Guardian Depositors Corp. v. Currie

291 N.W. 2, 292 Mich. 549, 1940 Mich. LEXIS 478
CourtMichigan Supreme Court
DecidedMarch 15, 1940
DocketDocket No. 10, Calendar No. 40,752.
StatusPublished
Cited by5 cases

This text of 291 N.W. 2 (Guardian Depositors Corp. v. Currie) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Michigan Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Guardian Depositors Corp. v. Currie, 291 N.W. 2, 292 Mich. 549, 1940 Mich. LEXIS 478 (Mich. 1940).

Opinion

Sharpe, J.

This is an action to collect on a guaranty of an obligation of the Grosse Pointe Yacht Club. The facts are not in dispute. On January 9, 1928, defendant Dr. Benaud together with several other persons signed an instrument guaranteeing the payment of the principal and interest of a certain note or notes of the aggregate amount of not to exceed $250,000 made or to be made by the Grosse Pointe Yacht Club to the Griswold-First State Bank. Dr. Benaud’s liability on this guaranty was limited to $10,000. He has been credited with $6,942.48 on the principal of his guaranty leaving $3,057.52 as the principal balance.

The agreement signed by Dr. Benaud and others reads as follows:

*552 “Whereas, Grosse Pointe Yacht Club, a corporation organized and existing under and by virtue of the laws of the State of Michigan, is authorized to borrow money for its corporate purposes and to issue its notes or other obligations therefor; and
“Whereas, by appropriate resolution of its board of directors, it has determined for such purposes to borrow the sum of $250,000, to be evidenced by its promissory note or notes and/or renewals thereof from time to time given to the Griswold-First State Bank, of Detroit, Michigan.
“Whereas, the parties hereto as guarantors desire, in consideration of the loan above set forth, to guarantee the prompt and punctual payment of both principal and interest of such note or notes as the same mature and become payable,
“Now, therefore, for and in consideration of the premises and the mutual obligations of the parties hereto, and for the purposes of inducing the respective parties hereto to become guarantors of the said note or notes, the undersigned first parties each for himself, severally and not jointly, agree to and with each other, and with the Griswold-First State Bank of Detroit, Michigan, that they will and do hereby guarantee to the said “Bank,” the punctual payment when due, whether at maturity or at an accelerated or extended date, of the principal of a certain note or notes of the aggregate amount of not over $250,000 and the interest thereon, according to the tenor thereof made by Grosse Pointe Yacht Club to said “bank” from time to time hereafter. Provided always that such guarantee shall not extend to a greater sum in the aggregate as to any one guarantor than the amount set opposite his name respectively at the foot of this guarantee, the intent hereof being that this guarantee shall be unconditional except that the several liability of each guarantor shall be limited to the amount set opposite his name.
“Diligence and notice shall not be required; nor shall any change in any provision of said note or *553 notes or any indulgence in anywise affect the obligation hereof, whether made or granted with or without notice; the obligation hereunder shall be absolute and primary and performable on demand.”

About February 28,1929, the Griswold-First State Bank was consolidated with the National Bank of Commerce of Detroit, a national banking association, under the charter and the corporate title — National Bank of Commerce of Detroit. At this time, the indebtedness of the Gross Pointe Yacht Club-to the Griswold-First State Bank was $250,000.

On October 6, 1931, a note was issued .by the Grosse Pointe Yacht Club to the National Bank of Commerce in the amount of $174,882.34 payable in 90 days after date. Sums were credited from time to time upon the liability created by this note, but it was never paid in full.

On December 31, 1931, the National Bank of Commerce of Detroit consolidated with the Guardian Detroit Bank, a Michigan banking corporation, under the charter of the National Bank of Commerce of Detroit and the corporate title, “Guardian National Bank of Commerce of Detroit. ’ ’ On May 11, 1933, a receiver was appointed of the Guardian National Bank of Commerce of Detroit and on July 20, 1935, the Guardian Depositors Corporation, plaintiff herein, purchased the assets of the Guardian National Bank of Commerce of Detroit.

Plaintiff brings action to establish liability on the part of defendant Dr. Benaud as guarantor of the note of October 6, 1931, issued by the Grosse Pointe Yacht Club to the National Bank of Commerce. Defendant filed a motion to dismiss which was denied. After trial defendant renewed his motion to dismiss which was denied and judgment was entered for plaintiff against Dr. Benaud for $4,241.10, representing principal and interest.

*554 Defendant appeals and contends that the note involved in the litigation was not issued to the Guardian Depositors Corporation, but its remote predecessor, the National Bank of Commerce; therefore, plaintiff is not entitled to recover on the guaranty for default of the yacht club unless the National Bank of Commerce could have done so; that the National Bank of Commerce could not replace the Griswold-First State Bank as such obligee, because (1) the guaranty was a special guaranty, addressed to a particular obligee, namely, the Griswold-First State Bank and was not assignable, and (2) the corporate existence and identity of the Griswold-First State Bank was completely dissolved and destroyed by the consolidation with the National Bank of Commerce, and the latter cannot exercise the nonassignable rights of the former on the theory that the corporate existence of the Griswold-First State Bank was preserved and continued in the consolidated bank.

Plaintiff contends that under 44 Stat. at L. 1225 the corporate entity and identity of the constituent corporations to a consolidation, as is involved in the case at bar, is not lost, destroyed, dissolved or disturbed. The result is merely the continuation of the same corporate entities under the new name. Therefore, it is unnecessary and immaterial whether the guaranty is special and nonassignable.

The consolidation in question here was effected under act of Congress November 7, 1918, chap. 209, 40 Stat. at L. 1043, as amended by Act of February 25, 1927, chap. 191, § 3, 44 Stat. at L. 1225. The pertinent section of this statute reads as follows:

“That any bank incorporated under the laws of any State, * * * may be consolidated with a national banking association located in the same county, city, town, or village under the charter of such national *555 banking association.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
291 N.W. 2, 292 Mich. 549, 1940 Mich. LEXIS 478, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/guardian-depositors-corp-v-currie-mich-1940.