First National Bank of Neillsville v. Town of York
First National Bank of Neillsville v. Town of York
Opinion of the Court
The following opinion was filed June 29, 1933:
The facts in this case are in many respects similar to those involved in First National Bank of Neills-ville against the Town of York and School District No. 4 of the Village of Neillsville, decided this day (ante, p. 264, 249 N. W. 513). The facts in this case relating to the issues between the plaintiff and the district are different and require a different holding as to that particular controversy. The plaintiff is a national bank. The defendant
The order was not charged to the town treasurer’s account in the Granton State Bank, but within a day or two it was forwarded to the plaintiff by the Granton State Bank. The plaintiff either paid the amount of the order to the Granton State Bank or credited it with that amount. Thereafter the order was presented to the Granton State Bank, where it was payable, and/or to Wilson Mallory, the town treasurer. It was not paid, but was returned to the plaintiff and thereafter treated by it as a loan to the town of York. Thereafter this action was commenced against both the
The plaintiff seeks recovery from the town on the order, or from the district, on the theory that the district has had and received moneys of the plaintiff. The court dismissed the action as to the school district and entered judgment against the town of York for the amount of the order, together with interest.
The questions to be determined on this appeal are (1) whether the court erred in permitting the bank to recover the amount of the order from the town, and (2) whether the court erred in dismissing the action against the school district, thereby denying recovery by the plaintiff from it.
(1) As to the first question it must be held that this case is ruled by the decision in First National Bank of Neillsville v. Town of York and Joint School District No. 4 of the City of Neillsville, decided this day ante, p. 264, 249 N. W. 513). The order in this action was, for the reasons stated in the other opinion, illegal and void, and the plaintiff cannot recover on it.
(2) The second question to- be determined in this case is not ruled by the other decision. In the other action it appeared that the Neillsville school -district delivered a void order directly to the plaintiff therein and thereby obtained credit for the full amount of the order which it thereafter checked out and used for school purposes. In the present case the district did not obtain moneys from the plaintiff but did obtain them from the State Bank of Granton. The void order issued by the town of York to -the district was taken to the State Bank of Granton or to Wilson Mallory, he being the assistant cashier of that bank and also the treasurer of the town of York. The order was handed to Mr. Mallory at the bank and the district was credited
If there were in the record evidence tending to show that Mr. Mallory, when forwarding the order to the plaintiff, acted for the district rather than for the Granton State Bank, a different conclusion might follow. There is nothing in the record to show that Mr. Mallory acted for the school district, or pursuant to an arrangement with it, whereby the plaintiff was to cash the order and carry it as a loan pending its payment by the town treasurer. Mr. Mallory died prior to the time of the trial. The testimony of the district treasurer does not support a conclusion that Mallory acted as the agent of the district. In the situation revealed by the record, the plaintiff’s claim for money had and received is against the Granton State Bank, which, according to the evidence, is defunct and may be now fully liquidated. It was the Granton State Bank that obtained the plaintiff’s moneys on the void order. The plaintiff can therefore look to the Granton State Bank for redress. The Granton State Bank, or the commissioner of banking if the bank is still in his charge, must look to the district. The district in turn may look to the estate of the town treasurer and to his bondsmen, or may recover from the town of York, in case it may be shown that the tax moneys, or any part thereof, collected by Wilson Mallory as town treasurer were
By the Court. — Judgment reversed as to the Town of York and affirmed as to Joint School District No. 4 of the Village of Granton and Towns of York and Grant.
A motion for a rehearing was denied, with $25 costs, on September 12, 1933.
Reference
- Full Case Name
- First National Bank of Neillsville, and v. Town of York, and Appellant: The First National Bank also appeals against the Joint School District, and
- Status
- Published