Ertman v. Liberty State Bank
Ertman v. Liberty State Bank
Opinion of the Court
The appellant claims that the court erred in changing the answers of the jury to the questions submitted to them and that on the findings of the jury and the undisputed evidence he is entitled to judgment for the amount of his deposit.
We are constrained to hold upon careful examination of the record that the findings of the jury designated (1) and (2) in the statement of facts are clearly supported by the evidence. To substantiate this it is only necessary to quote briefly from the plaintiff’s testimony. He testified:
“I told him (the banker) that whenever the papers were all fixed up and this bond signed by the two bondsmen he should leave Clarence have the money.”
On cross-examination the plaintiff testified:
“Q. You say you had the bank attend to this business for you? A. Yes.
“Q. And when you say bank you mean Ralph Wojak (cashier) and Brylski (assistant cashier) ? A. Yes.
“Q. And you claim you asked them to get two responsible signers on this bond? A. Yes.”
The findings of the jury being sustained, it remains to be considered whether upon those findings the bank is liable to the plaintiff. The bank claims that under the facts found the plaintiff made the cashier of the bank his agent for paying the money to Usiak and left it to him as his agent to see that a bond was procured before the money was turned over. We cannot accept this view. The plaintiff was manifestly dealing with the bank as a bank. His testimony so shows and the questions submitted to the jury imply this. His money was deposited with the bank, and his
“Upon receiving plaintiff’s deposit the bank was obligated in the first instance to repay that deposit to her (him). Certificates therefor (the cashier’s check) could not thereafter ... be applied by the bank to any other purpose, unless by her (his) acts or conduct she (he) authorized or consented to such application.”
The respondent also claims that the securing of responsible bondsmen by the bank would be ultra vires, and that this defeats the plaintiff’s claim. This argument goes on the assumption that by the transaction the bank was guaranteeing the responsibility of the bondsmen and that the ground for recovery is breach of its agreement of guaranty. If this were the situation, the respondent’s position would doubtless be correct. But we do not so construe the transaction.
From the above it follows that the trial court should have entered judgment for the plaintiff upon the verdict as returned by the jury.
By the Court. — The judgment of the circuit court is reversed, with directions to enter judgment for the plaintiff against the defendant bank upon the verdict as returned by the jury.
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