National Bank of North America v. Associates of Obstetrics & Female Surgery, Inc.
National Bank of North America v. Associates of Obstetrics & Female Surgery, Inc.
Opinion of the Court
The petitioner is a national banking association with its principal place of business in New York. It has no offices or agents in Utah and does not regularly conduct business in that State. The respondent Associates of Obstetrics brought a breach-of-contract action against the petitioner in a Utah state court, seeking damages on the ground that the petitioner had induced the respondent to lend a large sum of money to a Utah corporation on the representation that the loan would be protected and that the petitioner had defaulted on this agreement. The petitioner moved to dismiss the complaint on the basis of the venue provision of the National Bank Act, Rev. Stat. § 5198, 12 U. S. C. § 94. That section provides that venue for actions against a national banking
In Mercantile Nat. Bank v. Langdeau, 371 U. S. 555 (1963), and Michigan Nat. Bank v. Robertson, 372 U. S. 591 (1963), this Court held that the provision in §94 concerning venue in state, county, or municipal courts is not permissive, but mandatory, and, therefore, “that national banks may be sued only in those state courts in the county where the banks are located.” 371 U. S., at 561. Accordingly, we grant the petition for certiorari and vacate the judgment of the Utah Supreme Court. Since that court did not reach the respondent’s contention that the petitioner had waived the provisions of § 94, the case is remanded for a determination of that issue.
It is so ordered.
The respondent also argues that § 94 does not apply because this action is local in nature. See Casey v. Adams, 102 U. S. 66 (1880). This argument is based on the fact that a loan was made by
Concurring Opinion
concurring.
Charlotte Nat. Bank v. Morgan, 132 U. S. 141 (1889), recognized that the exemption of national banking asso
Reference
- Full Case Name
- NATIONAL BANK OF NORTH AMERICA v. ASSOCIATES OF OBSTETRICS AND FEMALE SURGERY, INC., Et Al.
- Cited By
- 53 cases
- Status
- Published