Brunswick County v. North Carolina Bank & Trust Co.
Brunswick County v. North Carolina Bank & Trust Co.
Opinion of the Court
The defendants made motions in the court below for judgment as of nonsuit at the close of plaintiffs’ evidence and at the close of all the evidence. C. S., 567. The motions were overruled and in this we can see no error.
The settled rule in this jurisdiction is that upon a motion as of non-suit, the evidence, whether offered by the plaintiff or elicited from defendants’ witnesses, is to be considered in the light most favorable to the plaintiff, and he is entitled to every reasonable intendment thereon and every reasonable inference to be drawn therefrom. We think the evidence sufficient to show that the fund was a special deposit and trust fund.
The evidence is set forth above rather lengthy, but the amount involved is large and the controversy important. The testimony of I. C. Wright, that was in all material aspects, corroborated by W. B. Campbell and other witnesses and plaintiffs’ evidence was to the effect that: there were two drafts aggregating $57,035. “Check No. 40916 of Am. Surety Com. to Bd. of Com. of Bru. Co. N. C., $25,924. Check No. 40917 of same Co. & date to Bd. of Ed. $31,110. Both signed by E. P. "Watson, viee-pres. Chase National Bank, New York. 15 February, ’33.”
On 7 March, 1933, the following letter was written to North Carolina Bank and Trust Company at Wilmington, N. C., by Bryan and Campbell, J. W. Ruark, C. Ed. Taylor and I. O. Wright: “Gentlemen: You will recall that on 20 February, 1933, we and the representatives of the Brunswick County commissioners and board of education delivered to you checks on New York totaling $57,035 to be collected and held on special deposit, in trust, until we could settle with the board of county commissioners and the board of education and receive our shares of that money.
When the items were so handled it was anticipated that the settlement of the interested parties would be completed by this time. Such settlement not having been made, you are hereby so advised and notified to continue to hold separate, on special deposit, in trust, those funds until we get our part of them and so advise you.”
Plaintiffs offer in evidence letter from M. E. Allen to Peoples United Bank, dated 21 March, 1933, as follows:
“North Carolina Bank and Trust Company
Wilmington, N. C., 21 March, 1933.
Peoples United Bank,
Southport, N. C.
Gentlemen:
We don’t think we had the right to charge against special account set up in your name a part of the currency we shipped you on 3 March, amounting to $3,802.40. We are, therefore, charging your regular account with this amount and crediting the same back to the special account, restoring same to its original figures.
Trusting this meets with your approval, we are
Yours truly, M. F. Allen, cashier.”
I. C. Wright testified: “I had a conversation with Mr. Yates, in which he said: 'I want the Brunswick folks to have that money, and hope that they will get it, for it certainly was a special account for a specific purpose.’ This conversation took place when I went down to see if that money had been put in a special fund, if the cash had been segregated in the bank records.”
The affidavit of I. C. Wright as corroborative of his testimony on the trial, was in part: “And on that arrangement the checks were endorsed and turned over to Mr. Yates for collection, and he was to hold the money in a special deposit and for this specific purpose of being apportioned out as we agreed with the commissioners and board of education. I left and came back to my office.”
The defendants contend: “The principal questions in this case concern: (a) The refusal of the court to grant the defendant’s motion of nonsuit and (b) the action of the court in peremptorily instructing the jury to answer the issue in favor of the plaintiffs. Therefore, the exceptions relating to the admission of evidence are principally material as they reflect upon these two principal questions.”
In Pangle v. Appalachian Hall, 190 N. C., 833 (834) : “Tbe authorities in this State are all to tbe effect that what an agent says, relative to an act then being done by him within tbe scope of bis agency, is admissible as a part of tbe res gestee, and may be offered in evidence, either for or against tbe principal; but what tbe agent says afterwards, and merely narrative of a past occurrence, though bis agency may continue as to other matters, or generally, is only hearsay and not competent as against tbe principal. Johnson v. Ins. Co., 172 N. C., 142; Southerland v. R. R., 106 N. C., 100.” We think that this evidence is dum fervet opus.
“So too, if tbe declaration or admissions, though relating to something that is in mere point of time passed, yet have for any reason a present interest and weight, or from any combination of circumstances assume a still subsisting importance, they will then be admissible as constituting a part of the res gestee, without regard to the fact that the precise act itself to which they relate was strictly speaking, concluded some time before.” Morse on Banks and Banking, 6th ed., Yol. 1, pp. 286-287.
It is at least corroborative. The letter M. E. Allen testified to was written at Yates’ request. Under the facts and circumstances of this case, we think the evidence admissible.
