Tripp v. Smith
Tripp v. Smith
Opinion of the Court
This action is brought to recover upon four certificates of deposit purporting to have been issued by the Security Bank, defendant, to plaintiff, Robert B. Tripp, in the following
The 'Security Bank is a corporation. At all times material to the issues involved ‘George E. Pfeifle was the cashier and managing officer of the bank. The certificates involved in this action had their inception in a fraudulent scheme of Pfeifle and one Frank R. Beddow, who conspired to issue certificates of deposit upon the regular forms then in use by the Security Bank and to' negotiate them for their own use and benefit. Beddow was in no' way connected with the bank as an officer, agent, or employee, or otherwise. Such certificates were to ¡be made payable to' the order of such persons as Beddow would designate; were to- be delivered to Beddow or his representative for negotiation; no record was to be made in the books of the bank; and the bank was to receive no consideration therefor. In furtherance of this scheme Pfeifle took from the vaults of the Security Bank the last-numbered pad of blank certificates of deposit, containing 100 blank forms. The four certificates in suit were issued from this pad of forms, and no record was made of the transaction, and the bank received no consideration.
The certificates in suit originated in the following transaction: Some time in March, 1923, plaintiff invested in three promissory notes and mortgages executed by George Bertus, Martin J. Johnson, and Martin J. Bertus, each note being .for $10,000. A part of the funds so invested belonged to Yankton College, a part to the estate of Gertrude A. Loynaehan, and a part to plaintiff personally. The rights of Yankton ¡College are before this court on appeal in another suit, wherein Yankton College is plaintiff against these defendants involving another certificate of the same character as those here involved. The three notes above mentioned, which were purchased by Tripp, aggregated $30,000 and had been executed payable to John B. Rexford, who was an agent of, or in some manner involved in, the fraudulent schemes of Beddow. Rexford indorsed the notes when the)'- were transferred to Tripp. The notes were secured by mortgage upon lands in Bon 'Homme county known as
In March, 1925, Tripp while at Tjmdall holding court went to the Security Bank, met Pfeifle, and surrendered to him one of the $6,000 certificates, and in lieu thereof received a certificate payable to him for $2,500 andi one payable to the Yankton College for $3,500.
The certificate -for $15,000 pleaded in the complaint as the fourth ca-use of action had its inception in a later transaction. After the transaction at Lake An-des there was a balance due Tripp of $15,000 on the Bertus-Johnson notes. On the 19th of December, 1924, Tripp ¡w-as at Tyndall on court business and in the evening met Beddow at the hotel. Beddow stated to Tripp that he had succeeded in selling enough of his California lands for marketable paper so that he could- pay the balance of the BertusJohnson notes, 'but that he was -compelled to pay the parties with whom -he dealt $10,000 in cash, and if Tripp would raise $10,000 he would turn over to Tripp -certificates of deposit to -cover the $15,000 and the $10,000 which Tripp was to pay in cash. Tripp inquired as to the character of the paper and the financial responsibility of the makers, and Beddow stated that the notes were good and the makers responsible and such as the Security Bank would take. This occurred after banking hours. Tripp said that he wanted to- know definitely from the -cashier or some other officer that the bank had investigated the paper and was willing to- make the purchase. Pfeifle w-as called -by Beddow and came to the
Such notes were mailed to Tripp. Shortly afterwards the notes were returned by mail. Beddow was paid $5,000 in cash by Tripp, and received the Johnson-Bertus notes, and Tripp received $15,000 in certificates. Two certificates of $5,000. each Pfeifle claimed to have retained as security for the three notes of Tripp to the 'Security Bank, and the transaction was closed. In these transactions Tripp believed! that Pfeifle was acting as the cashier of the Security Bank and not otherwise, and had no thought that he was in any manner dealing or talking with him in his individual capacity. No record was made in the records of the 'bank of any of the certificates, and such certificates were drawn, signed, and delivered by Pfeifle outside of the Security Bank and outside of regular banking hours, and the bank received no consideration. Of the notes given by Tripp, however, one for $5,000 and two- for $2,5,00, one of the $2,500 notes was placed in the bank and credited to the account of Pfeifle and drawn out by him. Some time in January Tripp, desiring to- know definitely whether the bank still had the $5,000 note dated December 5, 1924, given at the time of the Lake Andes transaction, went to the Security Bank and there met'Pfeifle, who- gave to Tripp at the bank a written statement to the effect that the bank still owned and held the $5,000 note and the two $2,500 notes given by Tripp. George Bertus, Martin J. Johnson, and Martin J. Bertus, the makers of the three $10,000 notes, were at the time of the transaction at Lake Andes hopelessly insolvent.
The trial court concluded that defendants are estopped to-question the validity of the certificates of deposit in suit, and awarded judgment in favor of plaintiff for $43,480. Defendants appeal from the judgment.
The extent of respondent’s damage is not, however, the amount allowed by the court. The present consideration given by respondent for the certificates was $10,000 in the transaction at Lake Andes, and $5,000 at Tyndall. The notes executed by Tripp as a part of the consideration, $10,000 in all, were payable to the bank. One of tírese went into the bank; the others were, so- far as appears by the record, never out of the hands of P'feifle. The note in the bank should be -canceled-, and the others are worthless in the hands of P'feifle. Respondent has his claim against Beddow, iw-hi-ch is, so. far as the record shows, worth as much now as when the void certificates were taken in pretended satisfaction.
The judgment is reversed, with direction to- enter judgment in favor of respondent for $15,000, with interest from date of payment to -date of suspension, and to- cancel the $2,500 note of respondent given to the bank and to adjudge that the bank -has no right or interest in the other notes mentioned. No costs to be taxed in this -court.
Case-law data current through December 31, 2025. Source: CourtListener bulk data.