First National Bank of Coeburn v. Hartsell

14 Tenn. App. 578, 1932 Tenn. App. LEXIS 63
Court of Appeals of Tennessee·Decided January 23, 1932·Published·Cited by 1 cases

Opinion

PORTRJJM, J.

We are confronted with a motion to strike the Bill of Exceptions because it affirmatively appears that it does not contain all the evidence. We defer this question for the reason an assignment of error contains an alleged error in practice which fully appears in the decree of the court, and is a part of the technical record. An error appearing in the technical record is disposed of in the absence of the Bill of Exceptions. The First National Bank of Coeburn brought suit against an endorser, the defendant A. S. Hartsell, to reduce to judgment two notes of $1000 each, executed by George H. Pepper, with Hartsell as an accommodation endorser. Copies of the notes Were attached as exhibits to the bill. Hartsell answered admitting the execution of the notes, but averring the maker had lodged with the bank a note for $1500, payable to himself, as collateral security to the notes in suit, and that the defendant had offered to pay the notes upon which he was endorser, and upon which he was sued, upon the surrender to him of the collateral, and the bank had declined to surrender the collateral. And to avoid the development of these facts the bank had not made George H. Pepper, the maker, a party defendant, but had sued only the endorser. Hartsell filed his answer as a cross-bill, making George H. Pepper a defendant, and prayed that the collateral be surrendered to him or applied upon the two notes on which he was liable. The bank answered the cross-bill and averred that Mr. Pepper was insolvent, and for this reason it had not made him a party; it averred that Mr. Pepper, as an officer and stockholder of the Bondtown Coal Company, Was indebted to the bank upon his obligation as endorser for the corporation, and individually, and that the company had procured more credit at the bank than it was entitled to, and the bank called upon Mr. Pepper for additional collateral to secure its paper, and that he, as an officer of the company, placed with it the note for $1500 executed by Mrs. Wiley and Mrs. Warren, known as the Wiley and Warren notes. Stating: “And this cross-defendant says that the note of Mrs. Wiley and Mrs. Warren was and is now held by it as collateral security to the obligation of the Bondtown Coal Company, and that no part of said note is held by it as security for the obligation sued upon herein. ’ ’

By order of court the position of the defendant Pepper was changed from that of a defendant to that of a cross-complainant. The cross-complainant Hartsell demanded a jury to try the issues. (The cross' *580 complainant Hartsell will hereafter be designated as the defendant, and the bank as the complainant.)

Hartsell submitted issues of fact, when the bank excepted to these issues, and the Chancellor, by order, drafted the issues to be submitted to the jury. There are three in number, namely:

1. Did George H. Pepper, as the holder of a note for $1500 drawn in his favor by Mrs. Susie Wiley and Mrs. Ruby Warren, place the same with the complainant bank as collateral security to the note of the Bondtown Coal Company, a corporation in which he was a stockholder and an officer;

2. Or did he place said note with said bank as collateral security to his individual note in favor of said bank;

3. Or did he place said note with said bank without instructions as to the particular note or notes to which it should be applied?

In due time the case was called for trial, and the jury impanelled, when the complainant introduced its two notes sued upon, and rested. The defendant Hartsell and George H. Pepper then testified in behalf of the defendant. At the conclusion of the defendant’s evidence the complainant made a motion for a directed verdict. The court directed the jury to answer the last, or third, issue of facts in the affirmative, which it did. The jury was then discharged; and after a discharge of the jury the bank applied to be allowed to introduce its evidence upon the issues raised in the cross-bill. The defendant objected to this course, but the Chancellor being of the opinion that there w'as an issue of fact involved, that was not reflected by any issue submitted to the jury, permitted the bank to introduce its proof. As we have stated, the technical record detailed the procedure followed, and for this reason we copy a large portion of the decree:

“In this cause, the defendants heretofore demanded a jury to try the issues of fact involved in the pleadings, and the cause came on to be further heard on the issues of fact made up by the parties and submitted to the court, being the same issues submitted to and tried by a former jury in the cause.
“And thereupon, on the 8th day of May, 1931, came the parties and the following jury, all good and lawful men, . . .
“And the complainant bank offered the notes sued upon in the cause and rested. Thereupon the defendant and cross-complainant offered their proof and at the conclusion of the evidence offered by the cross-complainant, Hartsell, et al., the cross-defendant, First National Bank of Coeburn, moved for peremptory instructions for a directed verdict, directing the jury to return a verdict or answer in its favor on the issues submitted *581 to the jury, and said issues being as follows: (The issues are hereinabove stated.)
“And after argument of said motion the court directed the jury to answer said issue: ‘George H. Pepper placed said notes in said bank without instructions as to the particular note or notes to which it should be applied.’ Thereupon the jury answered the interrogatory or issue as directed by the court, to all of which action the cross-complainant then and there excepted.
“Following the action of the court in directing a verdict, the complainant bank was allowed to introduce testimony to show that it applied the 'Warren and Wiley note as collateral security to notes executed by the Bondtown Coal Company, which said corporation’s paper was endorsed by Mr. George H. Pepper, and that said Warren and Wiley note was so placed as collateral to the Bondtown notes at the time the pledge was made and with the knowledge and acquiescence of the pledgor. Defendants objected to the evidence for the reason that a jury had been demanded to try the issues and the evidence was incompetent for that reason, and that it was improper to he.ar oral testimony after a directed verdict. The cause was taken under advisement and after consideration of all questions involved, the court is of the opinion that it was proper to hear said evidence and consider the same in rendering the decree for the reason set forth in the court’s memorandum opinion and finding of facts this day filed and made a part of the record in the cause, and which opinion will be made a part of the transcript in the case of an appeal.’’ (We omit the remainder of the decree.)

The Chancellor said this in his memorandum opinion:

“Upon further consideration, the court is of the opinion that the additional evidence was upon a determinative issue, not asked for, and not submitted to the jury, and that the evidence was properly received. The defendant, Hartsell, demanded a jury to try the cause, and upon oral evidence, and having failed to submit determinative issues he is in no position to complain because the case was allowed to be developed by oral evidence upon issues determinative of the case.

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First National Bank of Coeburn v. Hartsell, 14 Tenn. App. 578, 1932 Tenn. App. LEXIS 63 (Tenn. Ct. App. 1932).

14 Tenn. App. 578 (First National Bank of Coeburn v. Hartsell) — published by Counsel Stack Legal Research, free access to 12M+ legal documents.

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