Semple v. Burke

157 N.W. 978, 34 N.D. 152, 1916 N.D. LEXIS 14
North Dakota Supreme Court·Decided April 28, 1916·Published·Cited by 2 cases

Opinion

Goss, J.

The issues involved arise upon objections by plaintiffs to ■the accounting of the receiver. The receiver was appointed in 1907 to wind up a partnership business and make the collections incident thereto while an accounting was pending between the partners, plaintiffs and the defendant. The receivership was continued pending decision ■on the accounting in the district and supreme courts. See Semple v. Burke, 26 N. D. 200, 114 N. W. 103, decided in 1913. Thereafter the receiver was ordered to account and did so. Objections were taken thereto', and as to those overruled this appeal is taken.

The receiver has accounted for $7,888 coming into his hands during ■his receivership. This does not include interest upon moneys commingled with the receiver’s individual funds or otherwise used by him or by the bank in which it was deposited, and of which he was one of the acting officials. Concerning this the lower court made the following finding: “That during the receivership the receiver has used the funds of the receivership as follows: $675 on August 30, 1907; $400 •on September 16, 1907; $2,115 on December 17, 1909,” and that interest at 7 per cent upon said amounts during the time it was used by said receiver, or permitted by him to be used by others, amounted at •date of judgment, April 24, 1914, to $1,142. But the trial court dis[155] allowed this interest to plaintiff on the ground that the receiver had at all times been able and willing to account for said moneys; that he had •been appointed by mutual consent of the parties; that the order appointing him did not require that he invest said funds or make interest thereon; that the parties to this litigation had a superior knowledge of its probable duration “and are negligent in not requiring the receiver to report the funds on hand to the court and secure a direction from the court to the receiver that the receiver make interest thereon.” Misuse of the funds by the receiver is established beyond cavil.

[Receiver Thompson testifies:

Q. Is it not a fact that you deposited in that bank while you were Receiver, $7,957.21 ?

A. My report shows $7,887.91. . . .

Then the payment of claims is shown.

Q. And on the 30th of August, 1907, you issued a check for $675 against that account, did you not ?

A. I think so.

Q. Was that for any transaction connected with the receivership?
A. No.

Q. On the 16th of December, 1907, you issued a check against this account for $400 did you not?

A. Yes, sir.
Q. Was that for anything connected with the receivership?
A. No.

Q. On the 17th day of December, 1909, you issued a check as receiver against this account for $2,115, did you not?

A. Yes, sir.

Q. Was that for any transaction in connection with the firm of R. T. Burke & Company or in which it was interested ?

A. No.
Q. This latter item was for some transaction in the bank, was it not?
A. Yes, sir.
Q. Has that money ever been returned to you ?
A. No.
Q. Has the $675 been returned?
A. Yes. . . .

[156] Q. Now what was this $400 item for, as you recall?

A. I can’t remember at this time.
Q. And the item of $675, do you recall that?

A. My recollection is that that was used temporarily in payment on a piece of land.

Q. Well, it was a private matter?
A. Yes, sir.

Q. And these three items that I have mentioned of $675, $400, and $2,115, were for private matters, all outside transactions?

A. The two smaller ones were for private transactions, yes.
Q. And the other one was for something in which the bank was interested ?
A. Yes, sir.

Witness then testifies to having returned the items of $675 and $400 to Bain, cashier of the bank, upon Thompson’s removal from the state in 1911, and that “I simply left them with him as trustee for the same until such time as the matter should be closed up’.

Q. You mean the receivership matter?
A. Yes.
Q. And now as to the third item, $2,115, where is that?

• A. That is in the First National Bank at Langdon.

Q. And was that left there for the same purpose as the other items ?
A. It is not in the same condition, but they are responsible to me for it.
Q. These three items represent funds of the receivership do they ?
A. They do.

The receiver was the cashier of said bank for over two years of his receivership, and he testifies that during the years from 1906 to 1910 that said institution was paying interest at 5 and 6 per cent on deposits for one year or more.

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Semple v. Burke, 157 N.W. 978, 34 N.D. 152, 1916 N.D. LEXIS 14 (N.D. 1916).

157 N.W. 978 (Semple v. Burke) — published by Counsel Stack Legal Research, free access to 12M+ legal documents.

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