Davis v. Chittenden County Trust Co.

61 A.2d 553, 115 Vt. 349, 1948 Vt. LEXIS 79
CourtSupreme Court of Vermont
DecidedOctober 5, 1948
StatusPublished
Cited by16 cases

This text of 61 A.2d 553 (Davis v. Chittenden County Trust Co.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of Vermont primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Davis v. Chittenden County Trust Co., 61 A.2d 553, 115 Vt. 349, 1948 Vt. LEXIS 79 (Vt. 1948).

Opinion

Buttles, J.

By this action in general assumpsit the plaintiff, a co-owner of a joint savings account in defendant bank, seeks to recover for the alleged wrongful payment of the balance thereof to the other co-owner without presentation of the bank pass book or proof of its loss or destruction as required by the rules of the bank. As no answer was filed general denial is considered pleaded. P. L. 1574. Trial was by the court, judgment was for the plaintiff and the defendant comes to this court on bill of exceptions.

The findings of the court, not excepted to, disclose thefollowing facts. The joint owners of the account were husband and wife. The husband, Clayton E. Davis, made some small deposits therein of his own money but the bulk of the account came from the avails of the sale of a house title to which was held by the husband and wife by the entireties, although the money for its purchase had been furnished by the husband. The bank pass book was in the exclusive possession of the husband until October 14, 1946, when the avails from the sale of the house were deposited. At that time the husband made two withdrawals, one of which was for the purchase of bonds for their children, leaving a balance of $2000. in the account. Mr. Davis and the plaintiff had had domestic difficulties and he contemplated going away for an indefinite period. Before leaving the hank on that occasion he handed the pass book for the account to the plaintiff, telling her that as she had nothing on which to support the children and herself she was to use the money in that savings account unless she received money from him.

Printed in this pass book were certain rules of the defendant governing savings accounts, among which were the following:

*351 “Article 4. A depositor, desiring to withdraw money from his deposit, shall present his bank book in order that the payment may be entered thereon, unless satisfactory proof is furnished that such book has been lost or destroyed.
“Immediate notice of the loss of a deposit book should be given the Bank, and the Bank will not be responsible for loss sustained by any depositor, when he has not given notice of the loss of his book, if his deposit should be paid, in full or in part, on presentation of the book by any other person. In all cases, a payment upon presentation of the deposit book shall be a discharge to the Bank for the amount paid.”

On the cover of this pass book is printed, “This account not subject to check”, and on the inside of the back cover is printed, “This bank book must acompany all withdrawal orders.” The plaintiff has had the sole and exclusive possession of the pass book since October 14, 1946.

On November 6, 1946, the plaintiff withdrew $1000. from the account upon presentation of the pass book. At that time she talked with Mason W. Huse, the defendant’s assistant treasurer and loaning officer, whose duties with reference to savings accounts are secondary. He was acquainted with the plaintiff’s domestic a'nd financial condition. She told him that no further withdrawals should be made from that account without the pass book, and he assured her that money could not be withdrawn without the pass book and instructed the clerks not to permit withdrawals from this account unless the pass book was presented. Which clerks he so instructed does not appear. Plaintiff then believed, because of Mr. Huse’s statement and action, that no money could be withdrawn without the pass book but she expressed no wish to change the status of the account and gave no directions in that respect. She permitted it to remain a joint account until she closed it on January 28, 1947. • The defendant on some occasions made an exception to its rule requiring presentation of the pass book when a withdrawal was made from a savings account, but it does not appear that the plaintiff knew or ought to have known that such exceptions were made.

On December 9, 1946, Mr. Davis, without having the pass *352 book or an order signed by the plaintiff in his possession, withdrew $500 from the account. The teller who waited upon him was well acquainted with him and he gave her some reason which satisfied her for not presenting the passbook. She did not consult any officer of the bank about permitting this withdrawal, but took it upon herself to make an exception to the rule.

