Paris v. Beckner

1930 OK 123, 289 P. 276, 143 Okla. 238, 1930 Okla. LEXIS 608
CourtSupreme Court of Oklahoma
DecidedMarch 18, 1930
Docket19061
StatusPublished
Cited by5 cases

This text of 1930 OK 123 (Paris v. Beckner) 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
Paris v. Beckner, 1930 OK 123, 289 P. 276, 143 Okla. 238, 1930 Okla. LEXIS 608 (Okla. 1930).

Opinion

TEEHEE, C.

In this cause the parties occupy the same relative positions as they occupied in the trial court. They will be so designated here.

The plaintiff, O. B. Paris, was a general depositor of the Security State Bank of Wanette, of which the defendants O. L. Beckner, J. M. Schoemann, E. E. Lightner, W. H. Skinner, and three others who are not parties here, were the directors.

On January 1, 1924, the bank closed its doors, at which time plaintiff’s deposit account with the bank was $413.75. On July 31, 1925, plaintiff sued defendants to recover damages of them in the amount of his deposit account. By his petition he alleged, to wit:

“Plaintiff, for his cause of action against the defendants and each of them, alleges that prior to January 1, 1922, the Security State Bank of Wanette, Okla., was organized as a state bank under the banking laws of the state of Oklahoma. That at all times subsequent to January 1, 1922, the defendants above named were the directors of said bank; and, as such directors, had charge of the affairs of said bank and were such directors during the years of 1922 and 1923.
“That said bank was insolvent at all times and dates since January 1, 1922, which fact of insolvency the defendants and each of them knew. That said bank was insolvent for the reason that the actual cash market value of its assets was insufficient to pay its liabilities. During the times hereinafter mentioned, said bank was unable to meet its creditors in the usual and customary way. That during said times and. dates hereinafter mentioned, the said bank did not keep its reserve as required by the banking laws of the state of Oklahoma. That during said insolvency, and at the time when said bank was insolvent, the said directors above named and each of them permitted deposits to be made in violation of law, and openly solicited deposits to be made, well knowing that said bank was insolvent, which fact of insolvency was' unknown to plaintiff.
“That on or about the - day of -. and at various times during the year of *239 1923, the plaintiff deposited with said bank various sums of money; and that on or about January 1, 1924, the said bank was taken over by the (Banking Board of the state of Oklahoma, at which time this plaintiff had on deposit with said bank the sum of $413.75, the same having been received by the directors of said bank, and said bank and its officers as a deposit subsequent to the time the said bank had become insolvent, with the knowledge of said defendants and each of them.
“That on the last day the said bank was open for business', when said directors and each of them knew that said bank would have to close its doors immediately, to wit: On December 28, 1923, said directors permitted said bank to receive deposits in the sum of $8,308.16 in violation of the banking laws of the state of Oklahoma.
“That the assets of said hank will not pay in excess' of ten cents on the dollar, and that by reason of said defendants having received the deposits of this plaintiff at the time it was insolvent, and in violation of the law, the plaintiff is damaged in the sum of $413.75, and for which amount this plaintiff is entitled to recover against the defendants and each of them.
“The plaintiff further alleges that the defendants violated, during the time they were insolvent, all of the banking laws of the state of Oklahoma, for in that they loaned money to the officers’ and directors of said bank in violation of law; they permitted officers of said bank to discount worthless paper in large quantities. They made false reports to the Banking Department of their financial condition; and after said bank had become hopelessly insolvent, said defendants caused a report to be made that the bank was in good condition, and that $50,000 worth of new capital had been placed in said bank, when, in truth and in fact, said officers and directors above named, and each of them, had attempted to withdraw all of their own funds from said bank and had sought to charge off worthless paper; but, in doing so, attempted to acquire all of the real property of said bank.
“That the amounts of money loaned and the discounts made in violation of law, the falsity of the reports made to the Banking B'oard, and the details thereof, are peculiarly within the knowledge of these defendants. They have in their possession, and have had at all times, the facts in relation to these various transactions. Therefore, the plaintiff is unable to allege, in detail, the manner! and method used by these defendants in violation of the law.”

To the petition the defendants named demurred, to wit: ,

“Comes now the defendants above named, and demur to the amended petition heretofore filed in said cause by the plaintiff, and for grounds thereof state:
“1. That the said plaintiff has no legal capacity to sue.
“2. That there is a defect of parties plaintiff appearing on the face of the petition.
“3: That said petition contains two or more causes of action improperly joined.
“4. That'said petition does not state facts suffiieient to constitute a cause of action iq favor of the plaintiff and against these demurring defendants, or either of them, nor to entitle the plaintiff to the relief in his petition demanded as against these demurring defendants, or either of them, or any part thereof.”

The demurrer; was sustained for that the petition did not state a cause of action. Plaintiff elected to stand on his petition, whereupon the court rendered judgment for the defendants.

The demurrer questions the right of a single depositor, among many of the bank, to bring a, separate action for damages in the amount of his debt owing- to him by the bank,, and recover judgment therefor against the directors, though the' allegations of his pe<tition be true, and though the bank is then in the hands of the State Bank Commissioner for the purpose of liquidation as provided by the banking laws of the state.

The rule of test of plaintiff’s right to maintain his action is to be found in section 4119, C. O. S. 1921, read with section 4128, O. O. S. 1921. While section 4119, since the accrual of plaintiff’s cause of action, has been amended, the relevant part here remains as a part of the existing- law, which provides':

“Any-director, officer, or other person, who shall participate in any violation of the laws of this state, relative to banks and banking, shall be liable for all damages which the said bank, its stockholders, depositors, or creditors shall sustain in consequence of such violation.”

Section 4128 provides:

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Related

State ex rel. Sebring v. Bell
1963 OK 61 (Supreme Court of Oklahoma, 1963)
Crews v. Garber
1941 OK 94 (Supreme Court of Oklahoma, 1941)
United States Fidelity & Guaranty Co. v. Krow
1938 OK 577 (Supreme Court of Oklahoma, 1938)
Noble v. Martin
70 P.2d 1064 (Washington Supreme Court, 1937)
McConnell v. Ray
1937 OK 162 (Supreme Court of Oklahoma, 1937)

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Bluebook (online)
1930 OK 123, 289 P. 276, 143 Okla. 238, 1930 Okla. LEXIS 608, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/paris-v-beckner-okla-1930.