People's National Bank v. Taylor

149 P. 763, 17 Ariz. 215, 1915 Ariz. LEXIS 118
CourtArizona Supreme Court
DecidedJune 28, 1915
DocketCivil No. 1452
StatusPublished
Cited by5 cases

This text of 149 P. 763 (People's National Bank v. Taylor) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Arizona Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
People's National Bank v. Taylor, 149 P. 763, 17 Ariz. 215, 1915 Ariz. LEXIS 118 (Ark. 1915).

Opinion

CUNNINGHAM, J.

The appellant commenced this action, as holder of a note made by the appellee payable to his own order, in the sum of $2,000, with interest, and a reasonable attorney’s fee, and indorsed by the appellee in blank. The note bears the indorsement in blank of the Western Underwriting Company, by H. J. Adams, secretary. The plaintiff alleges that it came lawfully to the possession of the note for value, before maturity, alleging that the sum of $140 has been paid on account of interest, and demands judgment for the principal sum and for interest and $200 as a reasonable attorney’s fee for collecting the same.

The answer sets forth a state of facts which, if established, entitled the defendant to interpose the defense of absence or failure of consideration and pleaded that defense. The answer will be noticed more in detail later in this opinion. A trial was had to the court without a jury, which resulted in the making and filing by the court of special findings of fact and conclusions of law, with an order for judgment in favor of the defendant, and judgment was entered accordingly.

The plaintiff appeals from the judgment and from an order refusing a new trial, and as grounds for reversal it assigns error in 24 separate paragraphs. These are grouped by appellant into three divisions, or groups, and presented in that order. The first division “relates to the question of alleged fraud, misrepresentation, and want of consideration”; the second “relates to the question of the reliance of the defendant Taylor on the alleged fraud and misrepresentation”; and the third “relates to the question of notice on the part of the plaintiff of the alleged infirmities and defects of title in the note sued on.”

The decisive question is the sufficiency of the evidence to sustain the findings of fact and the judgment. All other questions become subordinate questions.

The note set forth in the complaint is a negotiable instrument, and as such it has all the protection of the law given to such instruments, and is therefore free from the defense of [217]*217failure of consideration pleaded, unless the defendant first shows by pleading and thereafter from a preponderance of the evidence, to the satisfaction of the court, that the title of some holder who has negotiated the instrument was defective, then the burden is on the plaintiff to prove that it, or some person under whom it claims, acquired the title as a holder in due course. Paragraph 4204, Civil Code of Arizona of 1913 (Negotiable Instrument Law).

In its answer the defendant admits the making of the note set forth in the complaint, and admits that he indorsed the note in blank as alleged, and avers that he delivered it so indorsed to O. O. Garrett, as the agent of the Western Underwriting Company, in consideration of the agreement of said company to issue and deliver to defendant 1,000 shares of its capital stock, and not otherwise; and said note was procured to be made and delivered by the false and fraudulent representations of the said company.

The representations so inducing the making and the delivery of the note are alleged to have been the following:

‘ ‘ That said corporation was a solvent, prosperous, going concern and had assets consisting of the stocks of other corporations, bonds, and mortgages, of the actual value of more than $300,000, and had no debts or liabilities, and had earned and was then earning, in the legitimate carrying on of its business, more than 20 per cent per annum upon its capital stock and upon the capital stock then offered to this defendant as a consideration for the making of said note,” alleging that all. of the said statements and representations so made were then and there false and untrue, and were known to said corporation to be false and untrue, and they were made for the purpose of inducing this defendant to purchase said stock and to make, execute and deliver his said note in payment therefor. That this defendant believed the said representations to be true, and was deceived thereby, and, in ignorance of the fraud and falsity thereof, did execute and deliver to the said corporation his said note as aforesaid, and upon no other or further consideration then or at any time to him paid or by him received.

The defendant then further sets forth that the Western Underwriting Company “concealed from this defendant the fact that said sale of its capital stock was not for the use and [218]*218benefit of said corporation and to become part and portion of its capital stock,” but defendant, on information and belief, charges the fact to be that the sale was being made “for the sole use and benefit of one J. K. Tennant, who was then acting as the vice-president and manager of said corporation and the promoter thereof. ...” All of which plaintiff was informed and knew when it took the note from the "Western Underwriting Company.

The answer in brief sets forth the circumstances under which the note was made and delivered. These circumstances fairly show: That the defendant agreed to subscribe for 1,000 shares of the capital stock of the Western Underwriting Company, and pay therefor $2,000. That this contract was brought about by Garrett, as the agent and representative of the Western Underwriting Company, for and in behalf of that company, and through false and fraudulent representations. That the contract so entered into is a contract of subscription for stock of the Underwriting Company; it agreeing to sell defendant 1,000 shares of its capital stock in consideration that defendant pay therefor $2,000, payable in one year, as evidenced by the note in suit. That, pursuant to said agreement defendant, believing the false and fraudulent representations to be true, and in ignorance of the said fact concealed, made, executed and delivered the said note in performance of said agreement, and the underwriting company has failed to issue and deliver the said shares of stock and thus perform its part of the contract, and on account, and for the reason said contract, in pursuance to the terms of which the note was made and delivered, was void for the fraud practiced, the defendant rescinds and repudiates the same and repudiates his obligation and promise evidenced by the said note, the consideration for the note is absent or has failed, and the title in the Underwriting Company’s hands was defective.

The contract, pursuant to the terms of which the note was made, having been induced by fraud, was void, and the promise of the Western Underwriting Company to issue and deliver the stock, not having been performed as agreed, could be repudiated and rescinded by the defendant, and his promise to pay for the stock withdrawn, because the note was given for no consideration.

[219]*219The "Western Underwriting Company’s promise to deliver stock was a promise to deliver the stock of a corporation such as represented, and such representations, being false and untrue, did not constitute such promise as defendant relied upon as a consideration for his promise evidenced by the note to pay $2,000. The stock the underwriting company actually agreed, to issue and deliver for the $2,000 was stock of a very different nature from its stock representing assets of little or no value. Such stock defendant did not agree to buy and pay $2,000 for as the purchase price. The promise made hence proved to be no promise; therefore he received no consideration for his note. The Western Underwriting Company’s title to the note, having been acquired through its fraud and deceit, was defective and void, in its possession, and unenforceable.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
149 P. 763, 17 Ariz. 215, 1915 Ariz. LEXIS 118, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/peoples-national-bank-v-taylor-ariz-1915.