Sturdivant v. Memphis Nat. Bank

60 F. 730, 9 C.C.A. 256, 1894 U.S. App. LEXIS 2136
Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit·Decided February 27, 1894·No. No. 170·Published·Cited by 6 cases

Opinion

PARDEE, Circuit Judge

(after stating the facts as above). In the briefs submitted, there is a contention as to the facts of the case claimed to have been shown on the trial, and on each side considerable argument is presented, based on the facts as each claims them to be; but, as we find no bill of exceptions in the record, we can in no wise consider matters of evidence. As the case is presented to us, we are limited in our examination to the rulings of the trial court on the pleadings.

1. The second plea is to the effect that the instrument sued on is void, and not collectible in law, because made payable in the state of Tennessee, the laws of, which state forbid the taking of a rate of interest in excess of 6 per centum per annum, and forbid the stipulation for more, even in writing, and that by such laws any writing which does stipulate for a rate of interest in excess pf 6 per cent, per annum is void. The obligation sued on appears to have been executed by citizens of Mississippi in the state of Mississippi, where the laws permit a rate of interest to be stipulated not in excess of 10 per centum per annum. The rule in such cases is declared in Miller v. Tiffany, 1 Wall. 298-310, as follows:

“The general principle in relation to contracts made in one place, to be performed in another, is well settled: They are to be governed by the law of the place of performance. And, if the interest allowed by the law of the place of performance is higher than that permitted at the place of contract, the parties may stipulate for the higher interest without incurring penalties of usury. The converse of this proposition is also well settled: If the rate of interest be higher at the place of the contract than at the place of performance, the parties may lawfully contract in that case, also, for the higher rate.”

See, also, Scudder v. Bank, 91 U. S. 408-412; Cromwell v. County of Sac, 96 U. S. 51-62; Daniel, Reg. Inst. § 922, where the authorities in support of the rule declared are collated. Prom these authorities, it seems that the ruling of the court sustaining the demurrer to the second plea was correct.

2. The third plea is a plea of partial failure of consideration. It was designed to present that phase of the case which looks to a holding by the court that the contract sued on is a Mississippi contract,— made so by the location of the parties themselves, — and therefore subject to the operation of the anticommercial statute of Mississippi, which is as follows;

[733]*733“Sec. 1124. All promissory notes and all other writings for the payment of money, or other thing, may he assigned hy endorsement, whether the same he payable to order or assigns, or not, and the assignee, or endorsee, may maintain such action thereon in his own name, as the assignor or endorser could have maintained; and in all actions on any such assigned promissory note, hill of exchange, or other writing for the payment of money or other thing, the defendant shall he allowed the benefit of all want of lawful consideration, failure of consideration, payments, discounts, and sets-off, made, had or i>ossessed against the same previous to notice of assignment, in the same manner as though the suit had been brought hy the payee,” etc.

In case tlie statute just quoted is applicable, whether the plaintiff did or did not take the obligation sued on as a bona fide holder is immaterial. The question presented by this plea and the demurrer thereto is not a new one. The obligation having been made in the state of Mississippi, hut being by the parties made payable in the state of Tennessee, said obligation, in the matter of performance, is to be governed by the law of the place where the performance is stipulated to be made. This is well settled in the courts of the state of Mississippi. Frazier v. Warfield, 9 Smedes & M. 220; Coffman v. Bank, 41 Miss. 212; Harrison v. Pike, 48 Miss. 46-54. The rule is the same in Tennessee. Merritt v. Duncan, 7 Heisk. 157; Duke v. Hall, 9 Baxt. 282. The rule is recognized in the courts of the United States. Brabston v. Gibson, 9 How. 263; Supervisors v. Galbraith, 99 U. S. 214—218. In Harrison v. Pike, supra, the court said:

“If Mio hill is drawn on a party in another stale, or in a foreign country, or tlie note is made payable there, neither is, as a general rule, affected hy our statute, hut is governed hy (he law of the place where performance is to he made. Such is the character of a hill of exchange or a. promissory note drawn or made here, hut payable in Now Orleans or New York. The effect is to select tlie laws of the other state or country, and locate the contract there, subject to them. The defendant, hy making his note payable to his own order at New Orleans, and indorsing and delivering it to Thompson, domiciled the transaction in Louisiana, and submitted it to the laws of the state, and engaged that if Hie paper, in due course of business, was negotiated in that state hy Thompson, the rights of his indorser should he measured hy that law.”

From these authorities, as well as on principle, it seems clear that the third plea was not good, and the demurrer thereto was well sustained. In fact, as we understand the argument of the learned counsel for the plaintiff in error as to this plea, he does not contend to the contrary; his contention being based upon both the second and third pleas, and to the effect that the contract is either to be taken and construed, in toto, as a Mississippi contract, or as a Tennessee contract, — if a Mississippi contract, then that the anticommer-cial statute applies, and the defendant can plead partial failure of consideration; if a Tennessee contract, and the laws of the state of Tennessee are to he resorted to to determine the rights of the parties, then the defendant can jilead the usury law of the state of Tennessee. The argument jnesented is very plausible, but in the light of adjudged cases, and in the interest of commercial paper, we are unable to give our assent to its correctness, or to its applicability in this case. The law of the place where a contract is made and entered into, as a general proposition, determines its validity. Rcudder v. Bank, supra. Tested by this rule, the contract sued on is [734]*734'a valid, binding, and subsisting contract. Tbe law of tbe place of performance governs tbe contract in tbe matter of performance. Authorities, supra. Tested by this rule, tbe obligation sued on as commercial paper is to be construed, in respect to tbe rights of bona Me holders for value, by tbe law of tbe state of Tennessee. In relation to tbe application of these rules, counsel says:

“Two very curious results are readied: First. The question as to one part of the obligation is determined by the laws of one state, while that as to the other part of the obligation of the same instrument is determined by the laws of a different state; the two parts of that obligation and question being principal and interest of the same note, payable both at the same time and at the same place. Second. A single judgment is recovered for both' the entire principal and the conventional interest, the judgment for interest being recovered through, and only through, the laws of Mississippi, which allow eight per cent., which law, as to the principal, is denied, while the judgment for the entire principal is recovered through, and only through, the laws of Tennessee, in order to avoid an equitable partial advance which the laws of Mississippi (availed of in the interest) allow.”

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Sturdivant v. Memphis Nat. Bank, 60 F. 730, 9 C.C.A. 256, 1894 U.S. App. LEXIS 2136 (5th Cir. 1894).

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