Sanitary Can Co. v. National Pickle & Canning Co.

191 Iowa 1259
CourtSupreme Court of Iowa
DecidedSeptember 28, 1921
StatusPublished
Cited by9 cases

This text of 191 Iowa 1259 (Sanitary Can Co. v. National Pickle & Canning 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
Sanitary Can Co. v. National Pickle & Canning Co., 191 Iowa 1259 (iowa 1921).

Opinion

PRESTON, J.

The plaintiff, a manufacturer of cans in the east, shipped to the defendant a carload of cans at the agreed price of $844.92, and drew a sight draft on defendant dated October 1, 1914, for the amount thereof, with bill of lading attached, through the National Newark Banking Company, of Newark, New Jersey. The draft was payable to said bank, signed by plaintiff, and addressed to National Pickle & Canning Company, St. Louis, Missouri. Upon the face of the draft, in red ink, was printed the notation:

“This draft must be paid in cash or its equivalent, the bank named as payee acting only as agent to collect and remit to the drawer. ’ ’

It also recites:

“Bill of sale attached, deliverable only on payment hereof.”

It is indorsed:

[1261]*1261“Pay to the order of any bank for collection for account of National Newark Banking Co., Newark, N. J.”

The transaction was treated as if the draft had passed through the Newark bank, although, by agreement between plaintiff and that bank, plaintiff sent out such drafts itself for collection, and accordingly the draft in question was forwarded for collection to the Sage Banking Company, at Alexandria, Missouri, at which point defendant had a factory. The defendant treats that transaction as having been done by the Newark bank. The Sage Banking Company received the draft, and called up defendant company’s manager, who came down on the evening of October 13, 1914, between 7 and 8 o’clock, to pay the draft and take up the bill of lading attached, and gave defendant’s check on said Sage Banking Company for the full amount. Defendant, as drawee of the draft, had to its credit on the books of the Sage Banking Company about $1,100; yet, at the time the check was given, the bank was insolvent, and had no funds on hand sufficient to pay the draft. The Sage Banking Company did not advise defendant’s manager that his check was worthless, or that the bank was in a failing condition. Upon drawing defendant’s check, as before stated, and with such worthless cheek, he took up the draft, received the bill of lading from the bank, and defendant afterwards procured and used the cans covered by the bill of lading. The check was marked across the face, “Paid. Sage Banking Co.” But it appears that the bank clerk who received the check did nothing further with it, and did not charge it to the account of the defendant on the books of the bank. There was at no time after the check was received sufficient money in the bank to pay it; and the next day, between 1 and 2 o’clock, the bank closed its doors, and thereafter passed into bankruptcy. Later, when the facts were made known to the Newark bank, it, for the purpose of protecting both plaintiff and defendant and all parties in interest, filed a claim in bankruptcy for the amount of the check, said claim setting out the facts and the existence of a dispute as to whether the draft was paid by the check, and as to whether the bankrupt had exceeded his authority as a collecting agent, and expressly stating that the claim was filed without prejudice to any action against the defendant, either by the Newark bank or by plain[1262]*1262tiff. The claim in bankruptcy was allowed, and dividends paid to the Newark bank, and held by them for the plaintiff and the defendant herein, and for their protection, and after defendant had been requested to prove up for the entire amount of the account, and their refusal so to do. The net amount of the dividends, after deducting some «$80 or $90 for expenses of filing and collecting, was credited on the claim sued on herein, as before stated. During the pendency of the bankruptcy proceedings, defendant claiming that the draft covering the purchase of the cans, as well as the account for the cans, was fully paid by the check transaction, this suit was instituted,. claiming that defendant owed plaintiff for the cans, and upon the account and the draft drawn therefor. As said, defendant answered, claiming that the draft had been paid by the giving of the check. The trial court found for plaintiff, and in addition directed plaintiff to assign or cause to be assigned to the defendant the balance of said claim in bankruptcy, or to cause to be paid to the defendant all dividends that might thereafter be paid on the claim, such assignment to be made on the demand of the defendant; and so on. The clerk of the Sage Banking Company who transacted the business in question for the Sage Banking Company knew the financial condition of his bank, and that it was insolvent; but, as said, did not advise defendant’s superintendent of that fact.

Appellant’s contention, as we gather from the errors assigned and brief points, is that plaintiff and the Newark bank selected the Sage Banking Company, at Alexandria, as agent to collect the draft, with bill of lading attached, rather than an agent at St. Louis, Missouri, and selected the Sage Banking Company as its agent to present and receive payment of the draft, thereby justifying defendant in acting as it did in payment of the draft by the check. But the draft was to be paid in cash or its equivalent, whether it was sent to one bank or another. That is the question in the case, — whether, under the circumstances, the check transaction was a payment.

1. Appellant’s argument and reply, and the two so-called additional arguments, all four of them, refer to two Iowa cases, British & Am. Mtg. Co. v. Tibbals, 63 Iowa 468, 473, and Griffin v. Erskine, 131 Iowa 444. "While other cases are cited, [1263]*1263appellant seems to rely more especially upon these two. The appellee also relies upon the Griffin case and others. Appellee seeks to distinguish the British & Am. Mtg. Co. case from the instant case in this: That in that case there were no instructions expressly requiring a cash payment, but, on the contrary, payment by draft was suggested; and that, under the facts, it was shown that they did not expect that the maker should collect the cash and present it at the counter of the bank for payment. They point out that, in the instant case, the Sage Banking Company, by the plain indorsement on the face of the draft, was expressly required to receive nothing but cash. That case was distinguished in Griffith v. Merchants Life Assn., 141 Iowa 414, 417. It is no doubt true that the giving of the check by defendant to the Sage Banking Company was a conditional payment. But it was only a conditional payment. We said, in Bellevue Bank v. Security Nat. Bank, 168 Iowa 707, that the general rule is that, when the holder of a check presents it at the counter of the bank upon which it is drawn, and receives payment therefor, the transaction is closed. It was also said in that case that the bank, as the collecting agent, was within its duty in accepting from the maker of the note a cheek, if it had reason to believe the same to be good; but that the acceptance of such check operated presumptively only as a conditional payment of the note; and that, upon the dishonor of the check, the condition failed, and the holder of the note was entitled to maintain his original cause of action. We said further in that case that whatever difference there may be in the authorities on these propositions, they are sustained by a great weight of authority, and we are com-, mitted to them (citing the Griffin case and Dille v. White, 132 Iowa 327). The opinion quotes from the Griffin

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191 Iowa 1259, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/sanitary-can-co-v-national-pickle-canning-co-iowa-1921.