Drumm-Flato Commission Co. v. Gerlack Bank

92 Mo. App. 326, 1902 Mo. App. LEXIS 474
CourtMissouri Court of Appeals
DecidedFebruary 10, 1902
StatusPublished
Cited by7 cases

This text of 92 Mo. App. 326 (Drumm-Flato Commission Co. v. Gerlack Bank) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Missouri Court of Appeals primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Drumm-Flato Commission Co. v. Gerlack Bank, 92 Mo. App. 326, 1902 Mo. App. LEXIS 474 (Mo. Ct. App. 1902).

Opinion

BROADDUS, J.

This is a suit in the nature of an action for money had and received, to recover the sum of $1,371 and interest.. On the nineteenth day of October, 1899, the Globe Live Stock Commission Company, engaged in the commission business at the Kansas City Stock Yards, sold for one Randall, ninety-nine head of cattle, the net proceeds of which sale was the sum of $1,371, which was on said day deposited in the National Bank of Commerce of Kansas City by said commission company with direction to transmit the same to the defendant bank in Oklahoma Territory, to be deposited there to the credit of the said Randall, which was accordingly done. A Mr. Lampe, who was an agent óf the plaintiff company, on the afternoon of the day [329]*329of sale saw said cattle in tbe yards at tbe stock yards, and at once notified Mr.' Elato, plaintiff’s agent, that in bis opinion said cattle were covered by a mortgage tbe plaintiff beld against one E. C. Ecbnisson. On tbe afternoon of tbe same day Mr. Elato saw Edmisson, wbo was then in Kansas City, and bad a talk witb bim about tbe cattle, at wbicb time Edmisson informed bim that tbe cattle in fact belonged to Randall. But after a second conversation witb Lampe, wbicb occurred tbe nest day, Mr. Elato says be became satisfied that tbe cattle were included in said mortgage from Edmisson. He thereupon, after finding out from tbe Globe Commission Company wbat disposition bad been made of tbe proceeds of tbe cattle, informed tbe agent of said company, of bis mortgage on tbe cattle and demanded tbat it pay the said proceeds to bis company. Tbe agent of tbe Globe company at once telegraphed to tbe defendant as follows:

“Gerlack Bank, Woodward, O. T.
“It appears tbat Drumm-Elato’s mortgage on Edmisson’s -cattle includes the cattle shipped by Randall to us. Hold or return amount pending investigation.
(Signed) “Globe Live Stock Com. Co."

It appears, however, on tbe day before, tbe twentieth of tbe month, and on tbe next day after tbe sale, tbe agent of tbe Globe' company having learned of tbe claim of plaintiff to tbe cattle, took tbe precaution at tbat time of telegraphing •defendant tbat tbe title to tbe cattle was questioned without stating by whom. Said telegram is as follows: “The title to tbe J. E. Randall cattle sold by us is questioned. Hold proceeds $1,371, wbicb we deposited to your credit witb tbe National Bank of Commerce' yesterday.” Hpon receipt of tbe money tbe defendant deposited it to tbe credit of Randall. 'The money was paid out by defendant on Randall’s check on tbe first day of November next thereafter.

On tbe twenty-first of October tbe defendant telegraphed "to tbe Globe company at Kansas City as follows: “We are [330]*330advised that we would become responsible. Why don’t Ooffey garnish ?” The Mr. Ooffey mentioned, was at that time local agent for the Globe company in the vicinity of Woodward, the locus of the defendant. Sometime after the twenty-first day of October, and before the first day of November, Ooffey went to Kansas City and saw Flato, had a conversation with him in which he told Ooffey that plaintiff company had a mortgage on the cattle in controversy. Coffey asked him to proceed at once to stop this money in the Gerlack Bank, whereupon he said “he would look the business up a little more to satisfy himself he was right, and take proceedings when he satisfied himself that he was right, as he did not think there would be any question, but what he owned the-mortgage on these cattle.” Then Ooffey told him he should take proceedings at once, for when called for (the money) they would be bound to pay it out. Ooffey says that “Mr. Gerlack requested me to do that.” It was shown that defendant had been informed by Mr. Yoorhees, who was the acting agent for the Globe company, that Ooffey was its agent in Oklahoma. The money was paid out by the defendant on the advice of said Ooffey. Suit was instituted on the thirteenth day of September, 1900.