The plaintiff knew nothing of this withdrawal, except a statement by Mr. Davis which she did not believe, until January 28, 1947, when she presented the pass book at the bank for the purpose of withdrawing $1000. and interest which she thought was the balance remaining in the account. She was then informed of the withdrawal of $500. by Mr. Davis and that withdrawal was entered in the pass book. She was then paid $501.67, the balance of the account as shown by the bank’s record, for which amount she signed a withdrawal slip although protesting that this was not the correct amount. It is for the balance of the account as the plaintiff claims it should be that she has brought this action.

We have before us for consideration only the defendant’s exception to the judgment. While the bill of exceptions recites that the defendant was allowed exceptions to the failure of the court to find as requested and to the failure to amend the findings as requested, such requested findings and amendments showing what the exceptions were and the grounds thereof have never been filed. The bare statement in the bill of exceptions that the exceptions were allowed, without more, presents nothing for review. Platt Admr. v. Shields and Conant, 96 Vt 257, 266, 119 A 520; Little v. Loud, 112 Vt 299, 302, 23 A2d 628; Cook v. Holden, 113 Vt 409, 411, 35 A2d 353. The bill of exceptions also refers to “numerous exceptions” to the admission and exclusion of evidence, but the record does not disclose what exceptions are referred to and no such exceptions are briefed. They are therefore waived. Bennett v. Delphia, 98 Vt 492, 496, 129 A 234; White River Chair Co. v. Conn. Riv. Pr. Co., 105 Vt 24, 35, 162 A 859.

The exception to the judgment raises only the question whether it is supported by the facts found. Little v. Loud, 112 Vt 299, 304, 23 A2d 628; Levin v. Rouille, 110 Vt 126, 130, 2 A2d 196.

By the weight of authority if a depositor accepts and retains a savings account pass book wherein are printed rules of the bank respecting the repayment of the deposit he is deemed to ac *353 quiesce therein, and they become a part of the contract between the bank and the depositor. Annot. 5 ALR 1203; Gifford v. Rutland Savings Bank, 63 Vt 108, 113, 115, 11 LRA 794, 25 ASR 744; 21 A 340; Mutual Assur. Co. v. Norwich Sav. Soc., 128 Conn 510, 24 A2d 477, 139 ALR 829, 833; Chase v. Waterbury Sav. Bank, 77 Conn 295, 69 LRA 329, 59 A 37, 1 Ann Cas 96; Ladd v. Augusta Sav. Bank, 96 Me 510, 58 LRA 288, 52 A 1012; Cosgrove v. Prov. Inst. for Savings, 64 NJL 653, 46 A 617.

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Related

Peters v. Peters
443 S.E.2d 213 (West Virginia Supreme Court, 1994)
Beizer v. Financial Savings & Loan Assn.
172 Cal. App. 3d 133 (California Court of Appeal, 1985)
Graves v. Red River Valley Bank
445 So. 2d 122 (Louisiana Court of Appeal, 1984)
Coristo v. Twin City Bank
520 S.W.2d 218 (Supreme Court of Arkansas, 1975)
Hileman v. Hulver
221 A.2d 693 (Court of Appeals of Maryland, 1966)
Keokuk Savings Bank & Trust Company v. Desvaux
143 N.W.2d 296 (Supreme Court of Iowa, 1966)
Griffin v. Centreville Savings Bank
171 A.2d 204 (Supreme Court of Rhode Island, 1961)
Badders v. PEOPLES TRUST CO.
140 N.E.2d 235 (Indiana Supreme Court, 1957)
Jones, Adm. v. Hamilton, Adm.
127 A.2d 519 (Court of Appeals of Maryland, 1956)
Polonsky v. Union Federal Savings & Loan Association
138 N.E.2d 115 (Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court, 1956)
LaValley v. Pere Marquette Employes' Credit Union
70 N.W.2d 798 (Michigan Supreme Court, 1955)
Forbes v. First Camden Nat. Bank & Trust Co.
95 A.2d 416 (New Jersey Superior Court App Division, 1953)
Forbes v. First Camden National Bank & Trust Co.
90 A.2d 547 (Camden County Superior Court, 1952)
Norman v. American Woolen Co.
84 A.2d 125 (Supreme Court of Vermont, 1951)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
61 A.2d 553, 115 Vt. 349, 1948 Vt. LEXIS 79, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/davis-v-chittenden-county-trust-co-vt-1948.