Dearhammer v. Central Bank & Trust Co.

221 P.2d 1065, 122 Colo. 206, 1950 Colo. LEXIS 239
CourtSupreme Court of Colorado
DecidedJuly 17, 1950
DocketNo. 16,240
StatusPublished

This text of 221 P.2d 1065 (Dearhammer v. Central Bank & Trust Co.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of Colorado primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Dearhammer v. Central Bank & Trust Co., 221 P.2d 1065, 122 Colo. 206, 1950 Colo. LEXIS 239 (Colo. 1950).

Opinion

Mr. Justice Alter

delivered the opinion of the court.

Mabel M. Dearhammer and Mildred G. Dearhammer brought an action against Schuyler L. Kirtley, The Central Bank and Trust Company, a Colorado corporation, and Andrew Johansen and C. Louise Johansen, individually, and as partners doing business as Western Sales and Finance Company, to recover compensatory and punitive damages; for a body judgment against [207]*207Kirtley; for the return of certain property; and the establishment of a trust and accounting against the defendants. Upon stipulation of counsel for plaintiffs and defendant Kirtley, the court, on June 22, 1948, entered its judgment in favor of plaintiffs and against Kirtley for the sum of $16,434.04.

Herein Mabel M. Dearhammer will be designated by name or as mother; we will refer to Mildred G. Dear-hammer as Mildred or as daughter; The Central Savings Bank and Trust Company as bank; and Kirtley by name or as defendant.

Trial on the complaint and answer of defendant bank was had to the court, with a jury sitting in an advisory capacity, and, at the conclusion of all of the evidence, on oral motion of counsel for the bank to dismiss the action as to it, the same was granted, and thereupon judgment was entered in favor of the bank and against plaintiffs with costs. Plaintiffs have sued out a writ of error, seeking a reversal of the judgment.

The judgment entered by the court on stipulation of counsel for plaintiffs and defendant Kirtley judicially determined plaintiffs’ rights as against Kirtley growing out of business transactions hereinafter mentioned, and no objection here appearing to that judgment, it need not be given further consideration.

In the amended and supplemental complaint, so far as the same pertains to the litigation between plaintiffs and the bank, it is alleged that plaintiff Mabel M. Dear-hammer is an aged widow, and that her daughter, Mildred, was unmarried at all times mentioned in the pleadings, neither of these women having had business experience and both of them susceptible to being defrauded and deceived by any dishonest person. Further it is alleged that defendant Kirtley gained a domineering influence over plaintiffs by threatening to have both adjudged insane and committed to an insane asylum, and by use of threats obtained from plaintiffs between April 15, 1946, and September 11, 1946, the sum of [208]*208$16,434.04. It further is alleged that on May 15, 1947, Kirtley executed his promissory note in the sum of $15,312.50, due August 11, 1947, with interest thereon at the rate of one per cent per month, to secure the repayment of money which he had theretofore obtained from the bank, and collaterally secured his’ said note with other notes together with deeds of trust and chattel mortgages .securing the same, which other notes were allegedly purchased with moneys which Kirtley had obtained from plaintiffs. It also is alleged that the loans evidenced by notes and deeds of trust and chattel mortgages collaterally secüring Kirtley’s note of May 15, 1947, were subject to a trust in favor of plaintiffs to the extent that their funds were used to acquire the same, and that the bank knew, or in the exercise of reasonable care, should have known, that Kirtley had used funds belonging to plaintiffs with which to acquire these securities, and that plaintiffs have an equitable interest therein superior to any claim of the bank. It further is alleged that upon the securities pledged by Kirtley, as collateral to his note, payments have been made to Kirtley with the knowledge and consent of the bank, and the value of the securities to the extent of these payments depreciated.

The plaintiffs sought judgment against the bank, establishing that they are equitably entitled to the collateral securing the Kirtley note of May 15, 1947, to the extent that their funds are invested therein; determining that their rights to these loans are superior to the claim of the bank; prohibiting the bank from surrendering possession of the collateral security pending the determination of this action; for a judgment against the bank in an amount equal to all payments made upon the collateral security, whether collected by it or by Kirtley or others, and for general relief.

■ As hereinbefore stated, at the conclusion of all of the evidence the court granted the bank’s motion to dismiss the action, and in so doing must have determined that [209]*209there was no fact presented upon which it desired the jury’s advice and assistance. As we view the record, plaintiffs’ cause of action against the bank must rest almost entirely upon the testimony of Mildred and Kirtley, and this because the aged mother apparently participated only slightly in the business transactions between her daughter and Kirtley which gave rise to this action.

The evidence offered by plaintiffs in support of their cause of action against the bank consisted of their own testimony, together with that of two officers of the bank called for cross-examination, Kirtley, and documentary evidence. It may be thus summarized:

Kirtley testified that he was a police officer in the city of Denver and had been thus employed for approximately twenty-two years. As evidenced by the judgment against him, he received the following sums from Mildred on the dates indicated:

April 15, 1946 $ 700.00
April 30, 1946 3,500.00
May 9, 1946 4,733.76
September 11, 1946 3,700.00

He received from Mabel M. Dearhammer on September 11, 1946, the sum of $3,800.00.

It appears that Kirtley became acquainted with Mildred through a real-estate loan in which he was interested, and some time later became acquainted with Mabel M. Dearhammer and her husband, at which time the husband was bedfast. In the spring of 1946, he and Mildred discussed entering into the business of making business chance loans; Mildred to furnish the finances to prosecute the business, but she definitely insisted that it be carried on in his name and that her connection therewith be absolutely secretive to the extent that she wanted neither her father nor her mother to know of the arrangement. The first loan that was made was for the purpose of redecorating a tavern in which Kirtley was financially interested, and the second and third [210]*210loans were made for the purpose of acquiring a stock of liquors to be used therein. Other loans to him were used in making business chance loans, and all of the money he received was deposited to his credit in the bank, upon which account he alone was authorized to draw checks. On January 31, 1947, and about six months subsequent to her husband’s death, Mabel Dearhammer executed a power of attorney generally authorizing Kirtley to handle her business affairs; later, on February 10, 1947, she executed another power of attorney to meet some requirements of the bank. Prior to January, 1947, Mildred had, at Kirtley’s suggestion, removed five notes, payable either to Mabel M. Dearhammer or both the mother and her daughter, secured by deeds of trust, from a small safe in plaintiffs’ residence and placed them in Kirtley’s safety deposit box at the bank, to which Mildred had access, and these five loans, the notes being endorsed by Kirtley, were subsequently used by the latter as collateral for moneys which he borrowed to further finance his operations. These notes and deeds of trust so used by Kirtley were subsequently returned to Mabel M.

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Bluebook (online)
221 P.2d 1065, 122 Colo. 206, 1950 Colo. LEXIS 239, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/dearhammer-v-central-bank-trust-co-colo-1950.