Greenville Nat. Exchange Bank v. Nussbaum

154 S.W.2d 672
CourtCourt of Appeals of Texas
DecidedOctober 2, 1941
DocketNo. 2306
StatusPublished
Cited by13 cases

This text of 154 S.W.2d 672 (Greenville Nat. Exchange Bank v. Nussbaum) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals of Texas primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Greenville Nat. Exchange Bank v. Nussbaum, 154 S.W.2d 672 (Tex. Ct. App. 1941).

Opinion

TIREY, Justice.

Plaintiffs Harold and Claude Nussbaum, independent executors of the estate of [674]*674Julius Nussbaum, deceased, brought this suit against Farmers State Bank in Mexia, the Greenville National Exchange Bank of Greenville,' and W. A. Beasley of Greenville, to recover the loss occasioned by reason of forged endorsement (by Beasley) of the payee, Sanitary Appliance Co., Inc., on sixty-six checks aggregating $50,-. 559. The case was tried before the court without a jury and resulted in a joint and several judgment against the Mexia Bank, the Greenville Bank, and Beasley, for the sum of $14,218.50, and judgment in favor of the Mexia Bank on its cross-action against the Greenville Bank for a like sum. Both banks have appealed. Owing to the fact that the Mexia Bank “excepted only to that portion of the judgment rendered against it,” we have, for convenience, referred to the Greenville Bank as “appel-. lant.” None of the parties requested findings of fact and conclusions of law and none were filed.

Appellant's first proposition is: “The undisputed facts in this case show that, in their dealings with Beasley and the banks, plaintiffs were guilty of negligence of the worst character and that such negligence caused, or contributed to cause, the loss they sustained.” The point raised requires a comprehensive statement.

The Sanitary Appliance Co., Inc., was granted a Texas charter in June, 1923, and was domiciled at Houston, Texas. It was engaged in the business of manufacturing plumbing supplies and selling them to schools and municipalities. It operated as a going concern until July, 1933, at which time its charter was forfeited, but neither the plaintiffs nor the defendant banks knew that said corporation had suspended business or that its charter had been forfeited. Its assets were liquidated without receivership or bankruptcy. It was not dissolved. It still remained a legal entity. Stephens County v. J. N. McCammon, Inc., Tex.Com.App., 40 S.W.2d 67. Beasley had resided in Greenville for many years, and his reputation and integrity in that community were unquestioned. He was a customer of the Greenville Bank, carried an active account there, and had the confidence and respect of said bank. He was employed as a salesman for said Sanitary Appliance Co., Inc., in 1928 or 1929 and continued with the company as such until it went out of business. He first met Julius Nussbaum in 1932 and represented that said company was in the business of building sanitary toilets over the country; that he represented said company; that it had school warrants to sell, and that it desired to discount these warrants. In April of that year Nussbaum purchased through Beasley two school warrants, one issued by the Mexia Independent School District and the other issued by the Shiloh Common School District of Limestone County, each bearing the purported endorsement of said company, for which Nussbaum gave his check in each instance on the Farmers State Bank of Mexia, payable to the order of said company. Thereafter, Nussbaum purchased through Beasley school warrants (which Beasley had forged), purpoitedly issued by various common school districts in Limestone and other counties, payable to the order of said company, and which endorsements he had forged, for which Nussbaum issued fifteen other checks up to August, 1934, which checks totaled the sum of $3,585.20. Each of these checks was drawn on the Mexia Bank, payable to the order of said company, with the exception of one which was payable to the order of Beasley. Beasley forged the name of the payee on checks payable to the company and then endorsed each check with his signature and collected them through the Greenville Bank. The first two warrants were valid and were collected from the districts which issued them. Each of the others was postdated and was not approved by the county superintendent, as provided in sec. 2, Art. 2827, Vernon’s Ann. Civ. Statutes, or otherwise. Julius Nussbaum died testate in January, 1935, and at the time of his death he had been paid for eight warrants, and he had on hand sixteen unpaid warants aggregating $3,409.50. These warrants and all of his canceled checks went into the hands of plaintiffs. Each warrant purchased by Julius Nussbaum was discounted twenty per cent. The record does not show any correspondence between Beasley (or the company) and Julius Nussbaum concerning their transactions, nor does it show whether Julius Nussbaum made any investigation of Beasley or of said company.

In February, 1934, Beasley opened an account in the name of said company with the Greenville Bank. This account began with the deposit of the seventh check issued by Julius Nussbaum in his transac[675]*675tions with Beasley, in the sum of $800, payable to the order of said company, drawn on the Mexia Bank. Beasley forged the endorsement of the payee and he then endorsed it with his genuine signature. There is nothing in the record to show whether said check was endorsed prior to the time Beasley brought same to the bank, nor is there any evidence in the record to show that Beasley endorsed it in the bank, or in the presence of any agent of the bank. Said bank required a signature card, and the signature card filed with the bank (prepared by Beasley) had on it the following: “Sanitary Appliance Company, Inc., Address Houston, Texas (Typed) L. M. Jones, Secty-Treas. (Signed) Identified by (Typed) -. Date 3/10/34 (Typed).” This account continued active until March, 1939 by the deposit of the Nussbaum checks and the withdrawals on checks written by Beasley in accordance with the signature card on file, payable to the Nussbaums or to Beasley. Beasley did not have corporate authority from said company to open said account, nor to give the signature card of the company to the bank, nor did he have corporate authority to endorse the warrants sold by him. The Greenville Bank admitted the following: “ * * * that the endorsements of the Sanitary Appliance Company, L. M. Jones, Secty-Treas. appear on each of the Nussbaum checks which were deposited with said bank and cleared through it, and each contained substantially the following words: ‘Sanitary Appliance Company, Inc., L. M. Jones, Secty-Treas/ * * * that said purported corporation did not authorize any endorsements upon such checks; * * * that the purported corporation known as the Sanitary Appliance Company, Inc., did not authorize the issuance of the checks made to Nussbaum or any other person against said account; * * * that all of the Nussbaum checks which were cleared through The Greenville National Exchange Bank were so cleared in the usual course of business; * * * that the rubber stamp impression on any Nuss-baum check where it appears, contained the words ‘All prior endorsements guaranteed’ was placed there by an employee of The Greenville National Exchange Bank, who had authority to place it there.”

Neither of the plaintiffs had anything to do with his father’s affairs during his lifetime. Harold Nussbaum never met Beasley prior to his father’s death, but Claude had seen him a few times in his father’s office. Beasley called on plaintiffs after their father’s death for the purpose of continuing the business relationship that he had carried on with their father. Beasley advised plaintiffs how he had sold these school warrants to their father; that they were endorsed by said company, and that plaintiffs would not have to make collection of the same; that when they became due the warrants would be paid by said company; that plaintiffs would surrender the warrants; and that the transactions would be carried on just as they had been carried on with their father.

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Bluebook (online)
154 S.W.2d 672, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/greenville-nat-exchange-bank-v-nussbaum-texapp-1941.