Gormley v. Board of Commissioners
Gormley v. Board of Commissioners
Opinion of the Court
Under the ruling made in Williams v. Bennett, 158 Ga. 488 (123 S. E. 683), the money deposited by the commissioners of Troup County in the LaGrange Banking & Trust Company, according to the contract, was for a single specified purpose. Under that contract the money was to be held by the bank and to be paid out only on checks in payment of a specified bonded indebtedness of the county. Under the contract the county was without the power of withdrawing the money from the bank for any other purpose. It could not withdraw the money, even if it became aware that the bank was in failing condition, without the consent of the bank, or under some legal proceeding. In fact the county endeavored to withdraw part or all of the funds so held by the bank, and met with refusal. In these circumstances there existed between the bank and the county commissioners, with regard to the funds deposited, a fiduciary relation, a trust which entitled them to payment in preference to general depositors. See Bank of Thomasville v. Lester, 177 Ga. 306 (177 S. E. 189); Southern Exchange Bank v. Pope, 152 Ga. 162 (108 S. E. 551).
The contract between the county commissioners and the bank was not unlawful for any reason. The county commissioners had the right to make the contract. The bank also had the right to contract and to receive the deposit. Receiving such deposits is entirely in line and consistent with the charter right of the bank to do a banking business. It was not ultra- vires. The character of the contract "was fixed when the contract wras finally signed and executed by the parties. Both parties had been acting in accordance with the contract for eight years when the banking act of 1919 was enacted. Nothing in that act could possibly avoid the rights of either party under the contract. The contract still had the effect of characterizing the deposit as a trust for a specified purpose. The banking act, of course, could legislate on matters not settled by the terms of the contract; as, for instance, the fixing of priorities or rank of debts due by the insolvent bank; but the act had to be applied to the contract as it existed. Under the banking act of 1919, debts due any county rank second only to debts due the State. The provision “ debts due any county” included any sort of debt, whether that of a general depositor or a deposit for a' specified purpose, or
Judgment affirmed.
Reference
- Full Case Name
- GORMLEY, superintendent of banks v. BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS OF TROUP COUNTY
- Cited By
- 1 case
- Status
- Published