Russ v. Sadler
Russ v. Sadler
Opinion of the Court
Opinion by
By his promissory note of January 24, 1898, W. F. Sadler promised to pay in thirty days thereafter to the order of himself and the other defendants in this action $5,000 at the Commonwealth Guarantee, Trust & Safe Deposit Company of Harrisburg, Pa. The note was indorsed by the payees and by Patrick Russ, the plaintiff, and discounted by the Farmers’ Bank of Carlisle, Pa. It was not paid at maturity and was duly protested and notice thereof given to the drawer and indorsers. On April 24, 1899, Patrick Russ paid the Farmers’ Bank of Carlisle, the holder of the note, $5,353.81, the debt, interest and protest fees due thereon, and the note was delivered to him. He then instituted this suit against the defendants, as prior indorsers, to recover the amount he was obliged to pay on the note.
The plaintiff took a rule on the defendants to show cause why judgment should not be entered against them for want of a sufficient affidavit of defense, and, the rule having been made absolute, the defendants took this appeal.
The plaintiff, in his statement, avers that he was an accommodation indorser, that the note was duly protested and that, on demand, he paid the amount of the note to the holder. Neither of these averments is distinctly and specifically denied in the affidavit of defense, and, hence, the plaintiff is entitled to recover what he paid the holder of the note unless the allegations in the affidavit are sufficient to prevent it.
This is an action by an indorsee against prior indorsers. The plaintiff’s right to recover, therefore, on the note is clear unless there is something dehors the note that will avail the defendants. The defendants allege that the proceeds of the note were applied, with the plaintiff’s knowledge, to -the construction and equipment of the Greensburg, Jeannette & Pittsburg Street Railway in which the plaintiff was interested. The use to which the money was applied, however, is of itself wholly immaterial as affecting the liability of defendants to the plaintiff on the note in suit and is no defense to this action: Youngs v. Ball, 9 Watts, 139. It is not averred in the affidavit of defense that the plaintiff agreed, or intended by his indorsement, to become equally responsible with the defendants for the payment of the note to the holder. Without an allegation to that
The contention of the learned counsel for the defendants is that the plaintiff and defendants were sureties for the repayment of the money secured on the note, and that their liability was not that of an indorser. They further contend that the money “ was a loan made by them (the indoi’sers) to be used by the street railway company in the welfare of which they were all interested, and all were equally bound to contribute to pay the note, if the indebtedness creatéd thereby was not discharged by the corporation.” If these allegations are facts, they should have been set up in the affidavit of defense. As they are not averred in the affidavit we, of course, cannot presume their existence or consider them, and it is idle to base an argument on them to support the sufficiency of the affidavit filed by the defendants. Slaymaker v. Gundacker’s Exrs., 10 S. & 11. 75, relied on by defendants, does not sustain their contention. In that case, the statement averred that the maker and indorsers of the note had mutually agreed to borrow the money and that each would pay his equal proportion of the note if the company failed to discharge the indebtedness. Here we have no such averment in the affidavit of defense and hence we cannot assume that the parties to this action entered into such an
The allegation in the affidavit that the plaintiff “joined with the defendants in raising the money for the purpose ” of promoting the interests of the street railway company and paying its obligations is not sufficient to impose on plaintiff a primary liability for the repayment of the whole or a part of the note sued on. Concede it to be true as averred in the affidavit that he did join the defendants in securing the money for the purpose stated, it does not necessarily follow that he thereby consented to assume a primary responsibility for the money obtained on the note. His contract, as shown by his indorsement, is secondary, and without a distinct and positive averment in the affidavit to the contrary, we cannot infer that he intended to assume any other or different responsibility.
The contention that the defendants have the right to interpose as a defense in this action an indebtedness due the street railway company from the plaintiff has no merit whatever. The street railway company is not the defendant here and hence its claim against the plaintiff cannot be appropriated by the defendants and used as a set-off in this action. If the Street Railway Company should sue Patrick Russ for its claim it would be no defense for Russ to allege and prove that it had been used as a set-off in this action. But even if the alleged indebtedness were a proper subject of set-off here, the averment in the affidavit is insufficient in not alleging that the indebtedness was due at the time this suit was brought: Roig v. Tim, 103 Pa. 115.
The indorsement was joint and not separate and hence the action was properly brought against the defendants jointly: Foster v. Collner, 107 Pa. 305.
The affidavit of defense is clearly insufficient and the learned court below was right in entering judgment against the defendants.
The judgment is affirmed.
Reference
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- Promissory notes—Accommodation endorser. In an action upon a promissory note by an indorser against prior indorsers where the plaintiff avers in his statement that he was an accommodation indorser, that the note was duly protested, and that on demand he paid the amount of the note to the holder, and these averments are not ■ distinctly and specifically denied in the affidavit of defense, the plaintiff is entitled to recover unless there are other allegations in the affidavit sufficient to prevent recovery. In the case of an accommodation note the payee who was the first indorser is considered as having lent his name to the maker on the credit of the latter alone; the second indorser as having lent his name upon the credit of the maker and the prior indorser, and so every subsequent indorser as having lent his name upon the credit of those who had become parties to the note before him. In an action by an accommodation indorser against a prior indorser allegations that the proceeds of the note were applied with the plaintiff’s knowledge to the construction and equipment of a railroad in which the plaintiff was interested, that the plaintiff joined with the defendants in raising money for the purpose of promoting the railroad, and paying its obligations, and that the plaintiff was indebted to the railroad company in an amount in excess of the note, are insufficient to prevent judgment. In an action by an accommodation indorser against prior indorsers who are payees of the note, the plaintiff is entitled to judgment where the affidavit of defense does not aver that the plaintiff agreed or intended by his indorsement to become equally responsible with the defendants for the payment of the note to the holder. In the absence of such an averment it will be presumed that the plaintiff indorsed the note relying upon the credit of the prior indorsers. In an action by an accommodation indorser against prior indorsers no presumption arises that the plaintiff and defendants were sureties for the repayment of the money secured on the note. If such in fact is the case, the facts showing it must be affirmatively set forth in the affidavit of defense. In an action by an accommodation indorser against prior indorsers an allegation in the affidavit of defense that the plaintiff joined with the defendants in raising money for the purpose of promoting a railroad company and paying its obligations is not sufficient to impose on the plaintiff a primary liability for the repayment of the whole or a part of the note sued on. In an action by an accommodation indorser against a prior indorser an averment in the affidavit of defense that the plaintiff was indebted to a railroad company in which all the parties are interested, and in whose interest the proceeds of the note had been used, is insufficient to prevent judgment; and even if such an indebtedness were a proper subject of set-off, the affidavit is still insufficient in not alleging that the indebtedness was due at the time the suit was brought. Promissory note—Accommodation note—Parties—Joint action. Where a promissory note is made payable to several persons, and all of these persons indorse the note, and the note is then indorsed by an accommodation indorser, who subsequently is compelled to pay the note, the latter may bring a joint action against all the prior indorsers. Mitchell J., dissents.