Washington Bank v. Krum

15 Iowa 53, 1863 Iowa Sup. LEXIS 82
CourtSupreme Court of Iowa
DecidedJune 10, 1863
StatusPublished
Cited by2 cases

This text of 15 Iowa 53 (Washington Bank v. Krum) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of Iowa primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Washington Bank v. Krum, 15 Iowa 53, 1863 Iowa Sup. LEXIS 82 (iowa 1863).

Opinion

Wright, J.

Appellant presents two points for onr consideration: First, That an accommodation note, pledged as collateral security for a pre-existing debt, is not discharged of equities. Second, An accommodation note having been once discounted, and afterwards paid and taken np by the party accommodated, becomes void in his hands, and the subsequent transfer of it to a third person, with notice ’of the facts, cannot impart validity to it; but such third party takes it subject to all equities existing between the original parties.

Under the facts found by the referee, we have no difficulty in finding the first point against appellant. There is no controversy that, if a note is passed Iona fide in payment or discharge of a debt, it is good and discharged of equities in the hands of the third party. And it has been expressly ruled in this State that it will be sustained, from like reason, where it is transferred as collateral for a loan or further advancement, or a stipulation express or implied for further time upon a pre-existing debt. Such a transfer is founded upon a valuable consideration, as much as if made in payment of the debt. Trustees of Iowa College v. Hill, 12 Iowa, 462. As the referee in this case found, therefore, that the bank extended the time of payment upon the pre-existing indebtedness of Sargent and Dixwell, for six and twelve months, in consideration of the assignment of this collateral; in other words, as it is expressly found that the transfer was not a mere voluntary act; that the creditor was subjected to delay, and did not leave the subsisting debt in the condition it was before receiving defendant’s note, with the other collateral; it falls clearly within the rule above recognized; and the general proposition stated by counsel for appellant is not applicable. Accommodation paper, in this respect, is governed by the same rule. If it passes for value as above explained, the holder is protected. As between the parties to such paper, [58]*58it is without consideration or force. In the hands of a third person, who receives it for value, it is valid, and the innocent purchaser takes it discharged of those equities which would effect it in the hands of the party for whose benefit the maker lent his name.' If the party taking it knows that it is accommodation paper, he, of course, will be subjected to all the incidents and equities -which attach to such paper, not.in the hands of the payee, but of a third person. If he has no such knowledge, then he takes the note upon the assumption, and properly so, that the payee has taken upon himself all the liabilities of a maker for the fullest value, and is liable accordingly. And‘though he may have notice that it is accommodation paper, and is to be so used, he is not thereby affected by any private arrangement or agreement between the parties as to the particular purpose to which it was to be applied. But of these matters more at length in considering appellant’s second point. ■

The substance of the argument in favor of this proposition is, that the note, when paid by the indorsers, (the parties accommodated,) had spent its force, was dead in law, and that no transfer could impart to it new life or validity, in the hands of those taking it, with knowledge of the facts.

An examination of some of the authorities, which it is claimed support it, first demand attention.

In Denniston v. Bacon, 10 John., 198, the first sentence of the opinion, shows how very materially that case differs from this, for it is said that, “ though the plaintiff sues as indorsee of the note, it is admitted that he sues in behalf of Elliott, one of the original payees; and the merits of the case, and the terms upon which the note was given, are open for examination, equally, as if the suit was between the original parties to the note.” Whether the merits of the case, and the purpose for which the note was given, are [59]*59open for investigation, are the very points in controversy in the present instance. Woodhull v. Holmes, Id., 230, only determines that a party to negotiable paper may be a witness to prove facts subsequent to the due execution of the note, and which destroy the title of the holder. (Citing Bank of Rutland v. Buck, 5 Wend., 66; Powells v. Waters, 8 Cow., 669, and other cases.)

Skilding v. Warren, 15 John., 270, recognizes the same rule as in the above case, and the further one, that plaintiffs were not bona fide holders, and could not support the action, where it appeared that the note was indorsed for the accommodation of the makers then in good credit, who before negotiation, however, became insolvent, and were then directed not to part with it, which they promised— it also appearing that plaintiff took the note with full notice of all.the circumstances. The distinction between that case and this is too manifest to need comment. McFadden v. Maxwell, 17 Id., 188, presents the sole question, whether the payee and indorser was a competent witness to prove that the note was given on a consideration which failed, and that the plaintiff was informed of that fact when he took it.

The syllabus in Brown v. Taber, 5 Wend., 566, exhibits this case: When a party indorsed an accommodation note for another at sixty days, with the view of enabling the maker to obtain a discount at bank, and the maker, after refusal by the bank to discount the note, passed it off when it had but eighteen days to run, in the purchase of lottery tickets at retail price, the vendor of the tickets knowing that he was not a dealer in tickets, and having been informed that the note had been in the bank, and the bank marks being upon it, it was held in an action against the indorser, that the circumstances combined were sufficient to have put the vendor of the lottery tickets on inquiry, and that he was chargeable with notice of the misapplica[60]*60tion of the note, and that the indorser was not liable.” And see in this connection, Mohawk Bank v. Morey, 1 Hill, 518; Seneca County Bank v. Neass, 3 Comst., 442; Smith v. Wyckoff, 8 Sandf. Ch., 77; Austin v. Vandermark, 4 Hill, 259.

Kasson v. Smith, 8 Wend., 436, recognizes the rule that, “ when a note was indorsed for the accommodation of the maker, with the view of having it discounted at a bank, and the proceeds applied to the payment of certain demands, for which a third person stood bound as surety for the maker, and the note was delivered to the suret3r, who, with a knowledge of all the facts, offered it for discount at the bank; where it was refused to be discounted, but where, at the request of the surety, it was protested when due, it was held that an action could not lie by the surety against the indorser.”

Without doing more, we think we are fully justified in assuming that none of these cases sustain the position taken by appellant. If plaintiff took this note with full notice of all the circumstances, or with knowledge of the particular purpose of the parties in making it, there would be some propriety and plausibility in claiming their applicability. When it is remembered, however, that while it is found that plaintiff knew that this was accommodation paper — knowledge of the particular object in making it is expressly negatived — all ground .for claiming a parallel is removed.

As applied to paper of this character, the following rules seem to be well settled :

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Bluebook (online)
15 Iowa 53, 1863 Iowa Sup. LEXIS 82, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/washington-bank-v-krum-iowa-1863.