Russo-Chinese Bank v. National Bank of Commerce

187 F. 80, 109 C.C.A. 398, 1911 U.S. App. LEXIS 4485
CourtCourt of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit
DecidedApril 3, 1911
DocketNo. 1,888
StatusPublished
Cited by7 cases

This text of 187 F. 80 (Russo-Chinese Bank v. National Bank of Commerce) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Russo-Chinese Bank v. National Bank of Commerce, 187 F. 80, 109 C.C.A. 398, 1911 U.S. App. LEXIS 4485 (9th Cir. 1911).

Opinion

MORROW, Circuit Judge

(after stating the facts as above). The defendant in error has interposed motions to dismiss the writ of error, and strike from the files of the court the bill of exceptions. Both motions are made on the ground that the plaintiff in error has failed to comply with certain rules of court.

[ 1 ] The first motion is based upon an alleged failure of the plaintiff in error to comply with rule 24 of this court1 requiring counsel for the plaintiff in error to file with the clerk of the court 20 copies of the printed brief and serve upon the counsel for the defendant in error one copy thereof at least 10 days before the case is called for argument. This case was set for argument for the 11th day of October, 1910. The 20 copies of the printed brief were filed with the clerk of the court as required by the rule, and it appears from an affidavit on file that counsel for the plaintiff in error served their brief upon counsel for defendant in error on the 1st day of October, 1910, by depositing copies in the post office at San Erancisco, in sealed envelopes addressed to the counsel for the defendant in error at Seattle, Wash., with postage prepaid. We think this service comes within the rule, but, had there been such a delay of the delivery of the briefs at Seattle as to in [86]*86any way prejudice counsel for the defendant in error in filing their reply brief, this court upon a proper showing would have made a suitable order with respect thereto.

[2] The second motion is based upon an alleged failure of the plaintiff in error to prepare and have settled a bill of exceptions in accordance with the provisions of rule 75 of the United States Circuit Court for the District of Washington. That rule provides that:

“The party desiring the bill (of exceptions) shall * * * within ten days after the rendition of the verdict * * * serve upon the adverse party a draft of the proposed bill of exceptions.”

The judgment was entered on March 17, 1910. The law of the state of Washington provides that a proposed bill of exceptions must be filed and served either before or within 30 days. The plaintiff in error ap- ( pears to have delayed action in that proceeding under the mistaken belief that this statute prevailed in the federal court, for on the 11th of April, 1910, an order was entered extending the time until May 14, 1910, in which the plaintiff in error might file and serve its bill of exceptions. A copy of this order was served upon defendant in error with the proposed bill of exceptions within the time as extended by such order. Such order was made during the term in which the judgment was entered. It recited that it was made for good cause shown. The exceptions were seasonably taken and reserved, and they were put in form and filed in the case by direction of the judge. This was.held sufficient in Stanton v. Embrey, 93 U. S. 548, 555, 23 L. Ed. 983. We think that, under the authority of this case and the practice prevailing in this court, the bill of exceptions should be accepted. Southern Pacific Co. v. Johnson, 69 Fed. 559, 16 C. C. A. 317; City of Seattle v. Board of Home Missions, 138 Fed. 307, 70 C. C. A. 597. Both motions are accordingly denied.

[3] Upon the merits we are of opinion that the allegations of the complaint state a cause of action upon an implied agreement to restore money paid to the defendant in error by the plaintiff in error under a mistake of fact, and that the evidence introduced on behalf of the plaintiff tended to sustain such a cause of action. The rule now established in the federal courts is this: If the state law permits a nonsuit where the evidence with all the inferences to be drawn therefrom would not sustain a verdict for the plaintiff, the federal court may do likewise under the provisions of section 914 of the Revised Statutes of the United States (page 684, U. S. Comp. St. 1901). Central Transp. Co. v. Pullman’s Car Co., 139 U. S. 39, 40, 11 Sup. Ct. 478, 35 L. Ed. 55; Meehan v. Valentine, 145 U. S. 618, 12 Sup. Ct. 972, 36 L. Ed. 835; Coughran v. Bigelow, 164 U. S. 308, 17 Sup. Ct. 117, 41 L. Ed. 442. It follows that, if the evidence in such a case is sufficient to sustain the cause of action, a motion for a nonsuit should be denied. Such is the rule established by the Supreme Court of the state of Washington. Welch v. Fransioli, 46 Wash. 530, 90 Pac. 644.

[4] The evidence in the case before us was to the effect that the plaintiff on November 9, 1904, paid to the defendant the amount sued for upon representations made by the defendant that the Port Arthur bank had previously received from Clarkson & Co. the amount called [87]*87for in the draft; that at the time this payment was made the plaintiff stated to the defendant that the payment was being made without knowledge of the exact conditions established between the defendant and plaintiff’s Port Arthur branch for the collection of its documentary bills, and there was evidence that the draft had not in fact been paid to the Port Arthur bank. The Seattle bank claimed that the draft of the Centennial Mill Company on Clarkson & Co. had been paid to the Port Arthur branch of the St. Petersburg bank, and that the Seattle bank was entitled to have this amount refunded, and so represented to the St. Petersburg bank. There was evidence tending to show that this representation was a mistake on the part of the Seattle bank. There was also evidence tending to show that the St. Petersburg bank, influenced by the representations of the Seattle bank and relying upon such representations that the draft had been paid to its branch bank at Port Arthur, paid the amount of the draft with interest and charges to the Seattle bank. This was a mistake on the part of the St. Peters-burg bank; that is to say, the evidence tended to show that both parties to the transaction were acting under a mistake of fact. In such a case the failure of the complainant to prove an agreement in writing “that, if it should be thereafter ascertained that said draft had not been paid, the said sum should be repaid to it by the defendant,” was immaterial, as the allegation of such an agreement was unnecessary in the statement of the cause of action.

In Leather Manuf. Bank v. Merchants’ Bank, 128 U. S. 26, 9 Sup. Ct. 3, 32 L. Ed. 342, the Supreme Court said:

“Whenever money is paid upon the representation of the receiver that he lms either a certain title in property transferred in consideraiion of the payment, or a certain authority to receive the money paid, when in fact he 1ms no such title or authority> then, although there be no fraud or intentional misrepresentation on his part, yet there is no consideration for the payment, and the money remains, in equity and good conscience, the property of the payer, and may be recovered back by him, without any previous demand, as money had and received to his use.”

In Fidelity Savings Bank v. Reeder, 142 Iowa, 373, 120 N. W. 1029, the following were the facts of the case: The defendant was a depositor in the plaintiff bank, and presented his hook to withdraw his account. It was shown that the amount due him at that date, principal and interest, was $1,285.22, and no more, and this amount the defendant admitted he received. Plaintiff claimed, however, that by mutual mistake of the parties the amount

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Bluebook (online)
187 F. 80, 109 C.C.A. 398, 1911 U.S. App. LEXIS 4485, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/russo-chinese-bank-v-national-bank-of-commerce-ca9-1911.