The real controversy in this case: was the charge of the court below correct? “Gentlemen of the jury, if you find the facts to be as testified to by all of the witnesses it would be your duty to answer the issue Yes.” We think so.
In McIntosh, N. G. Practice and Procedure on page 632, we find: “If the evidence is all one way, and there is no conflict, the judge may say to the jury that, if they believe the evidence, they may find a certain verdict, but he cannot direct them that they must so find from the evidence. If the facts are admitted or established, and only one inference can be drawn from them, the judge may draw the inference and so direct the jury; but when the facts are not admitted, or more than one inference may be drawn, the case must be left to the jury to determine, with proper instructions from the judge as to the law. ‘A verdict can never be directed in favor of a plaintiff when there is any evidence from which the jury may find contrary to the plaintiff’s contention, or where there is evidence which will justify an inference contrary to such contention.’ ” Bank v. Noble, 203 N. C., 300 (302).
The well established principle in this jurisdiction is thus stated in Corporation Commission v. Trust Co., 193 N. C., 696 (699): “A deposit for a specific purpose is made when money or property is delivered
We do not think that there was such a material conflict in the testimony of plaintiffs’ witnesses and defendants that would impinge the charge of the court below. The letter of 7 March, 1933, by Bryan and Campbell and others “to be collected and held on special deposit in trust,” et cetera. No answer was made to this letter. Mr. Grainger, vice-chairman of the board of North Carolina Bank and Trust Company testified: “I have not copy of any answer in the file of the North Carolina Bank. It is the usual custom to make duplicate copies of letters. I did not tell any of the plaintiffs that I thought they ought to have this money. I told Mr. Wright on yesterday that the only interest we had was to find out legally to whom it belonged.”
The assignment of I. O. Wright to secure a loan in which it was stated “to be collected and held on special deposit in trust” was a circumstance and competent. The testimony of J. W. Yates, vice-president of North Carolina Bank and Trust Company (Wilmington unit) in part was as follows: “They stated further that this money was to settle these suits and that the lawyers present had an interest in the amount,
Tbe receipts given afterward to Mintz and Sentelle read in part: “"When collected, tbe proceeds of this check are to be credited to tbe Peoples United Bank of Southport in a special account.” This read in connection with Mr. Tates’ agreement, indicated that tbe special account was for a specific purpose.
Tbe evidence instead of contradicting can be construed as corroborating plaintiffs’ evidence. Tbe checks were to be collected, tbe proceeds were not to be put in tbe “regular and general account,” but a “special account,” in other words, intact, indicating a “trust quality” and more correctly stated in plaintiffs’ evidence “special deposit in trust.” Tbe evidence on tbe entire record was sufficient to show that tbe checks were put in tbe bank to be collected and held as “special deposit in trust.” Tbe testimony of I. C. Wright was that Mr. Yates said: “I want tbe Brunswick folks to have that money and hope that they will get it, for it certainly was a special account for a specific purpose.” Mr. Tates in bis testimony said: “I never made tbe statement to Mr. Wright that this was a special deposit, but stated that it was a special account.”
Tbe evidence, termed conflicting by defendants, we think it can be said on this record, is a distinction without a difference. All tbe facts and circumstances show that tbe drafts were to be collected and to be held as a special deposit and trust fund and tbe conclusion of Mr. Tates that it was a special account did not make it so, as tbe facts of tbe agreement — as stated by other witnesses and Mr. Yates himself, showed to tbe contrary. If a conflict, it is not a material one. Tbe evidence all was to tbe effect that plaintiffs, knowing tbe shaky condition of banks at that period, took every precaution to protect their clients and themselves in insisting that when tbe bank collected tbe drafts they were impressed with a “trust quality.” We do not think there is prejudicial or reversible error on tbe record. Tbe exceptions and assignments of error made by defendants cannot be sustained. For tbe reasons given, in tbe judgment of tbe court below we find
No error.
Reference
- Full Case Name
- BRUNSWICK COUNTY, THE BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS OF BRUNSWICK COUNTY, THE COUNTY BOARD OF EDUCATION OF BRUNSWICK COUNTY, PEOPLES UNITED BANK OF SOUTHPORT, J. W. RUARK, E. K. BRYAN and W. B. CAMPBELL, Partners, Doing Business as BRYAN AND CAMPBELL, C. ED TAYLOR and I. C. WRIGHT v. NORTH CAROLINA BANK AND TRUST COMPANY and GURNEY P. HOOD, Commissioner of Banks
- Status
- Published