Farina v. Vitti

186 N.E. 236, 282 Mass. 532, 1933 Mass. LEXIS 980
CourtMassachusetts Supreme Judicial Court
DecidedApril 3, 1933
StatusPublished
Cited by2 cases

This text of 186 N.E. 236 (Farina v. Vitti) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Farina v. Vitti, 186 N.E. 236, 282 Mass. 532, 1933 Mass. LEXIS 980 (Mass. 1933).

Opinion

Crosby, J.

This is an action of contract begun by trustee process on September 24, 1930, against the defendant Vitti (herein referred to as the defendant) and the Metropolitan Life Insurance Company and the Middlesex and Boston Street Railway Company, alleged trustees, returnable to the District Court of Newton on October 11, 1930. On March 2, 1931, there was a finding for the plaintiff against the defendant in the sum of $1,556.

On June 4, 1931, on the plaintiff’s motion a special precept to attach goods, effects, credits or personal property of the defendant in the hands and possession of Joseph F. Lockett, as administrator of the estate of Maria Vitti, was made and served on Lockett as said trustee. The defendant is a son of the testatrix and a legatee of her estate. The estate is solvent. The Newton Trust Company was admitted as a claimant under a written assignment dated January 24, 1931, from the defendant of his interest in the estate. The main question for decision is whether the evidence justified a finding in favor of the adverse claimant as against the plaintiff.

The assignment, the consideration for which was $978.64, transferred to the assignee all the assignor’s rights in the estate of his mother. It also recited that “whenever the Newton Trust Company is refunded of the said Nine Hundred Seventy-eight Dollars and sixty-four Cents plus interest and costs, the said Newton Trust Company shall re-assign to me or my heirs, executors or administrator, my rights, title and interest transferred by this instrument, or so much thereof as shall not have been used in such refunding.” It was executed in the presence of one Finelli, counsel for the defendant. The evidence warranted a finding that [535]*535the assignment was duly executed and delivered to the claimant, and that a check dated April 16, 1930, made by the Metropolitan Life Insurance Company in the sum of $978.64 and payable to “Angelo Vitti as administrator of the estate of Maria Vitti, deceased,” was given to the defendant on either May 29 or 31, 1930.

The following facts were agreed upon by counsel in open court at the trial: On April 10, 1930, the defendant filed a petition for administration in the Probate Court alleging, in substance, that his mother, Maria Vitti, had died without leaving a will. The defendant was appointed administrator on that date and filed a bond. On May 6, 1930, Joseph F. Lockett filed a petition for probate of the will of Maria Vitti and for letters of administration with the will annexed, and he was appointed on the same day and filed a bond. On May 24, 1930, the defendant appealed from the decree. On June 4, 1930, Lockett filed a petition that the appeal be dismissed, which was granted June 16, 1930.

One Mitchell, cashier of the Newton office of the Metropolitan Life Insurance Company, testified that counsel for Lockett communicated with him on September 18, 1930, as to when the defendant received the check from the witness, and there was correspondence between the insurance company and the Newton Trust Company with reference to the right of the defendant to cash the check and as to whether the defendant or Lockett was entitled to the funds.

One White, assistant treasurer of the Newton Trust Company, testified that he was familiar with the transaction, and that Vitti cashed the check for $978.64 at. the trust company on May 28, 1930; that during the years 1930 and 1931 the bank had no other transactions with Vitti and that he had no account in the trust company during that period; that Vitti presented the check for payment to the teller in the presence of Finelli; that the teller was shown a certificate of Vitti’s appointment by the court as administrator, which was more than twenty days old; that on or about October 29, 1930, the witness received a letter from the Federal Reserve Bank stating that Vitti’s indorsement was a forgery because he was not the admin[536]*536istrator on May 28, 1930. This letter was introduced in evidence. The witness communicated the contents of the letter to the defendant and his counsel, and they replied that the check was cashed on proper authority, and that the bank was shown the necessary papers at that time. ' The witness further testified that he told the defendant or Finelli that the bank was called upon to pay the amount of the check to the Federal Reserve Bank because of the defendant’s forgery and lack of authority to indorse the check as administrator, and that the Newton Trust Company would do this, and would look to the defendant to see that the bank was reimbursed for the amount it had paid him; that Vitti did not tell him at any time that he would pay the money back; that no one threatened him with criminal prosecution if he did not reimburse the bank for the amount of the check; that the Federal Reserve Bank wrote the trust company that its account would be charged with the amount of the check, and on January 20, 1931, the witness wrote the Federal Reserve Bank authorizing it to charge the amount of the check to the trust company; that the assignment was received after it had been executed; that the bank honored the check on May 28, 1930; that it acted in good faith and did not share in any wrongdoing on the part of Vitti; and that it acted in accordance with the usual custom of banks.

. The plaintiff argues that no valid claim was held by the claimant against the defendant when the assignment was executed and delivered, and hence it was void as against the plaintiff, and that there was no consideration for the same. In addition to the cashing of the check by the claimant, the judge was warranted in inferring an agreement on the part of the defendant that if the claimant paid the amount of the check to the Federal Reserve Bank he would reimburse the claimant for such payment. The evidence warranted such a finding. The general finding of the judge for the claimant imports a finding of all subsidiary facts and the drawing of all permissible inferences in its support. Adams v. Dick, 226 Mass. 46, 52. Jones v. Clark, 272 Mass. 146, 149. The general or special find[537]*537ings of the judge in an action at law must stand if warranted upon any view of the evidence. Moss v. Old Colony Trust Co. 246 Mass. 139, 143. Commercial Trust Co. of New York v. American Trust Co. 256 Mass. 58, 62. The plaintiff offered the original letter from the assistant treasurer of the trust company to the Federal Reserve Bank. The letter was excluded rightly, it did not contain any threat of criminal prosecution of the defendant and so far as appears was not competent for any purpose. The questions asked the witness White by the plaintiff’s counsel were excluded, subject to the plaintiff’s exception. They were properly excluded. Bradley v. Meltzer, 245 Mass. 41, 43, 44.

At" the close of the evidence the plaintiff filed ten requests for rulings. The first was that the claimant’s petition should be dismissed for the reasons (a) that there was no valid consideration for making the assignment to the claimant; (b) that the consideration for it was void as against public policy; and (c) that the assignment “is not a valid assignment, only as security for a debt.” This request was rightly denied. The burden of proof was upon the claimant to establish that the funds attached by trustee process belonged to it and the judge so ruled. Hubbard v. Lamburn, 189 Mass. 296, 298. Meteor Products Co. Inc. v. Société d’Electro-Chemie et d’Electro-Métallurgie, 263 Mass. 543, 546.

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Bluebook (online)
186 N.E. 236, 282 Mass. 532, 1933 Mass. LEXIS 980, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/farina-v-vitti-mass-1933.