Dorris v. Farmers & Merchants Bank

96 S.E. 450, 22 Ga. App. 514, 1918 Ga. App. LEXIS 584
CourtCourt of Appeals of Georgia
DecidedJuly 12, 1918
Docket9313
StatusPublished
Cited by8 cases

This text of 96 S.E. 450 (Dorris v. Farmers & Merchants Bank) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals of Georgia primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Dorris v. Farmers & Merchants Bank, 96 S.E. 450, 22 Ga. App. 514, 1918 Ga. App. LEXIS 584 (Ga. Ct. App. 1918).

Opinion

Bloodworth, J.

After the decision of the Supreme Court in this case as reported in 144 Ga. 233, the plaintiff amended his petition by alleging that the note sued on was indorsed “Roswell Construction Company, by J. L. Murphy, Treas.,” and by further alleging that “said note was indorsed to petitioner by the Roswell Construction Company, and before petitioner purchased the same it was indorsed by the Roswell Construction Company as follows: Roswell Construction Company, -by J. L. Murphy, Treas.” Defendants amended their plea as follows: “These defendants charge and allege: that the indorsement and transfer' on said note sued on by J. L. Murphy, treasurer of the Roswell Construction Company, to plaintiff was unauthorized, and that said J. L. Murphy [515]*515■ did not have the power or authority under the by-laws or the charter of said company to transfer said paper by'indorsing the same in the manner and form as set forth on said note. Defendants deny the title of plaintiff to said note, and deny both the genuineness and legality of the indorsement of the Eoswell Construction Company on the back thereof, and deny that the said indorsement was authorized by said company, and deny that the title to said note has ever passed out of said company, and [say] that the indorsement [was] not the indorsement of the Eoswell Construction Company. Defendants say that J. L. Murphy had no power or authority to indorse the note of the Eoswell Construction Company, for the reason that the Eoswell Construction Company was never legally organized; that the ten per cent, of the capital stock was not paid in; therefore they had no right or authority to transact any business whatever. Defendants; for further plea, say that, the Eoswell Construction Company never having been legally organized, there could be no board of directors who would .have power or authority to elect a board of directors or secretary or treasurer who under the law would or could have power or authority to make any contracts in the name of the Eoswell Construction Company, or to sell or to transfer any note or contract made payable to the Eoswell Construction Company. For further plea these defendants deny that the note sued on, payable to the Eoswell Construction Company,' was ever legally sold and the title thereto transferred to the Farmers & Merchants Bank, and that the said plaintiffs have no right or title to the note sued upon.”

The evidence showed: that Dorris and Eeece executed an ordinary promissory note payable to the order of Eoswell Construction Company; that the treasurer of the payee was endeavoring to discount the note to the plaintiff, and J. P. Brooke, one of the defendants, who at that time had no connection with the note, told the cashier of the bank that the makers were “good men and that their note was absolutely gilt-edge;” whereupon the cashier said: “You don’t mind indorsing it then?” Brooke said “No,” and thereupon signed an agreement as follows: “For value received I hereby guarantee the payment of the within note and any renewal of the same, said note being for the principal sum of $1,-000.00, bearing interest at 8% and payable to the Eoswell Construction Co., or order, on Nov.' 1, 1911, signed by J. L. Dorris [516]*516and ,J. C. Beece, in force and effect as a joint maker primarily liable thereon. This, the-1st day'of April, 1911.” The bank then traded for the note, issued a certificate of deposit payable to the Boswell Construction Company, and delivered this certificate to the treasurer of the company, and “the Boswell Construction Company got the money.” Upon failure to pay the note suit was brought, and, after the evidence was all in, the judge directed a verdict for the plaintiff. The defendants excepted.

1. The court committed no error in its rulings complained of in the first ground of the amendment to the motion for new trial. Although the by-laws of the company were not introduced to- show the authority of the treasurer to transfer the note sued on, yet, without objection, it was shown that the company received the money from the discount of the note, that the money was turned into the treasury and used for the purposes of the company, and that .the treasurer “transacted business for the company of that kind.” Under these circumstances the company itself could not receive" and retain the proceeds of the note, and then repudiate the act of its treasurer. “Aggregate corporations at this day usually contract through the intervention of agents duly authorized for this purpose. 10 Mass. R. 397; 1 N. & M. 231; 8 Conn. 191. A contract or promise by a corporation need not always be made or proved by express vote, but may be implied from corporate acts. 7 Greenleaf, 118. A contract or promise of a corporation is implied by law, from the authorized acts of their agents. 3 Halstead, 182; 8 Pick. 178. If a person, assuming to act as agent, b.ut without legal authority, make a contract, and the corporation receive the benefit of it, such acts will ratify the contract and render the corporation liable thereon. 1 Pick. 372; 19 Johns, 60. The foregoing are now assumed as axiomatic propositions, and are conclusive upon this view of the subject.” Butts v. Cuthbertson, 6 Ga. 166, 171. If, under the circumstances stated above, the corporation was bound and could not complain that the transfer was illegal and unauthorized, it follows that under the facts of this case the court did not err in allowing the person representing the corporation as “treasurer” to testify that he was treasurer of the company, transacted business of that kind for the company, and that the Boswell Construction .Company received and used the money realized from the discount of the note.

[517]*517(a) In the same ground of the motion for a new trial it is urged that, in a colloquy with counsel the court erred in saying, “I think the treasurer .of the corporation could transfer its obligations.” It does not appear from the record that any exception to this remark was taken when it was made. ' Such questions can not be raised for the first time in a motion for new trial. Freeman v. Petty, 22 Ga. App. 199 (95 S. E. 737); Perdue v. State, 135 Ga. 277 (69 S. E. 184).

2. It is alleged that the court erred in admitting in evidence the note sued on, which was indorsed as follows: “Roswell Construction Company, by J. L. Murphy, Treas.” The objections were: “Because the evidence showed that the Roswell Construction Company had a capital stock of $200,000 and not one dollar of it fyad ever been paid in; also that the Atlanta and Northeastern Railroad Company had a capital stock of $420,000 and not one dollar of that had ever been paid in, and these corporations and each -of them had no right to do business, and that the transfer of this note in a business way was the doing of a business, and that for this reason said note should be excluded, there having been filed a plea of non est factum as to the indorse^ ment upon the note. Defendants objected to the introduction of said note with the indorsement thereon, for the reason that the indorsement was the ‘Roswell Construction Company, by J. L.

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Bluebook (online)
96 S.E. 450, 22 Ga. App. 514, 1918 Ga. App. LEXIS 584, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/dorris-v-farmers-merchants-bank-gactapp-1918.