Farmers National Bank of Sulphur v. Bell

54 P.2d 1072, 176 Okla. 174
CourtSupreme Court of Oklahoma
DecidedJanuary 21, 1936
DocketNo. 24567.
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 54 P.2d 1072 (Farmers National Bank of Sulphur v. Bell) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of Oklahoma primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Farmers National Bank of Sulphur v. Bell, 54 P.2d 1072, 176 Okla. 174 (Okla. 1936).

Opinion

PER CURIAM.

This is an appeal from the district court of Murray county. The defendant in error was plaintiff in the court below and the plaintiff in error was defendant therein. When not otherwise designated, the parties will be referred to as they ap peared before the trial court.

Plaintiff commenced this action in the district court of Murray county, Okla., on December 19, 1930, by petition filed by him against the defendant, which was followed by intervening motions and orders and finally by an answer to said petition, but the real issues were initiated by the plaintiff in his first amended petition filed November 3, 1931. praying judgment in his first cause of action therein for the sum of $7,741.16 and interest thereon at the rate of 6 per cent, per annum from March 20, 1929. The second and last cause of action was disposed of at the hearing on a motion for a new trial on May 7, 1932, by remittitur upon the part of the plaintiff, and by appropriate action of the (rial court, and will not be further considered in this opinion except by reference.

The averments of the first cause of action are that on or about the 20th day of March, 1929, plaintiff caused to be forwarded to the Farmers National Bank of Sulphur, Okl.i., for deposit to his credit the sum of $7,741.16 in the form of a check drawn by the Oklahoma Live Stock Commission Company, in favor of said defendant, on the Stockyards Bank of Oklahoma City, Okla.; that the defendant received said sum in due course and accepted said check, which was so marked as to indicate that credit for the same was to be given to' the plaintiff, and1 that defendant thereby became indebted to-the plaintiff in said sum payable upon his-demand, and that thereafter, and without plaintiff’s consent, the said defendant and its officers and agents converted said money on deposit to its own use and benefit and to a purpose not contemplated by the delivery of said check to said defendant; that demand was made upon defendant for said sum, but that defendant failed and refused' to pay plaintiff said sum or any part thereof, but converted said check to its own use and benefit; received the proceeds therefrom,, after having indorsed the same and forwarded it to ihe bank upon which it was drawn; that plaintiff was entitled to recover said sum with interest thereon at the rate of 6 per cent, per annum from March 29, 1929.

For its answer to said first cause of action the defendant denies generally and specifically each and every and all the allegations therein contained, except as to the organization and existence of defendant bank, and further answering denies that plaintiff ever at any .time deposited or caused to be deposited to his credit in said bank the sum of $7,741.16, but avers'that the defendant did receive a cheek issued by the Oklahoma Live Stock Commission Company payable to the order of said defendant for said amount; that said defendant received from Jesse C. Moore, a partner (joint adventurer) with said plaintiff and the agent and representative of said plaintiff, instructions to use said cheek in the purchase of a draft drawn on the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City, payable to the order of the Stock Vard» Loan Company, for said sum of $7,741.16, and that defendant in pursuance of said instruction so used said check in the purchase of said draft and forwarded the same as directed, and further sets up new matter; that the cattle for which said check was given by said Oklahoma Live Stock Commission Company was jointly owned by E. J. Webb, Jesse C. Moore, and said plaintiff, were consigned to said commission company by E. J. Webb, and the plaintiff merely accompanied said cattle as a caretaker and! the check- for the payment of said cattle' should have been drawn in favor of E. J. Webb, and further denying that Jesse C, Moore acted for and on behalf of said defendant, and that in issuing said draft said defendant acted upon and carried out the instructions of Jesse C. Moore, the agent and representative of said plaintiff. De *176 fendant, further answering, sets up as to both counts that E. J. Webb, Jesse G. Moore, and the. plaintiff were jointly interested in buying and selling cattle; that a complete accounting and settlement of their said business transactions had been had between E. J. Webb, Jesse 0. Moore, and the plaintiff, and that the acts of Jesse 0. Moor© in receiving' and disbursing the funds of said parties were expressly approved and ratified, and that said plaintiff at the time of the settlement agreed that all the sums of money which had at any time been deposited in or passed through said defendant had been fully accounted for and that the defendant is not indebted to plaintiff in any sum whatsoever.

For his reply to defendant’s answer to the first count of plaintiff’s petition, the plaintiff denies each and every allegation and statement of fact made and contained in said answer, and further specifically denies that said Jesse 0. Moore was a partner (joint adventurer) with the plaintiff, and denies that he was the agent and representative of the plaintiff or was authorized to use the check or draft forwarded to defendant for plaintiff’s credit on the date mentioned in plaintiff’s petition, and especially denies that the said Jesse C. Moore was the agent of said plaintiff or was otherwise authorized to take said $7,741.10 and pay the same to the Stock Yards Loan Company at Kansas City, Mo. Plaintiff further denies that the defendant or the said Moore received any instructions or authority from the plaintiff to use said check in (he purchase of said draft or to- pay it to the said Stock Yards Loan Company, and alleges that the cattle in question were the property of the plaintiff, and that neither E. J. Webb nor Jesse C. Moore owned or had any interest therein, and denies that E. J. Webb, Jesse 0. Moore, or either of them, were engaged with this plaintiff in buying and selling cattle, and denies that any financial transactions were had between them, and that they .were engaged in any joint enterprise, and denies that Webb or Moore were authorized to act for plaintiff in any of said financial transactions, but that the said Jesse O. Moore in, all of his acts was the agent of the defendant and was its officer and as such officer he had no authority to convert said money to the purpose for which the same was converted by him as the agent and representative of said bank, and denies that said bank carried out the instructions of the said Moore as the agent and representative of the plaintiff.

The ease was tried to a jury, which, under instructions given, and after deliberation, returned its general verdict for the plaintiff and against the defendant on his first cause of action for the sum of $7,741.16, with interest thereon at 6 per cent, from March 20, 1929, computed and fixed by the court at $9,386 16. with interest thereon at 6 per cent, per annum, and also on his second cause of action, which was remitted by the plaintiff as heretofore stated, and the verdict of the jury thereon was set aside by the court, all as per journal entry of judgment as of October 18, 1932.

On May 7, 1932, the defendant filed its motion for a new trial and subsequently filed its supplemental motion for a new trial, both of which were heard by the court on October 18, 1982, and were in all things overruled. The defendant excepted and gave notice of its intention to appeal to the Supreme Court and on April 4, 1932, duly filed in said court its petition in error with case-made attached, and the cause is now pending before said court for review.

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Bluebook (online)
54 P.2d 1072, 176 Okla. 174, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/farmers-national-bank-of-sulphur-v-bell-okla-1936.