Wertz v. National City Bank

115 F.2d 65, 1940 U.S. App. LEXIS 2796
CourtCourt of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit
DecidedMay 9, 1940
DocketNo. 7016
StatusPublished
Cited by5 cases

This text of 115 F.2d 65 (Wertz v. National City Bank) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Wertz v. National City Bank, 115 F.2d 65, 1940 U.S. App. LEXIS 2796 (7th Cir. 1940).

Opinion

SPARKS, Circuit Judge.

This is an action at law which seeks to avoid preferential payments made by the debtor to the defendant bank. The complaint contains sixty-four paragraphs, and is brought under section 60, sub. b, of the Bankruptcy Act, 11 U.S.C.A. § 96, sub. b. An answer of nine paragraphs was filed. The first was a general denial, the others pleaded setoff, and the eighth paragraph was based upon the case, being a running account of mutual debts or credits between the bankrupt and the defendant. A jury was waived and the court made special findings of fact and rendered its conclusions of law thereon.

The facts are substantially as follows: On March 21, 1936, the McFerson and Foster Company, an Indiana corporation, was adjudicated a bankrupt upon an involuntary petition. On May 6, 1936, a trustee was appointed and authorized to in[66]*66stitute this action. The defendant is a national bank located in Evansville, Indiana.

When the bankruptcy proceedings were instituted, the assets of the debtor were not and since that time they have not been sufficient to pay the claims which have been filed and allowed, the deficiency with respect thereto being in excess of $50,000. Prior to the commencement of this action, appellant made written demand for payment of the various sums alleged in the complaint which demands were refused.

A receiver had been appointed for the debtor by a state court on February 18, 1936. Prior to this time appellee had no reasonable cause to believe that the debtor was insolvent. Up to December 25, 1935, the debtor had made all payments on merchandise accounts regularly and promptly when they became due and payable.

During the period covered by the complaint the debtor maintained a checking account with appellee and made daily deposits therein, in the ordinary and usual course of its business, and those deposits were received by appellee in the ordinary and usual course of business. Each alleged preferential payment was one of such deposits; each was subject to withdrawal by the debt- or’s check; and there were no limitations or restrictions on its right to issue checks on that account. In the ordinary and usual course the debtor issued checks against that account and the defendant paid' them. Each deposit and each withdrawal was a part of a running account between the debtor and appellee, a series of mutual debts and credits. The account at times showed credit balances in favor of the debtor, but at most times showed overdrafts. At times during the period in controversy the debtor assigned accounts receivable to the appellee, but they were not effective as security because the debtor retained exclusive control of them. During this time the debtor deposited in this account a total of $115,638.66, and there was withdrawn by its checks a total of $111,-954.64. During this period there was deposited $3,684.02 more than was withdrawn, of which sum $379.66 was a credit in favor of the debtor at the close of business on February 8, 1936, which was the date of the last alleged preferential payment. This sum was paid to the debtor.

At the beginning of business on October 29, 1935, which was the beginning of the four months’ period prior to filing the petition in bankruptcy, the debtor was indebted to the defendant, by reason of an overdraft in the checking account, in the amount of $3,304.36.

Each withdrawal from the checking account after the appellee had been preferred, if there was a preference, was a giving by appellee of further credit in good faith without security of any kind for property which then became a part of'the estate of the debtor, and the amount of. such new credits remaining unpaid at the time of the adjudication in bankruptcy, when set off against the amounts which would otherwise be recoverable from the appellee, if there was a preference, equals the amount of the alleged preferences, except as to the amount of $3,304.36.

Here the District Court, citing In re Evansville Broom Co., 7 Cir., 29 F.2d 643, concluded that appellee was entitled to such setoff, if there was a preference, under paragraph eight of its answer, pursuant to the provisions of section 60, sub. c of the Bankruptcy Act.

None of the deposits made by the debtor, including the alleged preferential payments, depleted its assets except to the amount of $3,304.36. None of the deposits, including the alleged preferential payments, was made by the debtor or received by appellee for the purpose of building up the deposits for the benefit of the appellee or to enable it to exercise its right of setoff, or with a view to such use, and the alleged preferential payments, except the amount of $379.66, were applied by the appellee under its right of setoff to the payment of the overdraft in the amount of $3,304.36 existing at the beginning of business on October 29, 1935.

Here, the court, citing Bain v. Indiana National Bank, 7 Cir., 64 F.2d 112, concluded that the defendant was entitled to such setoff, if there was a preference, under paragraph 9 of its answer, pursuant to the provisions of 68, subs, a and b, of the Bankruptcy Act, 11 U.S.C.A. § 108, subs, a, b. The court further found .that none of the alleged preferential payments was. in fact a preferential payment, or a payment of any kind, but that each w.as a deposit in the checking account, and that none of such deposits created a preference in favor of appellee against the other creditors of the bankrupt, and that the appellee did not believe or know, or have reasonable cause to believe or know, that any of such deposits were intended as a preference in its favor.

[67]*67Upon these findings the court concluded that plaintiff was not entitled to recover in this action, and thereupon dismissed the action at the cost of the plaintiff.

We are first met with appellee’s contention that appellant is bound by the coilrt’s findings because appellant failed to comply with Rule 75 of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, 28 U.S.C.A. following section 723c, relating to the record on appeal, in the following respects:

(1) The appeal was-taken on April 17, 1939, and appellant failed to serve upon appellee, promptly after the appeal was taken, a designation of the portions of the proceedings in evidence to be contained in the record on appeal. A designation was served upon appellee on July 6, 1939.

(2) Appellant failed to give appellee ten days thereafter within which to serve and file a designation of additio'nal portions of the proceedings and evidence to be included in the record on appeal. The certificate of the transcript was dated July 7, and was filed in this court Monday, July 10, 1939.

(3) The trial was stenographically reported and appellant did not file with his designation two copies of the reporter’s transcript, and did not give appellee the opportunity to designate and file the parts which appellee desired to have added.

(4) Appellant failed to serve upon appellee, by original or copy, a condensed statement in narrative form of the testimony to be contained in the record, and failed to give appellee opportunity to require testimony in question and answer form to be substituted therefor.

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115 F.2d 65, 1940 U.S. App. LEXIS 2796, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/wertz-v-national-city-bank-ca7-1940.