Mechanicsville Trust & Savings Bank v. Hawkeye-Security Insurance Co.

158 N.W.2d 89, 1968 Iowa Sup. LEXIS 826
CourtSupreme Court of Iowa
DecidedApril 9, 1968
Docket52877
StatusPublished
Cited by19 cases

This text of 158 N.W.2d 89 (Mechanicsville Trust & Savings Bank v. Hawkeye-Security Insurance Co.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of Iowa primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Mechanicsville Trust & Savings Bank v. Hawkeye-Security Insurance Co., 158 N.W.2d 89, 1968 Iowa Sup. LEXIS 826 (iowa 1968).

Opinion

MOORE, Justice.

Plaintiff’s action to recover under 'defendant’s loss-discovery bond due to embezzlement by an officer of plaintiff bank was submitted to the trial court on •plaintiff’s application for adjudication of law points, the pleadings, a stipulation of facts and answers to interrogatories. The parties also stipulated the court could enter a final judgment if it adjudicated defendant’s pleaded affirmative defenses were untenable. They of course reserved the right to appeal to this court. The parties may stipulate to such results. Burnett v. Poage, 239 Iowa 31, 39, 29 N.W.2d 431, 435, and citations; 83 C.J.S. Stipulations § 2. We commend counsel for thereby simplifying and shortening submission of the real issues to the trial court.

The trial court held defendant’s pleaded affirmative defenses were insufficient as a matter of law and entered judgment against defendant for $115,451.24 plus interest thereon from September 10, 1965. From this judgment defendant has appealed. Plaintiff has cross-appealed, claiming interest should have been allowed from the date of each embezzlement by plaintiff’s employee.

The following facts are derived from the pleadings, the written stipulation and admissions by each party in answers to interrogatories. Under date of July 25, 1962 defendant Hawkeye-Security Insurance Company issued to plaintiff Mechanicsville Trust and Savings Bank its “Bankers Blanket Bond, Standard Form No. 24”, by the terms of which defendant bound itself to hold plaintiff harmless and to indemnify it to an amount not exceeding $90,000 (raised by rider on October 4, 1963, to $120,000) from and against any losses sustained by plaintiff through the dishonest, fraudulent or criminal act of any of its employees committed at any time but discovered after noon of July 23, 1962, in respect to the bond as originally issued, or discovered after noon of September 25, 1963, in respect to the bond as amended by the rider.

When defendant issued its bond, which the parties refer to as a “discovery bond,” Láveme J. Paulson was plaintiff’s executive vice president, cashier and managing agent. He had been an employee of the bank since August 5, 1957. Paulson was also actively *91 in charge of an insurance agency operating on bank premises under the title of Mechan-icsville Insurance Service. Such agency had been operative for many years prior to Paulson’s connection with the bank. The profits of the insurance agency were divided, 20% to Paulson, 30% to plaintiff bank and 50% to other bank employees. Defendant company was represented by said agency. It had designated Paulson, doing business as Mechanicsville Insurance Service, as its agent under a contract dated September 3, 1957.

Negotiations for the discovery bond herein involved were initiated by another agent of defendant with Paulson. That agent apprised Paulson of the desirability of switching plaintiff’s then existing bond coverage to defendant company. Correspondence regarding the bond was directed to Paulson as “Vice President, Mechanicsville Trust and Savings Bank.” The bond was forwarded to “L. J. Paulson, Mechanicsville Insurance Service” with letter stating “Enclosed is your above bond.”

The resident agent, Doris B. Reid, representing defendant in this issuance of the bond was required by Code section 515.52 to sign it and under sections 515.52 and 515.53 she could be compensated only on a commission basis. Mechanicsville Insurance Service, however, was paid a commission.

Commencing in 1958 and continuing to May, 1965, Paulson, through a series of separate embezzlements, appropriated funds of plaintiff aggregating $141,909.40, which he successfully concealed from plaintiff until May, 1965. He accomplished this by forging names of bank customers to notes and placing the fictitious notes in the note file. Over the period Paulson paid back to plaintiff bank $26,458.16, leaving a net of $115,-451.24 misappropriated by him.

