Farmers' Nat. Bank v. Missouri Livestock Commission Co.

53 F.2d 991, 1931 U.S. App. LEXIS 4740
CourtCourt of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit
DecidedNovember 21, 1931
Docket9068
StatusPublished
Cited by18 cases

This text of 53 F.2d 991 (Farmers' Nat. Bank v. Missouri Livestock Commission Co.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Farmers' Nat. Bank v. Missouri Livestock Commission Co., 53 F.2d 991, 1931 U.S. App. LEXIS 4740 (8th Cir. 1931).

Opinion

*992 KENYON, Circuit Judge.

This suit was brought by appellant to recover against appellee on seven causes of action for alleged conversion of personal property. Appellant claimed by virtue of two chattel mortgages to have a lien on certain cattle purchased by appellee from R. A. Clark and Ed. Oates, mortgagors. The trial court held that the lien of the chattel mortgages had been waived by agents of appellant and directed the jury to return a verdict for defendant (appellee). The ultimate question here is whether or not the court should have submitted the case to the jury. There is no dispute as to the facts, but that is not sufficient to warrant a court in instructing a verdict if different inferences may reasonably be drawn from such facts. The rule is well settled in the federal courts-that, where the evidence in a civil case is süeh that reasonable men in a fair and impartial exercise of their judgment may honestly reach different conclusions, the ease is for the determination of the jury. If the evidence is such that the court should not, in the exercise of a sound judicial discretion, permit a verdict to stand if rendered against the party making the motion for an instructed verdict, it is its duty to instruct a verdict. Marshall v. Hines, Director General of Railroads (C. C. A.) 2.71 F. 165; Mutual Life Ins. Co. v. Hatten (C. C. A.) 17 F.(2d) 889; Bowditch v. Boston, 101 U. S. 16) 25 L. Ed. 980.

We are not unmindful of the duty of the court in considering such motion, as explained in Hughes, Federal Practice, vol. 6, p. 363, § 3825, “to take that view of the evidence most favorable to the party against whom it is desired, that the verdict should be directed, and to determine the matter from that evidence, and reasonable and justifiable inferences therefrom.”

Appellant is a national banking institution located at Salina, Kan. Appellee is a corporation engaged in the live stock commission business at St. Joseph, Mo., receiving live stock at its -stockyards, feeding, caring for, and selling the same, collecting the proceeds from the sale, deducting its commissions or charges, and remitting the proceeds according to the instructions of the shipper. The Minneapolis National Bank is located at Minneapolis, Kan., about twenty-six miles from Salina (referred to hereinafter as the Minneapolis Bank). The Central-Kansas Cattle Loan Company and the Guaranteed Finance Investment Company were two cattle loan companies carried on by Roy C. Gafford. He was president of both, as well as president of the Minneapolis Bank. He was actively engaged in maintaining and conducting the affairs of these three institutions, all of which occupied the same offices at Minneapolis, Kan., and transacted their business in the same rooms. These three institutions were largely engaged in loaning money to farmers and stock raisers of Ottawa county to be used in buying, feeding, and conditioning cattle for the market. These loans were customarily secured by chattel mortgages on the cattle, and the notes were generally made payable to the Central-Kansas Cattle Loan Company or Guaranteed Finance Investment Company at the Minneapolis Bank. These notes were sold by the Minneapolis Bank to different banks. A large number of them, secured by chattel mortgages, were discounted and sold to appellant during the twenty-five years preceding the failure of the Minneapolis Bank, which closed its doors February 9, 1929. The two cattle loan companies of which Gafford was president also became insolvent. The money with which to pay the notes and mortgages given by cattlemen was secured by shipments and sales of the cattle covered by the mortgages, and that had been the general custom for twenty-five years.

R. A. Clark and Ed. Oates were farmers living near Minneapolis, in 'Ottawa county. They dealt quite extensively in the feeding and conditioning of cattle for the market, •financing their operations through the Minneapolis Bank, from which they borrowed money to carry on their operations. Oates at times did a business with Gafford -and his institutions totaling $200,000 a year. Clark did a lesser business.

In December, 1928, Clark gave to the Central-Kansas Cattle Loan Company a noto in the sum of $8,000 and a mortgage to secure the same upon his cattle, which note was negotiable and payable February 25> 1929', at the Minneapolis Bank. Appellant purchased this note and chattel mortgage on December 27, 1928, and has since that time had both in its possession. Clark listed this note and mortgage as a debt in his petition in bankruptcy filed in March, 1929.

In August, 1928, Oates purchased some two hundred and twelve head of steers, which he brought to his farm in Ottawa county. There is some dispute as to just what he paid for the same, but it was in the neighborhood of $27,000. Two notes were given by Oates to the Guaranteed. Finance Investment Company, one for $19,000, maturing *993 December 3, 1928 — the other for $8,000 maturing December 17, 1928; also a chattel moa-tgage on the cattle to secure the $19,000 note. This $19,000 note and the chattel mortgage were pm-chased by appellant. The $8,-000 note seems to have passed out of the picture. When the $19,000 note was due, appellant received a remittance of $3,000 from the sale of some of the cattle, and there was indorsed on the note, “January 14,1929, paid $3,000.00, 20 steers sold.” A renewal note for $16,000 was given.

Clark and Oates had no knowledge that appellant was the owner of these notes and mortgages, and appellee had no actual knowledge of their existence. The mortgages were dnly recorded in Ottawa county.

In January and February, 192-9, appellee received and sold for Clark some ninety-three head of cattle covered by the chattel mortgage. A small portion of the proceeds went to Clark in cash, and the balance was remitted to tho Minneapolis National Bank and deposited to Clark’s account there. In December, 1928, and Januar-y and February, 1929, appellee received and sold for the account of Oates over two hundred head of steers covered by chattel mortgage owned by appellant. Drafts which had been made by Oates at the time of the shipments against appellee through Gafford and the Minneapolis Bank were paid by appellee and deposited to O'ates’ account in the Minneapolis Bank. The balance of the proceeds was remitted and deposited by appellee to Oates’ credit in the Minneapolis National Bank. Tho system employed in debiting the accounts of both Clark and Oates in the Minneapolis Bank was peculiar. The debits were not ordinarily made pursuant to checks drawn by them, but were made by Gafford on his own responsibility. 'Sometimes, after sales of cattle and depositing of proceeds in the Minneapolis Bank, they would take care of their notes and mortgages by giving checks. This had been customary for a number of years, and both Clark and Oates seem to have paid little attention to their accounts in the bank. Clark testified he had intended to go to the bank and make out checks to cover his note, here involved, but, before he had opportunity to do this, the bank failed. The receipt of the cattle of Clark and Oates is i lie basis of the claim of conversion of property by appellee upon which appellant had a lien.

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Bluebook (online)
53 F.2d 991, 1931 U.S. App. LEXIS 4740, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/farmers-nat-bank-v-missouri-livestock-commission-co-ca8-1931.