Hall v. Merchants & Farmers Bank
Hall v. Merchants & Farmers Bank
Opinion of the Court
On June 11, 1954, the appellant filed a proceeding with the Chancery Clerk of Lauderdale County stating that he desired to perpetuate the testimony of certain witnesses therein named respecting the matter of a suit or suits contemplated against Merchants & Farmers Bank and others for the total sum of $500,000, the subject of such suits to be brought being the disclosure to the Internal Revenue Service of data respecting the confidential and private banking transactions of M. H. Hall. Four witnesses were named whose testimony the appellant herein expected to take. The proceeding was filed under Section 1714, Code of 1942, which provides as follows:
"A person desiring to perpetuate the testimony of any witness or the remembrance of any fact as to a matter in which he is interested, in respect to, which there is no suit pending, may file his written statement, verified by his oath or the oath of some one for him, in the office of the clerk of the chancery court of the county*107 in which it would be lawful to institute a suit, at law or in chancery, touching the matter as to which such testimony is desired, which statement shall plainly set forth the subject-matter concerning which testimony is sought to be perpetuated, and the names and places of residence of the witnesses whose testimony is wanted, and the nature of the testimony of each witness, and the names and places of residence of all persons interested in the matter to which the testimony relates; or, if their names and residences be unknown, that shall be stated. ’ ’
It will be noted that in a proceeding under this section it is necessary to file a written statement touching the matter as to which such testimony is desired and that the statement shall plainly set forth the subject-matter concerning which testimony is sought to be perpetuated, the names and places of residence of the witnesses, and the nature of the testimony of each witness, and the names and places of residence of all persons interested in the matter to which the testimony relates. There was an utter failure to comply with the provisions of this act. The application or petition did not state the matter as to which such testimony is desired; it did state the names of the witnesses whose testimony is wanted; it did not state the nature of the testimony of each witness ; it did not state the names and places of residence of all persons interested in the matter to which the testimony relates; it did give the name of Merchants and Farmers Bank but indicated that there were others also interested without stating who they are.
A commission was issued to Judge Jesse H. Graham, not as judge of the circuit court but as a commissioner to take the depositions of the witnesses. Objection was made before the commissioner to the taking of any testimony under the proceeding but he held that he was not acting in a judicial capacity in the matter but only in an administrative capacity as a commissioner of the chancery court. Thereupon the Merchants and Farmers
A careful study of the affidavit and application originally filed by the appellant convinces us that it does not comply with the aforesaid statute on the subject and that the injunction against the taking of the testimony for perpetuation purposes was properly granted. In 26 C. J. S., Depositions, Section 5, p. 811, it is said: “Except where the right to perpetuate testimony is absolute, the preservation of evidence by depositions is not favored, and the application will not be allowed unless some proper ground for it exists at the time, and it appears that the testimony is material and will be competent evidence, and that the deposition is necessary because of the danger that the testimony may be lost by delay, or unless it is necessary to prevent a failure of justice. The application must be made in good faith, and the granting of an order for the perpetuation of testimony is improper where it is sought solely to enable plaintiff to frame the complaint, or to perpetuate testimony as to trivial matters, where a person will be enabled thereby to shield himself from the -consequences of his own wrongdoing, or where there is no reasonable ground to believe that the evidence desired cannot be obtained at the trial. ’ ’
Coming now to the second point, the original bill filed by the Bank raises the question of failure to comply with the statute. The cross bill and amended cross bill raised an entirely different matter and an entirely different subject and conclude with the prayer for
From what we have said it follows that the decree of the lower court should be affirmed.
Affirmed.
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