State National Bank of El Paso v. Margaret's

393 S.W.2d 644, 1965 Tex. App. LEXIS 2950
CourtCourt of Appeals of Texas
DecidedJuly 7, 1965
DocketNo. 5722
StatusPublished

This text of 393 S.W.2d 644 (State National Bank of El Paso v. Margaret's) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals of Texas primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
State National Bank of El Paso v. Margaret's, 393 S.W.2d 644, 1965 Tex. App. LEXIS 2950 (Tex. Ct. App. 1965).

Opinion

CLAYTON, Justice.

This is an appeal from a judgment of the trial court, sitting without a jury, awarding plaintiff (appellee) judgment against appellant in the amount of $2,839.80. Ap-pellee had received two checks in payment for merchandise from Dell City Gin Co., by Mrs. Gerene Carson, drawn on the gin company’s account with the State National Bank of El Paso, Texas. The first check was in the amount of $2,839.80 dated January 9, 1960 and the second was in the amount of $1,272.65 dated, erroneously, [645]*645January 11, 1959 instead of January 11, 1960. Both checks were ultimately returned by the drawee bank, appellant here, to ap-pellee with a sticker attached to each indicating that each was drawn against “insufficient funds”. The first check had been deposited by appellee in its account with a Lubbock, Texas bank and by that bank forwarded to appellant through the Federal Reserve system. It was received by appellant on January 13, 1960. At that time the maker, Dell City Gin Co., had a balance of $1,802.12 in the appellant bank, but appellant paid the check, creating thereby an overdraft in drawer’s account of $1,037.68 as of January 15, 1960. On January 18th, after the check was paid, Mr. E. C. Carson of the Dell City Gin Co. went into appellant bank and requested it to return the check “for collection” in an attempt to get Carson’s money back on the check. On that day appellant placed the “insufficient funds” sticker on the check and returned it through channels via the Federal Reserve system. Appellant’s letter of transmittal of January 18th described the check and gave as the reason for returning the check as “insufficient funds”. No notice was sent to the Lubbock bank by appellant that the check had been paid and was being returned for refund. However, the Federal Reserve Bank, in its form letter transmitting the item to the Lubbock bank described it as “Item being returned on un-current basis for refund because of lateness in return” (not in accordance with banking regulations for refusal of current items under the provisions of Art. 342-704, Vernon’s Tex.Rev.Civ.St.). The transmittal letter requests: “Obtain refund and advise us of credit” and refers to “our wire 1-19-60”. This wire was not introduced in evidence and its contents are not clear. The check was charged back to appellee’s account in Lubbock and credited to the Dell City Gin Co.’s account in appellant bank, thus bringing that account back up to the original balance of $1,802.12. However, in the meantime, and while this account was over-drawn, the second Dell City Gin Co.’s check in the amount of $1,272.65 was presented through channels to appellant bank on January 15th and was by it returned to the Lubbock bank as an unpaid item because of insufficient funds. The gin company’s account was closed February 11, 1960.

In alternative pleadings, appellee alleged in its suit against appellant:

“XI.
“Plaintiff would further show, strictly in the alternative, that the Defendant THE STATE NATIONAL BANK OF EL PASO accepted said check in the sum of $2,839.80 and paid the same on January 13, 1960, thereby creating an overdraft in the account of the said DELL CITY GIN COMPANY. That thereafter, on January 18, 1960, said Defendant, at the request of Defendant E. C. CARSON, returned said check to American State Bank of Lubbock, Texas, as agent of Plaintiff, and represented that said check was being returned for ‘Insufficient Funds’ when in truth and in fact said check was being returned for the sole purpose of eliminating said overdraft, which fact was withheld from Plaintiff. That had THE STATE NATIONAL BANK OF EL PASO, TEXAS advised Plaintiff or its agents of the real reason for the return of said check it would not have been accepted; and that because of said misrepresentation Plaintiff has been damaged in the amount of said $2,839.80.”

E. C. Carson, individually and doing business as Dell City Gin Co., was made a defendant in the suit and answered therein and agreed to a trial without the intervention of a jury, but thereafter made default and the matter was tried to the court without a jury. The court granted judgment to appellee against appellant in the amount of the first check, $2,839.80, and against E. C. Carson, d/b/a Dell City Gin Company in the amount of the second check, and judgment for appellant against Carson and [646]*646the gin company in the amount of the first check. Carson and the gin company did not appeal. The trial court made findings of fact and conclusions of law, in which, among other matters, it found that the Federal Reserve Bank, on instructions of the appellant, processed and returned the first check to the Lubbock bank for collection as an unpaid item for the reason of “insufficient funds”; that this check was not returned by appellant because of “insufficient funds” and the appellant knew that the check was being returned for reasons other than “insufficient funds”; that appellee would not have authorized reimbursement to appellant of the proceeds of the check had the fact been know that such check had been paid, but relied upon appellant’s representation that the check was being returned as unpaid for the reason of “insufficient funds”; and that the withholding from appellee of the fact that appellant had paid the check was a material misrepresentation of fact. Certain additional findings were made at the request of appellant.

There appears to be no controversy in the briefs over appellant’s Points of Error Nos. 1 and 2, and since they in no way alter the conclusion arrived at in this opinion, a discussion of these points is omitted. Points 3 and 4 complain of the trial court’s error in finding that the manner in which appellant returned the first check amounted to a material misrepresentation of fact relied upon by appellee, such complaint being predicated on “no evidence”, “against the overwhelming weight and preponderance of the evidence” and being “manifestly unjust to appellant”

In Nathan v. Hudson, 376 S.W.2d 856, 862 (Tex.Civ.App., 1964; ref., n. r. e.), citing Brown v. Frontier Theatres, Inc., 369 S.W.2d 299, 301 (Tex.Sup.), it is stated: “The trial court’s findings of fact and conclusions of law should be construed together and, if possible, be in harmony with the judgment and to support it; and in determining whether the findings are supported by any evidence of probative value we should give credence only to the evidence favorable to the findings, disregarding all evidence to the contrary.” We are further guided by the rules enunciated in the case of In re King’s Estate, 150 Tex. 662, 244 S.W.2d 660, 661 (1951), that in a “no evidence” point, we search for any evidence of probative value to support the finding, while in a point raising the fact issue of whether the finding is “against the great weight and preponderance of the evidence so as to be manifestly unjust”, we consider all of the evidence, regardless of whether the record contains some “evidence of probative force” in support of the finding. See also State v. Stinson, 387 S.W.2d 448, 453 (Tex.Civ.App., 1965; ref., n. r. e.).

Bearing in mind the foregoing, we must examine the record to determine if the findings are supported by any evidence, or sufficient evidence, of probative value. The testimony of one T. C.

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Related

In Re King's Estate
244 S.W.2d 660 (Texas Supreme Court, 1951)
Klindworth v. O'CONNOR
240 S.W.2d 470 (Court of Appeals of Texas, 1951)
Brown v. Frontier Theatres, Inc.
369 S.W.2d 299 (Texas Supreme Court, 1963)
Nathan v. Hudson
376 S.W.2d 856 (Court of Appeals of Texas, 1964)
Panhandle & Santa Fe Ry. Co. v. O'Neal
119 S.W.2d 1077 (Court of Appeals of Texas, 1938)
Varner v. Carson
59 Tex. 303 (Texas Supreme Court, 1883)
State v. Stinson
387 S.W.2d 448 (Court of Appeals of Texas, 1965)

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Bluebook (online)
393 S.W.2d 644, 1965 Tex. App. LEXIS 2950, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-national-bank-of-el-paso-v-margarets-texapp-1965.