Sawyer State Bank v. Sutherland

162 N.W. 696, 36 N.D. 493, 1917 N.D. LEXIS 198
CourtNorth Dakota Supreme Court
DecidedApril 16, 1917
StatusPublished
Cited by7 cases

This text of 162 N.W. 696 (Sawyer State Bank v. Sutherland) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering North Dakota Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Sawyer State Bank v. Sutherland, 162 N.W. 696, 36 N.D. 493, 1917 N.D. LEXIS 198 (N.D. 1917).

Opinion

Grace, J..

This is an appeal to this court from the district court of Ward county, and from an order denying motion for judgment non obstante or for a new trial.

The complaint, for causes of action against M. ft. Sutherland and E. A. Price, alleges that on the 24th day of November, 1909, defendant Sutherland executed and delivered a promissory note in the sum of $27 in favor of the defendant E. A. Price; said note bearing interest at 12 per cent per annum, and due October 15th, 1910. That prior to said date E. A. Price indorsed said note with waiver of protest, and sold and delivered said note for a valuable consideration to the plaintiff. That plaintiff is now and has been ever since said indorsement owner and holder and in possession of said note. The defendant M. B. Sutherland did not answer, and the answer of E. A. Price is substantially as follows: He admits that the defendant M. B. Sutherland executed a certain promissory note in writing as alleged in the complaint, save and except as to the words “protest waived, E. A. Price,” and as to this portion of the allegation he enters a specific denial.

[496]*496The answering defendant further alleges that at the time of the -date and execution of said note, and prior thereto, the plaintiff represented and stated to this defendant Price, through its officers, that the •said plaintiff bank was at that time negotiating a real estate loan for the said defendant Sutherland; that it would not therefore be necessary to secure said note in any way, but that the plaintiff would take from this defendant the plain and unsecured note of the defendant Sutherland on its (plaintiff’s) own responsibility and collect said note out ■of moneys secured for the said Sutherland out of said loan then being negotiated; that relying on said statement and representation of the plaintiff, and for the purpose-of transferring the written title to said note only, and not otherwise, the defendant Price signed said note on the back thereof, but this defendant specifically denies that said note had written on its back, over his signature, the words “protest waived” .at the time said signature was made, and this defendant alleges that ■said words were never placed there with his knowledge or consent.

For a .second defense, defendant Price alleges, first, a general denial; makes the same admission as to the execution of the note by Sutherland, and sets forth the same exception as to the words “protest waived” as in the first cause of action. Then he further alleges that since the execution and delivery of said note and the indorsement thereof, and prior to the commencement of this action, the said note has been .altered and changed without the knowledge or consent ,of this defendant and in fraud of his rights by the insertion and writing upon the back ■of said note, above the signature of this defendant, the words “protest waived;” that by reason of said change, which is material and fraudulent upon the rights of this defendant, said note has become absolutely null and void.

For a third defense, the defendant Price renews his general denial, makes the same admission as to the execution of the note by Sutherland .and the same exception as to the words “protest waived” as heretofore referred to, and then further alleges that after the maturity of said note, on the 15th day of December, 1910, at Sawyer, North Dakota, the plaintiff, for a valuable consideration, extended the time of payment ■of the said note, thereby postponing both the right of the plaintiff and of- this defendant Price to enforce payment thereof; that the plaintiff •then and there took from the defendant M. R. Sutherland a renewal [497]*497note of the said note sued upon, which said note was signed by the said defendant Sutherland and elated December 15th, 1910, due October 15th, 1911, for the sum of five hundred and ninety-four dollars ($594), and by plaintiff’s instruction and at the plaintiff’s request was made payable to the order of this defendant Price, all this without the assent or consent of the defendant Price, and that no right of recourse against this defendant was reserved, either expressly or otherwise; that said extension was made by the plaintiff of its own volition, for its own benefit, and in the exercise of its ownership of the said note sued upon; that at the time of the execution of the last-mentioned note the plaintiff took chattel security from defendant M. R. Sutherland, securing said note upon certain crops.

The facts in this case are substantially as follows: to wit, this is an action upon a promissory note. It is brought jointly against the maker, M. R. Sutherland, and the indorser, E. A. Price. The note is dated November 24th, 1909, and the due date is October 15th, 1910. Over the signature of the indorser, E. A. Price, on the back of the note, appear the words “protest waived.” The note was not paid at maturity, and the holder, the plaintiff bank, on December 15th, 1910, made out another note for the full amount due with interest, in proposed renewal of the old note, made payable to E. A. Price, signed by M. R. Sutherland, and sent it to the defendant Price for approval and indorsement in the same manner as the original note. On June 21st, 1912, approximately a year and a half afterwards, this note was returned to the bank by Price, without his indorsement, and with a letter from Price stating that he did not consider himself bound upon the original note, and that he would not consent to an extension of the old note.

The bank demanded payment from Price, and Price refused payment. The bank brought a suit against Sutherland and Price. The defendant Sutherland did not answer, and defaulted in the action. Price answered, denying liability on the note, setting up the defenses that the note had been altered since his indorsement thereof by the addition of the words “protest waived.” That he had been induced to indorse the note on false representations on the part of the bank and with the understanding that he was not a guarantor of payment, [498]*498and that the time for payment had been extended to the maker by the bank without the consent of Price, the indorser.

The defense .further sets forth that the plaintiff in the first instance-took the note of Sutherland on its own responsibility to collect said note out of moneys secured for the said Sutherland out of a certain loan then being negotiated. The jury returned a verdict for the, defendant for a dismissal of the action as against Price, after which the plaintiff moved for a new trial, which was refused. The dealings of the plaintiff bank with Price were had through its cashier, H. O. Dalen. Dalen left the employ of the plaintiff bank about the 1st of March, 1912. The claim of Price is that his indorsement of the note sued upon was made for the sole and only purpose of transferring title.

Plaintiff specifies the following errors of law, in which it relies in its appeal to this court in this action: The first error alleged is as follows: “The court erred in instructing the jury as follows: ‘You are instructed that you should find for the plaintiff in this case unless you should find that the defendant has established by a preponderance of the evidence either (1) that the contract of indorsement made by the defendant Price when he indorsed the note to the plaintiff was changed • without his knowledge, authority, or consent by the writing of the words ‘protest waived’ above his signature.”

This was a correct instruction, and not error.

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Bluebook (online)
162 N.W. 696, 36 N.D. 493, 1917 N.D. LEXIS 198, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/sawyer-state-bank-v-sutherland-nd-1917.