State ex rel. Sorensen v. Nemaha County Bank

231 N.W. 682, 120 Neb. 59, 1930 Neb. LEXIS 171
CourtNebraska Supreme Court
DecidedJuly 3, 1930
DocketNo. 27439
StatusPublished
Cited by2 cases

This text of 231 N.W. 682 (State ex rel. Sorensen v. Nemaha County Bank) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Nebraska Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
State ex rel. Sorensen v. Nemaha County Bank, 231 N.W. 682, 120 Neb. 59, 1930 Neb. LEXIS 171 (Neb. 1930).

Opinion

Goss, C. J.

This is an appeal by the First National Bank of Auburn, intervener, from a judgment of the district court for Nemaha county, in which the court held that intervener was entitled to the standing of a depositor only, refused to hold as a trust fund moneys of the Nemaha County Bank in the American National Bank of'St. Joseph, Missouri, and directed intervener to release all claims thereto.

Most of the facts were stipulated. Both of the Nebraska banks were located at Auburn. They had a practice or custom of local clearances between them, by which the one in whose favor the clearance showed a balance would receive from the other a draft for that balance. On June 13, 1929, the clearance resulted in the delivery by the Nemaha County Bank to the intervener of a draft for $1,127.17, and on June 14, 1929, of a draft for $4,549.02. Both drafts were made in favor of intervener and were drawn on the American National Bank, where the drawer had ample funds on deposit (as well as other property) to meet them. Ordinarily they would have been accepted and paid promptly. The drafts reached the drawee on June 15 and were not paid for the reason the drawee had then been notified that the department of trade and commerce of the state of Nebraska had taken possession of the Nemaha County Bank on that day. At the time the drafts were given the [61]*61Nemaha County Bank was insolvent and later, on August 12, 1929, a receiver was duly appointed. On July 6, 1929, appellant filed an action in the circuit court of Buchanan county, Missouri, against the American National Bank to impress upon the funds and property of the Nemaha County Bank, in the hands of that defendant, a trust to satisfy the drafts heretofore described. The receiver of the Nemaha County Bank intervened therein, participated in the trial and submitted briefs. The issues there were the same as here. While the stipulation of part of the facts made early in the trial herein recites that, at the time of the trial of the case before us, the Missouri action was under consideration by the circuit court of Missouri, it was later shown in the evidence, in support of a reply filed by the First National Bank on January 18, 1930, that the circuit court of Missouri on January 16, 1930, rendered judgment in favor of the First National Bank of Auburn. It was stated in the oral argument before us that an appeal would be prosecuted in the Missouri courts.

The judgment for review here was rendered in the district court January 18, 1930. The receiver had classified the claims of the First National Bank as ranking with depositors. The claimant then pleaded, by its petition in intervention, the facts relating to the issuance, presentation and. effect of the drafts, pleaded the fact of bringing suit in Missouri thereon to impose a trust, pleaded the laws of Missouri and that,' under the laws and decisions of that state, the funds- held by the Missouri bank were impressed with a trust in favor of the claim, and pleaded that, in view of the fact that the Missouri -action would probably not be disposed of before the time for filing claims would expire, it had filed its claim herein without prejudice to its right to maintain and prosecute its action pending in Missouri. The prayer was- that the district court -adjudge the funds and property held by the American National Bank to- be impressed with a trust to the extent of the drafts in favor of intervener, and that the receiver hold the cash and securities, if and when received by him, in trust, and that intervener be paid therefrom, as a trust or preferred claim, be[62]*62fore the claims of depositors, and for such relief as intervener is entitled to receive. Issues were joined and trial had. But the district court sustained the classifications of the receiver and allowed the claim as for a deposit, to share with all other bona fide depositors in the assets, disallowed the claim as a trust fund, and directed the appellant to. release and discharge all legal proceedings, judgments or claims for trust funds against assets of the Nemaha County Bank in possession of the American National Bank or elsewhere. A motion for new trial was duly made and overruled by the district court.

In his answer to the petition of intervention the receiver prayed that the intervener be enjoined from further prosecuting the action pending in the circuit court of Buchanan county, Missouri. In the decree the district court found that the intervener is solvent and that the receiver is not entitled to an injunction as prayed.

Various questions are raised in the record and discussed in the briefs which might in other circumstances require decision here. But in the unusual situation here involved we shall take up only those which we think proper to be decided in the case as it now appears before us for review.

The record contains a copy of the petition and of the final judgment of the circuit court of Buchanan county, Missouri, duly certified according to the act of congress and received in evidence on the trial. The title of the judgment shows that the receiver of the Nemaha County Bank was a party interpleader. The text of the judgment recites that the receiver voluntarily entered his appearance and interpleaded. The court made extended findings of fact and of law and directed the American National Bank of St. Joseph, Missouri, defendant, to pay to the First National Bank of Auburn, plaintiff, the amounts found due on the drafts and to take credit therefor in final settlement between said defendant and said interpleader.

It is urged by the appellant that the district court of Nemaha county erred in failing to give to the judgment of the Missouri court that full faith and credit required under section 1, art. IV of the Constitution of the United States, [63]*63which provides: “Full faith and credit shall be given in each state to the public acts, records and judicial proceedings of every other state.”

Two days before thei judgment was entered in the district court for Nemaha county, the circuit court in Missouri, a court of general jurisdiction, having previously heard the evidence and token it under consideration, decreed that the assets of the Nemaha County Bank, in the hands of the American National Bank of St. Joseph, were impressed with a trust to pay the said drafts drawn upon it and rendered judgment in favor of the First National Bank of Auburn thereon. The receiver of the Nemaha County Bank was a voluntary party thereto, invoking the jurisdiction of the court and asserting his paramount right to this fund as a part of the assets of the bank whose official representative he was by judicial appointment of the district court for Nemaha county. The Missouri court had jurisdiction of the subject-matter and of the parties. The judgment is in no way impeached for fraud or irregularity. If the receiver had won there he would not have complained. Having lost, he is, so far as the record before us is concerned, concluded, unless he can obtain, either in the circuit court or in an appellate court of Missouri, a modification or reversal of the judgment.

It has long been the general rule in this state in relation to the office of a foreign judgment that “The judgment of a state court duly authenticated, as prescribed by act of congress, is conclusive upon the merits or subject-matter of the suit.” Eaton v. Hasty, 6 Neb. 419. While the district court in the instant case admitted the judicial records from the Missouri court in evidence, we are of the opinion that it did not give them that faith and credit required by the. mandate of the federal Constitution.

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Related

Carson National Bank of Auburn v. American National Bank of St. Joseph
34 S.W.2d 143 (Missouri Court of Appeals, 1930)
Carson Nat. Bk. v. Am. Nat. Bk.
34 S.W.2d 143 (Missouri Court of Appeals, 1930)

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Bluebook (online)
231 N.W. 682, 120 Neb. 59, 1930 Neb. LEXIS 171, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-ex-rel-sorensen-v-nemaha-county-bank-neb-1930.