Bank of Tallassee v. Jordan
Bank of Tallassee v. Jordan
Opinion of the Court
To attribute to the evidence bearing on this issue the effect of merely showing a promise — and defendant’s reliance thereon — - that all the stockholders would contribute in the stated proportion to repair the loss in the capital stock would require an unreasonably strained interpretation of the terms and expressions use’d by Mr. Storrs and Mrs. ' Jordan at- the time she signed the instrument sued on. From the evidence, it is quite clear that Mrs. Jordan refused to make the contribution and to sign the paper then tendered to her for signature unless all^the stockholders made contributions in like proportiop, and that her yielding and action in signing the note and in delivering it to Mr. Storrs was alone caused by her reliance upon the fact of their contributing, and not upon any one’s promise that they would contribute. There was no error in the finding upon this issue that the delivery of the note was contingent, conditional. And, since all the ■stockholders did not contribute as the condition contemplated, the necessary consequence was that no recovery was due the plaintiff unless it was a “holder in due course” of the note sued on. The plaintiff, the Bank of Tallassee, took over the affairs of the People’s Savings Bank under a written agreement the presently important features of which will' be indicated. The plaintiff assumed, agreed to pay off all of the liabilities of the savings bank, “except the capital thereof, including all deposits, special deposits, general deposits of depositors and overdrafts, bills payable and all other liabilities of the said People’s Savings Bank.” The plaintiff bound itself to use—
“all diligence in the management of the assets of the said People’s Savings Bank of Tallassee, so purchased by it, and to collect all bills receivable and other evidence of debt as fast as it is consistent with good business, at their face value, unless it becomes necessary to make com *184 promise settlement of any note, mortgage account or other evidence of debt. The said the Bank of Tallassee shall reimburse itself out of moneys collected from said assets for all amounts paid out by it by reason of having assumed the deposits account and liabilities of the said People’s Savings Bank.
“It is further agreed by and between the parties hereto that the said the Bank of Tallassee shall render an accounting and make a partial settlement with the People’s Savings Bank of Tallassee twelve months from the date hereof, and all moneys collected over and above the liabilities of the said People’s Savings Bank of Tallassee by the Bank of Tallassee shall be paid over to the said People’s Savings Bank of Tallassee ; and the said the Bank of Tallassee shall render an accounting and make a final settlement with the said People’s Savings Bank of Tallassee two years from ■ the date hereof, and all moneys and assets collected over and above the liabilities assumed and paid off by the said the Bank of Tallassee shall be paid over to the said People’s Savings Bank.
“It is further agreed and understood that the books themselves of -the People’s Savings Bank of Tallassee have not been sold and delivered to the said Bank of Tallassee, but the said the Bank of Tallassee shall have use of same, for the purpose of facilitating its work in the collection of the assets and bills receivable of the said People’s Savings Bank, and the said the Bank of Tallassee does hereby agree to keep and preserve said books with all due diligence, in its vault at Tallassee, Ala., and to return the same to the People’s Savings Bank on the day of the final settlement in like order and condition, the natural wear and tear from the use excepted.”
“new bank received the assets charged with the conditions with which they were subject in the hands of the private bank, and constituted [constitutes] an express assumption of all defenses to which they were subject in the hands of the former owner.”
I-Iere, the plaintiff accepted an assignment or transfer of the assets for a particular purpose defined in the written agreement executed by the two banking concerns, which purpose affirmatively excluded the idea that, the plaintiff became invested with the general unrestricted property in this note. The-trial court correctly permitted the defendant to assert her defense that the delivery of this note was conditional only; and, since-the condition prescribed was not met, the court’s further conclusion that the plaintiff was not entitled to recovery was not laid in. error.
Affirmed.
Reference
- Full Case Name
- Bank of Tallassee v. Jordan.
- Cited By
- 11 cases
- Status
- Published