by the Peoples Bank of Okeechobee, or to be withdrawn by the County Commissioners of Okeechobee County, from the Peoples Bank of Okeechobee only upon surrender by the Board of County Commissioners of Okeechobee County, *311 to the Florida National Bank of Jacksonville, through the Peoples Bank of Okeechobee of the Custodian’s Receipts in the following manner:

“None of said Custodian’s Receipts shall be released by-said Board of County Commissioners until the aforesaid deposit with the Florida National Bank of Jacksonville has been reduced, by withdrawals therefrom by the Peoples Bank of Okeechobee, to a sum equal to the face value of all said Custodian’s Receipts ($300,000.00). Thereafter the said Custodian’s Receipts shall be surrendered and released by the Board of County Commissioners of Okeechobee County, through the Peoples Bank of Okeechobee to the Florida National Bank of Jacksonville, in blocks of $50,000.00 face value. When the deposit described herein has been reduced .to $300,000.00, $50,000.00 of the Custodian’s Receipts shall be released. When the deposit has been reduced to $250,000.00, $50,000.00 of the Custodian’s Receipts shall be released. When the deposit has been reduced to $200,000.00, $50,000.00 of the Custodian’s Receipts shall be released. When the deposit has been reduced to .$150,000,00, $50,000.00 of the Custodian’s Receipts shall be released. When the deposit has been reduced to $100,000.00, $50,000.00 of the Custodian’s Receipts shall be released. When the deposit has been reduced to $50,000.00 the remainder of the Custodian’s Receipts shall be released as prescribed herein by the Board of County Commissioners of Okeechobee County to the Florida National Bank of Jacksonville through the Peoples Bank of Okeechobee.

“It is agreed between the parties hereto that the Custodian’s Receipts referred to herein shall be kept in vault for safekeeping, preferably in a lock box on which two keys are required to open, and it is further understood that in the event all, or any portion of said Custodian’s Receipts *312 are lost or misappropriated by the officials to whom they are delivered by the Peoples Bank of Okeechobee then .the Florida National Bank of Jacksonville-shall deduct from the' said deposit a sum equivalent to the par value of such said. Custodian’s Receipts as are so lost or misappropriated.

“The Florida National Bank of Jacksonville,

“By G. J. Avant, Vice-Pres.

“Peoples Bank of Okeechobee,

“By D. R. McNeil, Pres.

.“Board of County Commissioners of Okeechobee County, Florida,

“By Ed Alderman, Chairman.

“Attest:

C. E. Simmons, Clerk.”

We deem it necessary .to set out. this agreement in full, because by its terms the Florida National Bank of Jacksonville and Peoples Bank of Okeechobee became liable; jointly for any breach of the trust agreement.which, may have been committed by them and their joint liability for-such breach becomes, in the opinion of the writer, the controlling factor in determining the questions now before ús..

- It is alleged in the bill of complaint that the agreement was violated by the banks in that, the securities hypothecated to protect the fund involved were withdrawn by the Florida National Bank of Jacksonville and released from, deposit by the Peoples Bank of Okeechobee without authority and in violation of the trust agreement, particularly in this:

That $40,000 of securities were released on July 3, 1928,. when there remained $378,751.46 of the fund on deposit.. Again, on September 3, 1928, $50,000 of the securities-were released when there remained $305,931.92 on deposit;, and so on releases were made of securities contrary to the *313 trust agreement until the 5th day of June, 1929, at which time there was $91,361.54 on deposit in the fund and only $10,000 of securities to protect the same. This $10,000 of securities was credited on the balance of the fund which left a balance due as -alleged in the bill of complaint from the Florida National Bank of Jacksonville and Peoples Bank of Okeechobee, Fla., to the County of- Okeechobee the sum of $81,361:54 and the bill of complaint prays for an accounting for the funds and a payment of the same over to the County of Okeechobee.

It will be at once perceived from the above statement that the Florida National Bank and Cochrane, as- Liquidator for the Peoples Bank of Okeechobee, are necessary and indispensable parties to this suit.

• The Florida National Bank Of Jacksonville filed an appearance and thereafter filed its plea of privilege of venue.

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County of Okeechobee v. Fla. Natl. Bank of Jax, 150 So. 124, 112 Fla. 309 (Fla. 1933).

150 So. 124 (County of Okeechobee v. Fla. Natl. Bank of Jax) — published by Counsel Stack Legal Research, free access to 12M+ legal documents.

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