Miller v. Miller

1935 OK 864, 49 P.2d 189, 174 Okla. 573, 1935 Okla. LEXIS 1315
CourtSupreme Court of Oklahoma
DecidedSeptember 25, 1935
DocketNo. 24649.
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 1935 OK 864 (Miller v. Miller) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of Oklahoma primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Miller v. Miller, 1935 OK 864, 49 P.2d 189, 174 Okla. 573, 1935 Okla. LEXIS 1315 (Okla. 1935).

Opinion

PER CURIAM.

The defendant in error, Lucille Miller, filed her petition and affidavit in replevin in this case in the eourti below against the Security Bank & Trust Company, a banking corporation of Ponca City, Okla., as defendant, stating that such defendant was unlawfully withholding 500 shares of common stock of the Ponca Industrial Finance Corporation from her, and *574 praying' for possession thereof. The defendant bank filed its answer stating that it did not claim the stock sued for and was holding possession of it for the reason that both the plaintiff, Lucille Miller, and the inter-pleader and plaintiff in error, Zack T. Miller, were claiming it, and that it was unable to determine which of such parties was entitled to possession thereof; that such Zack T. Miller is a necessary party to this action ■to accomplish a complete determination by the co'urt of the right to possession of the stock, and prayed the court for an order-making such Zack T. Miller a party to the action for such purpose. Thereafter such bank filed what it termed an amendment to its answer and an affidavit in accordance with section 226, C. O.- S. 1921. Thereupon the court made its order directing that Zack T. Miller appear in the ease and maintain or relinquish his claim to right of possession of the stock, and giving him the right to make himself defendant in the place of the defendant bank, and that the bank be discharged from further liability. Zack Miller filed what he designated as an answer and! cross-petition of Zack T. Miller. This answer and cross-petition sets up, and it is admitted by all in the evidence, that Lucille Miller, with her husband, J. 0. Miller, Jr., became indebted to the Security Bank & Trust Company, the defendant below, in the sum of $9,000, and executed their note therefor. Lucille Miller owned 1,450> shares of Ponca Industrial Finance Corporation stock, par value $10J per share. On reorganization of such corporation, 500 shares of par value of $10 were issued in the place thereof. There is no issue over this change of the amount of stock involved. This stock was deposited by her with the bank as security for the payment of the $9,000; and she endorsed the same in blank. In addition to this stock she put up with the $9,000 note 100 shares of stock in the Continental Oil Company, 40 shares Sinclair Oil .Company, 100 shares General Motors, 100 shares Standard Oil Company, of New Jersey, 100' shares Rich-field Oil Company, and 100 shares Skelly Oil Company. There is no controversy over the ownership or right to possession of any of the stock excepting that of the Ponca Industrial Finance Corporation.

On February 28, 1928, Miller Bros. 101 Ranch Trust, by Geo. W. Miller, executed a note to the Security Bank & Trust Company in the sum of $20,000. This note was endorsed by George L. Miller and J. C. Miller, Jr. On the 27th day of April, 1931, Zack T. Miller sought a loan in the sum of $22,500 from the Security IBank & Trust Company. The bank was represented in this transaction .by its president, L. K. Meek. Meek agreed to loan Zack T. Miller $22,500, provided Zack would, out of the amount so loaned, take up the balance due on the old Miller Bros. 101 Ranch Trust note, which was $8,678.77. Mr. Meek, as president of the bank, held the stock deposited by Mrs. Miller not alone as security for the payment of¡ the Lucille Miller — J. C. Miller, Jr., note of $9,000, but also as security for the payment of the Miller Bros. 101 Ranch Trust note, and wrote a letter to Lucille Miller and J. C. Miller, Jr., her husband, stating this. The bank transacted the business with J. C. Miller, Jr., who apparently was acting for his wife, Lucille. There is nothing in the record showing any delegated authority in the husband other than that relative to th(=f $9,000 loan and note which she executed. The bank loaned Zack the $22,500, and the amount due and unpaid on the Ranch Trust?, note was held out of the money borrowed by Zack on the $22,500 loan. The $9,000 note made by J. G., Jr., and Lucille was satisfied at the bank and the latter demanded return of the Ponca Industrial Finance Corporation stock, which in the reorganization of such company was reduced to the amount sued for. Zack contends that the stock deposited by Lucille as security for the payment of the $9,000 note, which she executed with her husband, was also held as security for the payment of the? Ranch Trust note, and that when he bought! this note from the bank he also acquired right to the stock securing it. There is na evidence in the record showing that Lucille Miller authorized the depositing or the holding of the stock for any purpose other than as security on the $9,000 note which she personally executed. Meek, for his bank, wrote a letter, which is in evidence, to Lucille and J. C., Jr., her husband, that he was holding the stock In question as security on the Ranch Trust note as well as on the $9,-000 note which they made. It is not shown that such letter ever came into Lucille’s possession or to her knowledge. Council for appellants insist that Lucille’s endorsement in blank of the stock and her delivery thereof to her husband to deposit as security for a specific loan at the bank, constituted the husband agent to do anything he might do with it. While we do not agree with counsel, we do not consider that this question is necessarily in issue. While the banker wrote a letter in the husband’s presence that the bank was holding the stock for security on *575 the Ranch Trust note also, there is no evidence that! such husband actually authorized this, though he may have assented to it.

There are two questions before the court, and, under our view of the! law, they resolve themselves into one decisive question, that is, the solution of one solves the other. The first contention of appellants is that the burden of proof was upon Lucille Miller, and that since she did not introduce any evidence her demurrer to the evidence of Zack T. Miller should not have been sustained. On the other hand, if the burden was upon Zack and he did not produce evidence sufficient to entitle him to a judgment, then it was proper for the court to sustain Lucille Miller’s demurrer to his evidence.

Lucille Miller filed an ordinary replevin action against the bank, claiming right to possession of the stock. The bank answered that it did not claim the stock or the right) of possession thereof and was willing to deliver the same to Mrs. Miller, but in its answer and in a statutory affidavit filed stated that Zack T. Miller claimed right to possession of it, and by order of the court Zack was required- to come into the case and establish or relinquish his claim, to the stock. The appellants insist that the burden of proving her right to the stock remained with Mrs. Miller as the plaintiff in the case. The bank made no claim to the stock and consented to Lucille’s having it, and therefore in so far as the issues at this point went they disappeared. There was no dispute, no issue, other than might arise out of Zack’s claim. He did come into court and claimed right to the possession of the stock and he needed to prove it. This under authority of Millus v. Lowrey Bros., 63 Okla. 261, 164 P. 663. While the ease cited was an attachment! action, it is stated in the opinion that the law of replevin ig applicable. It is stated:

“* * * It appears that the interpleader, evidently relying upon section 3918, Stat. 1S!!3 (section 4701, Rev. Laws 1910), without any direct attack upon the attachment proceedings.

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Rozen v. Mannford State Bank
1936 OK 416 (Supreme Court of Oklahoma, 1936)

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Bluebook (online)
1935 OK 864, 49 P.2d 189, 174 Okla. 573, 1935 Okla. LEXIS 1315, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/miller-v-miller-okla-1935.