Bray v. Wetzel
Bray v. Wetzel
Opinion of the Court
The opinion of the court was delivered by
This is an action on a trade acceptance for $250. The Producers Consolidated Oil Company was engaged in building a chain of stations through Missouri and Kansas, and undertook the construction of one at Kinsley. The company contracted with Henry Wetzel to sell him, as well as numerous other persons, coupon books by which he was to receive $500 worth of oil for $250. The company began the erection of the station in 1921
' The testimony showed that Bray had no notice of any agreement that the acceptances were not to be negotiated before the filling station was completed, nor that they were to be returned to the defendant if it was not built and put in operation, and had no knowledge of agreements outside of what was shown on the face of the instruments. Testimony was received as to these agreements and of the arrangement between the trust company and the oil company for the presentation of the paper to the latter five days before maturity. The court, after hearing the evidence, directed a verdict in favor of the plaintiff, and the only question presented on this appeal is whether the evidence required the submission of the case to the jury.
Defendant contends that no consideration was received for the acceptance, and further, that there was a breach of faith in negotiating the paper when it was agreed that it should not be negotiated until the station was built and in operation. So far as the mat
Assuming, without deciding, that the evidence of the agreement was admissible and that fraud in the inception of the note was shown, we are of opinion that there was no material evidence that the plaintiff had any knowledge of the promises made by the agent who procured the instrument from defendant. Upon the theory that the evidence was such as to cast the burden on the plaintiff to show that he acquired the paper in good faith and without notice of defect, we will examine the circumstance relating to the arrangement with the trust company to first present the paper to the oil company for payment. The plaintiff testified without dispute that he paid value for the paper and that he had no notice or knowledge of the contemporaneous agreement, no notice of any defect in the title, or that it was put in circulation in violation of an agreement. There was no testimony in contradiction of his evidence, nor was any attempt made to disprove any of his statements or to show knowledge of the transactions in the making and delivery of the instrument. It was also shown without dispute that the officer of the trust company through whom it was obtained had no notice of defects in the title. It was purchased and transferred before maturity when the oil company was a going concern.
Attention is called to the circumstance that the trust company who held the acceptance for collection had agreed to present them
“To constitute notice of an infirmity in the instrument or defect in the title of the person negotiating the same, the person to whom it is negotiated must have had actual knowledge of the infirmity or defect, or knowledge of such facts that his action in taking the instrument amounted to bad faith.” (R. S. 52-506.)
The arrangement was manifestly one of convenience made to facilitate the business of the oil company. It was then a going concern and evidently did not wish to embarrass its patrons with actions to enforce payment of these obligations, and preferred they should be presented to it five days before their maturity. The acceptances were regular in form, the indorsements were not restricted, the transfers were made for full consideration, and they had been delivered by the acceptors and were put in circulation. The fact that the company was willing to take them up did not, we think, cast any suspicion on the validity of the transfer or warrant an inference that the plaintiff had actual knowledge of an infirmity or defect or tend to impeach the good faith of the purchaser.
We think there was no substantial testimony to submit to the jury as to the validity of the transfer, and therefore the'judgment of the trial court must be affirmed.
Reference
- Full Case Name
- J. B. Bray v. Henry Wetzel
- Cited By
- 1 case
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- Published