DOYLE, Justice.
This action was brought by the plaintiff, Viajes Iberia, S.A. (S.A. is Spanish for the corporation designation) against defendants, James Dougherty and All Nations Travel, Inc., to recover the sum of $30,565.55 due and unpaid on a check given
Plaintiff corporation alleged in substance that Dougherty was an officer, agent or employee of the defendant, All Nations Travel, Inc., a corporation, and that the defendants, Dougherty and All Nations Travel, Inc., gave a check to plaintiff corporation on February 28, 1970, in the sum of $35,565.55 for services performed. This check was dishonored and returned unpaid to the plaintiff as there were not sufficient funds in the account on which it was drawn to cover the draft. Plaintiff corporation also claims that James Dougherty did represent the check to be good when he presented it for payment of services rendered; consequently, he wilfully and unlawfully defrauded and deprived the plaintiff of said funds. It is agreed by the plaintiff and defendant that $5000.00 has been paid on the check by the defendants and that the balance amounts to $30,565.55.
Plaintiff requested judgment against All Nations Travel, Inc. for this amount with interest and costs, and judgment against James Dougherty, individually, for the same amount based upon fraud and deceit.
The court, after hearing the testimony of Juan Pascual Garau, manager of the foreign department of the plaintiff corporation, and the testimony of Dougherty, examined as an adverse witness under the statute by the plaintiff's attorney, directed a verdict against All Nations Travel, Inc. for the sum requested in the complaint and dismissed the action against Dougherty individually. From the judgment in favor of James Dougherty the plaintiff appeals.
The plaintiff confines its appeal to three issues:
The plaintiff contends SDCL 57-13-5 (UCC 3-403(2)) to be applicable, it reads:
In our opinion this case comes within the purview of the underlined portion of (2) of the statute.
No question exists in this case as to the actual knowledge, on the part of the plaintiff, of the fact that Dougherty was acting as the President of All Nations Travel, Inc. This fact was pleaded in the complaint. The manager of the foreign department of the plaintiff corporation, Juan
It is noteworthy that all correspondence between the plaintiff and defendant was addressed by the plaintiff to All Nations Travel, Attn. Mr. Dougherty. Furthermore, the check upon which this action is based is denoted as a company check, although the nature of Dougherty's capacity is not stated upon the face of the check.
It is clear that the plaintiff had actual notice of the fact that Dougherty was, in this transaction, acting in the capacity of President of All Nations Travel, Inc. This fact was both pleaded by the plaintiff and admitted upon the witness stand by Garau. Actual notice consists in express information of a fact, SDCL 17-1-2. We are of the opinion that the plaintiff, by and through its officers, agents and employees, knew that Dougherty was, at all pertinent times, acting as an officer of defendant All Nations Travel, Inc., and not in his individual capacity. Thus, the transaction falls within that portion of SDCL 57-13-5:
In Pollin v. Mindy Mfg. Co., 1967, 211 Pa.Super. 87, 236 A.2d 542, it is stated:
As to plaintiff's contention that defendant Dougherty wilfully and unlawfully defrauded and deprived plaintiff of funds, we are of the opinion that the record clearly reflects that substantially all the services rendered by the plaintiff had been performed by the plaintiff prior to the settling of accounts with Dougherty, and plaintiff was not induced to part with any
A statement of the amount due for services rendered by the plaintiff was presented to Dougherty the evening of February 28, 1970, by Garau as agent for the plaintiff. After some deductions and adjustments in the statement the check in question (Exhibit 1) was given to Garau by defendant Dougherty, as the travel group was leaving the following day. This is confirmed by plaintiff's own testimony. On cross-examination by defendant's counsel, Garau stated:
37 Am.Jur.2d, Fraud and Deceit, § 223, states:
First National Bank v. North, 1892, 2 S.D. 480, 51 N.W. 96; Sioux Banking Co. v. Kendall, 1895, 6 S.D. 543, 62 N.W. 377.
The record clearly reflects that substantially all services had been performed by the plaintiff prior to the settling of accounts with Dougherty nor was plaintiff induced to part with any goods or services as a result of the issuance of said check by defendant Dougherty.
The judgment of the trial court is affirmed.
BIEGELMEIER, C. J., and WINANS and WOLLMAN, JJ., concur.
DUNN, J., not participating.
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