Koons v. First National Bank

89 Ind. 178
CourtIndiana Supreme Court
DecidedMay 15, 1883
DocketNo. 9727
StatusPublished
Cited by8 cases

This text of 89 Ind. 178 (Koons v. First National Bank) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Indiana Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Koons v. First National Bank, 89 Ind. 178 (Ind. 1883).

Opinion

Morris, C.

The appellant, who was the plaintiff below, brought this suit against the First National Bank of Jeffersonville, Emanuel Hawley, Hiram Mayberry and David S. Koons. He alleges in his complaint that on the — day of -, 1878, he was the owner of thirty-five shares of $100 each of the capital stock of said bank, of the-value of $3,500, and that said stock then stood in his name on the books of said bank; that, being liable to said bank at the time, as the surety of the said David S. Eoons, upon a promissory note for a certain sum, and desiring to transfer to said bank, or to such person as it should designate, sixteen and two-thirds shares of said stock, to be credited as a payment upon said note, he proposed to the officers of said bank, to wit, the president, cashier, and the said Hawley, acting as teller and clerk of the bank, to make said transfer of said sixteen and two-thirds shares of said stock and no more, which proposition was accepted by the bank and its officers; that said Hawley, who was then acting as teller and clerk of said bank and as clerk of its cashier, and who had charge of the book of said bank, upon which transfers of stock were then made, and to be made, produced to the plaintiff the.said transfer book, and that he then directed and caused the said Hawley to fill up a blank certificate and bill of sale, on said book, for the sale, assignment and transfer by the appellant to a blank assignee, with permission to said bank and its officers to insert in such blank such name as they might desire, of the sixteen and two-thirds shares of said stock and no more; that the appellant thereupon signed said certificate, bill of sale and instrument of transfer so filled up. It is alleged that after the execution of said certificate and transfer the said bank caused said blank therein to be filled with the name of said Emanuel Hawley, of which the appellant does not complain; but he avers that [180]*180after the execution of said instrument of transfer the said Hawley, who was still acting as the teller and clerk o'f said bank, and under the immediate • direction and control of its cashier and other officers, and who had, as such teller, charge of the transfer book of said bank, wrongfully and fraudulently, and without the knowledge or consent of the appellant, altered and changed said certificate, bill of sale and instrument of said transfer, by inserting therein the figures “I8-3-,” after and in addition to the figures “16f,”and the words “ thirty-five,” so as to make the said instrument convey and transfer to said Hawley as well the said eighteen and one-third shares of said stock as the first mentio'ned sixteen and two-third shares thereof, in all the whole of the said thirty-five shares of said stock so owned by the appellant; that said bank and its officers had full knowledge at the time of the fraudulent alteration of said certificate and transfer of stock; that, after said fraudulent alteration of said certificate and transfer, the said Hawley assigned and transferred the said fraudulent and forged certificate and transfer of said thirty-five shares of stock to the appellee Hiram Mayberry, who now claims to be the owner of the same, and is and has been, before the commencement of this suit, recognized by said bank as such owner; that the bank refuses to cancel said false certificate $,nd transfer of said stock to said Hawley, although requested to do so by appellant, and refuses to treat or recognize him as the owner of said eighteen and one-third shares of said stock, or any part thereof; that said false transfer casts a cloud upon his title to said eighteen and one-third shares of said stock, and prevents him from selling the same. The prayer is that the appellant’s title to said eighteen and one-third shares of stock be quieted, that said false certificate and transfer be corrected, and for general relief.

The appellee Mayberry appeared and filed a separate demurrer to the complaint, as did also the bank and the said Hawley.

The court overruled the demurrers of Mayberry and the [181]*181bank, and sustained the demurrer of Hawley. The appellant declined to amend his complaint as to Hawley, and final judgment was rendered in his favor.

The appellee Mayberry answered the complaint by a general denial.

The First National Bank of Jeffersonville answered the complaint in two paragraphs, the first being the general denial.

The second paragraph states that on the 22d day of November, 1877, David S. Koons, the defendant below, was the owner of fifty shares of its capital stock, which fifty shares included the eighteen and one-third shares for which the appellant sues, and that, on that day, he deposited said stock with one Emanuel Hawley to protect him as surety on a note executed by said David S. Koons to this defendant, which note yet remains unpaid, in the sum of $4,700; that, on the 22d day of November, 1877, the plaintiff, David S. Koons, said Hawley and this defendant agreed that David S. Koons should sell to the plaintiff for cash said eighteen and one-third shares of stock for the sum of $1,833.33; which was, by the terms of said agreement, to be applied in payment of said note of said David S. Koons, secured by the said- Hawley; that the plaintiff failed to pay said sum on said -note, and that the said Hawley then required, and the plaintiff then did transfer said stock to said Hawley, that the same might be sold and applied on said note.

The plaintiff below replied in denial of said second paragraph of the answer of the bank.

The cause was by agreement of the parties submitted to the court for trial.

The court found generally for the appellant, but also found that at the time said eighteen and one-third shares of said stock were transferred to the appellant, Emanuel Hawley had possession of the certificate issued for said stock, and held the same in pledge to indemnify and save him from the payment of a note for $4,144, held by said bank, and executed by the [182]*182said David S. Koons as principal and the said Hawley as surety.

The appellant moved the court to correct its finding by striking therefrom so much thereof as found that said Hawley hold the certificate for said stock in pledge for his indemnity and to save him from the payment of said note on which he was surety. The motion was overruled.

The appellant then moved for a new trial, which motion was overruled. Judgment was then rendered by the court to the effect that the appellant was the owner of said stock, subject to the rights of said Hawley, and that said bank should recognize him as such owner, subject to the rights of said Hawley as pledgee thereof, etc.

The appellant then moved the court to modify said judgment'by striking therefrom so much thereof as related to the rights of said Hawley, on the ground that neither the facts found, upon which that part of the judgment rested, nor so much of said judgment as related to the rights of said Hawley, were within the issues in the case. This motion was also overruled.

The errors assigned question the rulings of the court upon the several motions made by the appellant. We think the court erred in overruling the appellant’s motion to modify said judgment.

Hawley had demurred to the appellant’s complaint, and his demurrer had been sustained and final judgment rendered in his favor. As to him the suit had terminated. Pie affirmed no right to the stock, and asked for no relief.

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Bluebook (online)
89 Ind. 178, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/koons-v-first-national-bank-ind-1883.