During the period from May 15, 1965 to June 29, 1965 plaintiff discovered the misappropriations at which time the discovery bond was in full force and effect. Plaintiff furnished defendant with proof of its losses on July 11, 1965 and following defendant’s denial of liability this action was started.

Defendant’s pleaded defense is predicated upon two separate but closely related legal principles allegedly applicable to the factual circumstances which were pleaded in the alternative. (1) Unknown to defendant, plaintiff was the real owner of Mechanics-ville Insurance Service through which the bond was issued and as such was chargeable with Paulson’s fraud in concealing his previous embezzlements. (2) Unknown to defendant, plaintiff and Paulson were co-owners of the insurance agency and as such Paulson’s fraud must be imputed to plaintiff, thereby barring recovery on the bond.

Plaintiff’s primary contention, with which the trial court agreed, is that under the facts and the very nature of the bond defendant is precluded from attributing Paulson’s fraud to plaintiff. We agree.

I. The rule is well settled that a principal is responsible for the fraud of his agent if he has entrusted to the agent a matter which puts him in a position to perpetrate the fraud complained of while the agent is executing the transaction within the scope of his employment. International Milling Co. v. Gisch, 258 Iowa 63, 74, 137 N.W.2d 625, 632; Turner v. Zip Motors, 245 Iowa 1091, 1096, 1097, 65 N.W.2d 427, 430, 45 A.L.R.2d 1174, and citations; 3 C.J. S. Agency § 257. The basis of the rule is that ordinarily knowledge of an agent is imputed to the principal.

II. An exception to imputation of notice from the agent to the principal is well recognized where the conduct and dealings of the agent clearly raise a presumption that he would not communicate the fact in controversy, as where such communication would necessarily prevent the consummation of a fraudulent scheme the agent was engaged in perpetrating. Sherman v. Harbin, 125 Iowa 174, 187, 100 N.W. 629, 633; Clapp v. Wallace, 221 Iowa 672, 677, 266 N.W. 493, 495; Wooddale, Inc. v. Fidelity and Deposit Co. of Maryland, Cir. 8, 378 F.2d *92 627, 634; Hall v. Aetna Casualty & Surety Co., Cir. 2, 89 F.2d 885, 887; Maryland Casualty Co. v. Tulsa Industrial L. & Inv. Co., Cir. 10, 83 F.2d 14, 16, 105 A.L.R. 529; Mutual L. Ins. Co. of New York v. Hilton-Green, 241 U.S. 613, 36 S.Ct. 676, 60 L.Ed. 1202; Reardon v. Mutual Life Ins. Co., 138 Conn. 510, 86 A.2d 570, 30 A.L.R.2d 828. See also annotation 105 A.L.R. 535 entitled: “Agent’s knowledge of his own embezzlement or other misconduct as imputable to principal in latter’s suit on fidelity bond or insurance.”

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Related

Schmidt v. Fortis Insurance
349 F. Supp. 2d 1171 (N.D. Iowa, 2005)
First American State Bank v. Continental Insurance
897 F.2d 319 (Eighth Circuit, 1990)
America Tr. & Sav. v. Fidelity & Guar.
418 N.W.2d 853 (Supreme Court of Iowa, 1988)
Iowa State Commerce Commission v. Manilla Grain Terminal, Inc.
362 N.W.2d 562 (Supreme Court of Iowa, 1985)
Midwest Management Corp. v. Stephens
353 N.W.2d 76 (Supreme Court of Iowa, 1984)
Kimmel v. Iowa Realty Co., Inc.
339 N.W.2d 374 (Supreme Court of Iowa, 1983)
Iowa State Commerce Commission v. IGF Insurance Co.
309 N.W.2d 445 (Supreme Court of Iowa, 1981)
State v. Eads
234 N.W.2d 108 (Supreme Court of Iowa, 1975)
State v. Mullin
225 N.W.2d 305 (Supreme Court of Iowa, 1975)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
158 N.W.2d 89, 1968 Iowa Sup. LEXIS 826, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/mechanicsville-trust-savings-bank-v-hawkeye-security-insurance-co-iowa-1968.