Citizens' Trust Co. v. Mullinix
Opinion of the Court
The controversy on this appeal arises out of the mutual accounts of the Pemiscot County Bank and the Pemiscot Lumber Company. The bank failed June 5, 1913, and the lumber company was adjudicated a bankrupt January 5, 1914. The appellant, as liquidating agent of the bank, filed claims against the estate of the lumber company, to the allowance of which the trustee in bankruptcy objected. With the assistance of am expert accountant the referee in bankruptcy heard the evidence for and against the claims and made findings of fact. Upon review these findings were confirmed by the District Court. In this court the following stipulation appears in the record:
“It is agreed and stipulated that the account between the appellant and the bankrupt estate shall be and it is hereby accepted and adopted by both parties hereto as found and determined by the referee, except in the following particulars:
“(a) The appellant claims, in addition to the amount found by the referee, the sum of $7,500 debited to the account of the Pemiscot Lumber Company with the Pemiscot County Bank on January 14, 1913, for which there is no check.
“(b) That the appellant insists that the claims upon the Going note in the sum of $2,013.90 and upon the Henry note in the sum of $4,901.67, of date November 21, 1912, are preferred claims.”
It was the contention of the claimant, in the court below and here, that Tindle or some one having the right to draw checks against tire account of the Pemiscot Lumber Company, drew a check in favor of A. C. Tindle in the sum of $7,500; that said check was duly -charged against the account of the lumber company and credited to the account of A. C. Tindle, and that the check had been lost or destroyed. The claimant also called as a witness one L. A. Ferguson, a bookkeeper, who testified that in making entries on the books of the bank, especially against the Pemiscot Lumber Company, he either had a check, draft, or debit slip or something; that he did not recall any special charge by debit slip against that account, but he knew it was
After all is said, the only thing to support the claim is the debit entry against the lumber company on the books, unsupported by any voucher or any evidence tending to show that the lumber company received the money; whereas, the books apparently show that Tindle received it individually. We think the referee and the District Court were justified upon the evidence in holding that the claim had not been proven.
The claimant insists that, because the amount of the drafts were not changed to the account of the lumber company upon the books of the bank, the latter is entitled to be subrogated to the lien of the drawers of the draft, as the transaction simply amounted to a purchase of the notes by the bank. This contention cannot prevail. Whether the proper entries were made on the hooks of the bank or not, the fact still remains undisputed that the drafts and notes were paid when they were presented to the Pemiscot County Bank, and that ended the matter; they now stand as general claims against the bankrupt, but without preference. The bank, when it paid the drafts and the notes, liad no interest of its own to protect, the payments were purely voluntary, and no fact is shown which would entitle the bank to the right of subrogation.
Judgment affirmed.
Reference
- Full Case Name
- CITIZENS' TRUST CO. v. MULLINIX. In re PEMISCOT LUMBER CO.
- Status
- Published