The petition in the case is to the effect, that the cattle in question were included in the Edmisson mortgage, that they were shipped by Randall to Kansas Oity, sold by the Globe company, proceeds deposited with defendant bank, and that notice had been given by the plaintiff to defendant of its rights in the premises. Defendant’s answer puts in issue the plaintiff’s claim to said cattle; admits the reception of said telegram, but alleges that plaintiff, by its failure to take any steps to assert its rights to said cattle or the proceeds, after having been advised and requested to that effect, before defendant paid the proceeds to Randall, it is estopped from asserting any claim thereto as against defendant. There was a[331]*331trial before a jury and verdict and judgment bad for tbe defendant, from wbicb tbe plaintiff appealed.

Tbe plaintiff assigns error of tbe trial court in the giving of and refusing instructions. Instruction No. 2, asked by plaintiff and refused by tbe court, fairly represents tbe theory of plaintiff as presented in this court. Said instruction is as follows: “Tbe court instructs tbe jury that if you find from tbe evidence that tbe cattle which were shipped by Randall to the Globe Live Stock Commission Company were a part of tbe cattle owned by Edmisson and conveyed by him to plaintiff by tbe chattel mortgage read in evidence, then tbe defendant, after tbe receipt by it of tbe two telegrams copied in its answer, held tbe proceeds of said cattle amounting to the sum of $1,371 to and for the use of and as tbe money of this plaintiff, and defendant could not and did not, after its receipt of said telegrams, become discharged of its obligations to pay said sum to plaintiff, by paying said sum to Randall or to any other person without plaintiff’s consent.”

Plaintiff insists that the court committed error in refusing said instruction. It insists that tbe telegram sent by tbe Globe company informing defendant of plaintiff’s claim was notice of its rights, and that such being the case tbe defendant bad no right to pay tbe money to Randall. The first part of this proposition is true, for it has been held in this class of cases that notice is equivalent to knowledge. Johnson-Brinkman Com. Co. v. Bank, 116 Mo. 558; Eyerman v. Bank, 84 Mo. 408; Mayer v. Bank, 86 Mo. App. 422; Nauson v. Jacob, 93 Mo. 331. Tbe facts incontrovertibly show that tbe defendant bad full knowledge of plaintiff’s claim to the cattle in question, or their proceeds. This being conceded, does it follow that tbe payment, by defendant, of tbe proceeds of said cattle to Randall after such notice, renders it unconditionally liable to plaintiff for said proceeds under tbe circumstances as shown by tbe evidence ? "We think not.

There were two issues made by tbe pleadings, viz.: Did [332]*332the plaintiff hold a mortgage on said cattle executed by said Edmisson? Was the plaintiff estopped by its conduct in failing after defendant had received notice of its claim for the period of ten days, to assert its said claim to said proceeds? Said instruction ignores the question of estoppel altogether.

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

Related

Cole v. Canadian Bank of Commerce
239 P. 98 (Oregon Supreme Court, 1925)
Huff v. Oklahoma State Bank
1922 OK 232 (Supreme Court of Oklahoma, 1922)
Kautz v. St. Louis Refrigerator Car Co.
219 S.W. 719 (Missouri Court of Appeals, 1920)
Miller v. Bank of Washington
96 S.E. 977 (Supreme Court of North Carolina, 1918)
Barnard v. First National Bank
111 N.E. 451 (Indiana Court of Appeals, 1916)
Drumm-Flato Commission Co. v. Gerlach Bank
81 S.W. 503 (Missouri Court of Appeals, 1904)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
92 Mo. App. 326, 1902 Mo. App. LEXIS 474, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/drumm-flato-commission-co-v-gerlack-bank-moctapp-1902.