Sergeant v. Aberle

Supreme Court of Pennsylvania
Sergeant v. Aberle, 134 Pa. 613 (Pa. 1890)
19 A. 739; 1890 Pa. LEXIS 752
Clark, Green, Mitchell, Sterrett, Williams

Sergeant v. Aberle

Opinion of the Court

Opinion,

Me. Justice Clark :

At the trial of this case, the court submitted to the jury the question whether Ruhl, in the receipt and disbursement of the *615money embraced in Sergeant’s check for $4,000, dated April 4, 1882, acted as the agent of the Sepviva estate, or as the agent of Aberle, and the jury found that he was the agent of the Sepviva estate. There was some evidence, we think, to support this finding. It was certainly very slight; perhaps, however, it was sufficient to justify a submission to the jury. But, assuming the fact found by the jury, how does it appear that Aberle was injured? The loan was $4,000. Of this, Aberle received $700, at such times as he demanded it; and $3,300 was applied, according to his own directions, in satisfaction of the Rumpff mortgage. Aherle has thus received the whole of the money. He complains, however, that the loan from the Sepviva estate was effected by, and the money placed in the hands of Ruhl in March, and the Rumpff mortgage was not paid until August. But what of that ? The mortgage debt to Rumpff was $3,300, and the mortgage is satisfied. Aberle paid no part of it. He is not now responsible for any part of it. The mortgage is paid, and Ruhl paid it. It was Ruhl’s duty, doubtless, to have paid the money over to Rumpff in April, but if Rumpff was willing to forgive the fault and to accept the face of the mortgage in satisfaction of it in August, how was Aberle injured? The delay cost him nothing, and he is in no condition to complain. Ruhl promised to “ make it right,” and he did make it right with Rumpff. As the matter stands, Aberle appears to have gotten the full benefit of his loan, and he should be held to pay it in full, with interest.

The judgment is reversed.

On May 21, 1890, on motion a venire facias de novo was awarded.

Reference

Full Case Name
J. D. SERGEANT, TRUSTEE v. F. C. ABERLE
Status
Published
Syllabus
(a) An agent to procure a loan upon a mortgage received the money from the mortgagee, but, in violation of his agreement with the mortgagor, retained it in his hands for some months before he applied it to the satisfaction of a prior indebtedness of the latter: 1. In such ease, even if the agent were the agent of the mortgagee, and not of the mortgagor, the latter was not entitled to a credit upon the mortgage, on which the new loan was obtained, of interest for the time the money was held in the hands of the agent.*