Farmers' State Bank v. Forsstrom

173 P. 935, 89 Or. 97, 1918 Ore. LEXIS 96
CourtOregon Supreme Court
DecidedJune 4, 1918
StatusPublished
Cited by17 cases

This text of 173 P. 935 (Farmers' State Bank v. Forsstrom) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Oregon Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Farmers' State Bank v. Forsstrom, 173 P. 935, 89 Or. 97, 1918 Ore. LEXIS 96 (Or. 1918).

Opinion

BEAN, J. —

1, 2. The answer, the challenge to which was sustained, is lengthy and somewhat involved. It is denominated both a counterclaim and an estoppel. It is clear that the defendant does not recognize his primary liability on the note that he is absolutely required to pay the same in accordance with that part of the Negotiable Instrument Law contained in Section 6023, L. O. L. The defendant signed the note in suit as maker without receiving value therefor, for the purpose of lending his name to Forsstrom-Pilcher Co. He is therefore liable on the instrument to the plaintiff who is a holder for value, notwithstanding the bank, at the time of taking the note knew that he was only an accommodation party: Section 5862, L. O. L.

3-5. The defendant claims that he has been discharged in the same manner as a surety upon the note. Whatever may be his position on the instrument as between himself and the accommodated party, Forsstrom-Pilcher Co., as to the plaintiff, he does not stand as an indorser, or one secondarily liable on the note and is not entitled to be so treated by plaintiff. The defendant’s pleading does not assert that the title of plaintiff to the note is defective. He avers that the bank officials informed him that he would be safe in signing the note. No fraud is claimed in the execution of the instrument, and the legal effect of sucb signing makes him primarily liable to pay the note. [102]*102Any statement by plaintiff to the contrary would not change the legal effect of the transaction: Wicks v. Metcalf, 83 Or. 687 (163 Pac. 434, 988, L. R. A. 1918A. 493). As there was no fraud charged in the execution of the note, it is not competent for defendant to allege or prove a contemporaneous parol agreement to the effect that under certain conditions defendant would not be called upon to pay the note and thereby vary and alter the legal effect of the instrument: Portland Nat. Bank v. Scott, 20 Or. 421 (26 Pac. 276); Steams on Suretyship (2 ed.), § 110.

6. "Whatever the law may have been prior to the enactment of the Negotiable Instrument Act in 1899, that law and the decisions thereunder are controlling as to all matters comprehended within its terms. It is settled that under the present law an accommodation maker is not relieved from the payment of his note by an extension of the time of payment thereof for a valuable consideration without his consent, even though the holder may know him to be only an accommodation maker. This is for the reason that a maker, even for accommodation, is by virtue of the statute primarily liable on the instrument: Cellers v. Meachem, 49 Or. 186 (89 Pac. 426, 13 Ann. Cas. 997; 10 L. R. A. (N. S.) 133); Murphy v. Panter, 62 Or. 522, 524 (125 Pac. 292); Lumbermen’s Nat. Bank v Campbell, 61 Or. 123 (121 Pac. 427); Hunter v. Harris, 63 Or. 505, 506 (127 Pac. 786); Vanderford v. Farmers & Mechanics’ Nat. Bank, 105 Md. 164 (66 Atl. 47, 10 L. R. A. (N. S.) 129); First State Bank of Nortonville v. Williams, 164 Ky. 143 (175 S. W. 10); Bradley Engineering & Mfg. Co. v. Heyburn, 56 Wash. 628 (106 Pac. 170, 134 Am. St. Rep. 1127); Lane v. Hyder, 163 Mo. App. 688 (147 S. W. 514); Wolstenholme v. Smith, 34 Utah, 300 (97 Pac. 329); 8 C. J., p. 276, [103]*103§ 431, and notes; 2 Daniel on Negotiable Instruments (6 ed.), § 1312, p. 1477; 3 R. C. L., § 353, p. 1137.

7-10. This rule has been announced in at least eight states, but a different rule appears to prevail in the State of Iowa: Crawford’s Annotated Negotiable Instruments Law,- p. 200.

Section 5952, L. O. L., provides:

“A negotiable instrument is discharged (1) by payment in due course or on behalf of the principal debtor; (2) by payment in due course by the party accommodated, where the instrument is made or accepted for accommodation; (3) by the intentional cancellation thereof by the holder; (4) by any other act which will discharge a simple contract for the payment of money; (5) when the principal debtor becomes the holder of the instrument at or before maturity in his own right.”

This section enacts in definite terms that the instrument, and hence one primarily liable thereon, is discharged in one of five different ways. There is no mention therein of a discharge of an accommodation party by an extension of time, or by other acts such as would discharge a surety before the passage of the negotiable instrument law. It could then be shown that one signing a promissory note apparently as one of the makers was in reality a surety thereon, and as such surety was a favorite of the law, the payee was required to guard his interests with zealous care, although he was an accommodation maker. This in many instances worked a hardship upon the payee or holder of the instrument, and by the negotiable instrument act an accommodation party was taken out of the secondarily liable class, as it were, and classed with the makers of the note, and declared to be primarily liable on the instrument, and absolutely required to pay the same. It was therefore the duty [104]*104of the defendant, when the note became dne in order to protect his interests, to pay the note and then look to his comakers. He is not in a position to complain because the payee did not promptly enforce the payment of the-note. Neither can the defendant complain of the postponement of plaintiff’s right to enforce the collection of the instrument made without the assent of the defendant. The plaintiff apparently in the ordinary course of business when the note matured, notified the defendant that it was due. This should have been sufficient. The assertion in the answer that one of the firm of Forsstrom-Pilcher Co. made satisfactory arrangements with plaintiff to pay the note in so far as it appears from the answer, may refer to an agreement on behalf of the firm to liquidate the indebtedness on the next day. If so, it was incumbent upon the defendant to see that this was done. This was his active duty according to the obligation which he had signed. It was not in compliance with his absolute promise to pay for him to rely upon the plaintiff to collect the note of the other defendants ; in other words, he is not like an indorser of the note and has no right to demand the same treatment that an indorser could demand. He is not entitled to notice of dishonor.

The manner in which one who is secondarily liable on a note may be discharged is defined by Section 5953, L. O. L., which is as follows:

“A person secondarily liable on the instrument is discharged (1) by any act which discharges the instrument; (2) by the intentional cancellation of his signature by the holder; (3) by the discharge of a prior party; (4) by a valid tender of payment made by a prior party; (5) by a release of the principal debtor, unless the holder’s right of recourse against the party secondarily liable is expressly reserved: (6) by any [105]*105agreement binding upon the holder to extend the time of payment, or to postpone the holder’s right to enforce the instrument, unless made with the assent of the party secondarily liable, or unless the right of recourse against such party is expressly reserved.”

11.

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Bluebook (online)
173 P. 935, 89 Or. 97, 1918 Ore. LEXIS 96, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/farmers-state-bank-v-forsstrom-or-1918.