First National Bank v. Gibbs

141 N.E. 264, 84 Ind. App. 491, 1923 Ind. App. LEXIS 5
CourtIndiana Court of Appeals
DecidedOctober 26, 1923
DocketNo. 11,708.
StatusPublished
Cited by2 cases

This text of 141 N.E. 264 (First National Bank v. Gibbs) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Indiana Court of Appeals primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
First National Bank v. Gibbs, 141 N.E. 264, 84 Ind. App. 491, 1923 Ind. App. LEXIS 5 (Ind. Ct. App. 1923).

Opinion

McMahan, C. J.

Complaint by appellee alleging that appellant- is indebted to him in the sum of $1,000 on account of a deposit and that appellant refused to pay the amount of said deposit, although it was due and unpaid and appellee had drawn and presented his check to appellant in the sum of $1,000. Appellant filed an *493 swer in two paragraphs. The first was a general denial. The second alleged that, on June 12,1917, Walton and Taylor, as makers, executed their check for $lj000, drawn on the Trigg National Bank of Glasgow, Kentucky, hereafter referred to as Glasgow bank, payable to order of appellee, who, on said day, indorsed said check by writing his name on the back thereof, and then deposited the same with appellant and was given credit by appellant for the amount of such check; that on June 14, 1917, this check was presented to the Glasgow bank for payment, which was refused; that the check, after being protested, was returned to appellant and the amount, together with the costs of protest, was charged back against appellee’s account. Appellee replied: (1) By general denial; and (2) that, on June 12, 1917, he was the owner of a certain tract of land in Harrison county which Walton and Taylor desired to buy and which appellee had offered to them for $5,500; that Walton and Taylor' accepted appellee’s offer; that appellee and his wife signed and acknowledged a deed for such property and tendered the same to Walton and Taylor, who thereupon offered appellee, in payment, two checks drawn by themselves on the Glasgow bank, payable to the order of appellee, one of said checks being for $4,500 and one for $1,000, the latter check being the one mentioned in appellant’s answer; that appellee refused to accept said checks and informed Walton and Taylor they would have to pay cash according to their agreement; that thereupon Walton and Taylor informed appellee they would arrange with appellant to advance the money for them and to pay appellee said $5,500; that Walton and Taylor took said checks to appellant bank and informed appellant that they were about to purchase appellee’s land, that appellee .would not accept said checks in payment for the same and requested appellant to cash said checks *494 for them so they could pay appellee; that appellant telegraphed the Glasgow bank to know if check of Walton and Taylor amounting to $5,500 would be paid when presented and, on receiving a reply from said bank that it would pay Walton and Taylor check for $5,500, informed appellee that Walton and Taylor were prepared to pay him the $5,500 and that it would advance the money for them and would place the same to the credit of appellee upon the delivery of said deed to them; that appellee thereupon delivered the deed and appellant gave him credit on his pass-book for said sum; that when said credit was made, appellant had possession of said checks and requested appellee to place his name on the back of the checks saying it was necessary for him to do so in order that it might present the check to the Glasgow bank for payment, and that, at the request of appellant, appellee wrote his name on the back of each of said checks, but that he did so without any consideration and solely for the accommodation of appellant.

The case has been tried twice, each trial resulting in a verdict for appellee. After appellant’s motion for judgment on the answers of the jury to interrogatories had been overruled, judgment was rendered for appellee. The errors assigned are that the court erred in overruling appellant’s demurrer to the second paragraph of reply, in overruling the motion for judgment non obstante and in overruling the motion for a new trial.

Appellant, in contending that the court erred in overruling its demurrer to the second paragraph of reply, ignores all the allegations in the reply concerning the arrangement between appellant and Walton and Taylor, where it is alleged that, after appellee had refused to accept anything but cash in payment for his farm, Walton and Taylor took the checks to appellant and requested appellant to cash the cheeks for them so they could pay appellee, that appellant, after *495 telegraphing the bank on which the checks were drawn and receiving a reply that the bank would pay Walton and Taylor’s check for $5,500, informed appellee that it would advance the money for Walton and Taylor on delivery of the deed, and would give appellee credit, which was done, that appellee wrote his name on the checks at the request of appellant in order that it might present the checks to the bank for payment and that the indorsement by appellee was without consideration and solely for the accommodation of appellant. With these facts admitted to be true, there was no error in overruling the demurrer. Section 29 of the Negotiable Instrument Act relating to an accommodation party is not applicable to the facts alleged. According to the facts, appellant was the accommodated party. As between the accommodating and the accommodated parties, “no consideration” is a proper defense. Shireman v. Second Nat. Bank (1919), 72 Ind. App. 256. This is true whether the accommodating party is drawer or indorser.

It is not necessary for us to determine whether the telegram of the Glasgow bank stating that it would pay the check for $5,500 amounted to a certification of the $1,000 check. The facts pleaded in the reply are sufficient to avoid the answer, independent of the question as to whether the $1,000 check was or was not certified.

The jury in answer to interrogatories found that appellee was the owner of a farm which he had agreed to sell and which Walton and Taylor agreed to buy for $5,500; that on June 12, 1917, Walton and Taylor tendered appellee a check for $5,500 in payment of such farm; that appellee on June 12, 1917, did not, but that appellant did, have in its possession a check dated .on said day for $5,500 drawn by Walton and Taylor on the Glasgow bank payable to order of appellee; that Walton and Taylor, on said day, in part payment for certain *496 real estate gave appellee a check for $1,000 payable to his order and drawn on said bank, which check appellant caused to be presented to said bank for payment June 14, when payment was refused and check protested, due notice of protest being given all parties. This check was returned to appellant on June 18, and the amount thereof charged back to appellee’s account. Appellant, without any request from appellee, caused said check to be again presented for payment, which was again refused.. Appellee, at time appellant gave him credit, indorsed said $1,000 check by writing his name on the back. Appellee received this check from appellant June 20, and, on July 3, 1917, took the same back to appellant, and when appellant refused to accept it, left it on a desk in appellant’s bank. Appellee did not obtain $1,000 in cash or check from Walton and Taylor June 12, 1917, and did not on that day make a general deposit of that sum with appellant. Walton and Taylor on said day secured a loan of $1,000 from appellant which they paid to appellee and, as written security for such loan, they delivered the said $1,000 check to appellant, and appellee afterwards indorsed the same as herein before stated. Appellant, at the special request of Walton and Taylor, for and in consideration of the transfer of this check, gave appellee credit on its books for $1,000.

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Bluebook (online)
141 N.E. 264, 84 Ind. App. 491, 1923 Ind. App. LEXIS 5, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/first-national-bank-v-gibbs-indctapp-1923.