Omaha daily bee., 1920-08-21
N. F. Shafer Asks. Judgment
OF s$250,000 for Damage to
Business Reputation and
Health impairment.
ALLEGES CONSPIRACY TO
FORCE HIM OUT OF BANK
Claims Resignation From
Presidency Caused Through
Fake Charges of Misuse of
, Funds and Vicious Habits.

Suit for S250,OO0 damages against
D. w. Geiselman and five other
directors Of the American State
bank was filed late Friday by NJ.
F. .Shafcr, former president of the
bank. He asks Sl50,000 for damage
done to his business reputation and
100000 for impairment to his health
by tile alleged circulation of false
reports concerning him. The action
was brought through Hotz and Lee
and McGilto nand Smith in the dis
triet cours of Douglas county.
Mr.. Shafer alleges a conspiracy
has bcsn conducted for more than
81 a, year to ruin him and force him
out of the banking business. He is
president of the American Bank
Building. company, corporation or
ganizcd to erect q 20-story building
on the present site of the bank at
Nineteenth and Farnam streets. and
is vice president OF NJ F. Shafcr &
Coz manufacturers OF advertising
~yelties. With lis brother, w. f.
!. ..p.lafer. he owns the majority of the
F}eapital stock of the American State
bank.fI y
Says Tried. to Gust Him.
The petition states that ever since
Tic s,n..,ner OF 1919. D. w. Geisel-
man and The other directors of the
American State bank have endeav-
ored to force him out of the bank.
Dana. c. Gcscluan, the present
cashier OF the bank: Frank L. Saun-
dcrs of Stanton. ,Neb.,;j S, Jasinsky,
( C.lTheodore Krogh. and Paul A.
ncOgny are the other defendants.
Mr.. Jasinsky resigned as, a director
in May.
1t is claimed that the defendants
.intinidated Mr!e Shafer, through
false charges of haying used the
fund. OF the bank, to resign ftom
the presidency in August, year
ago. In the following January. IL
is alleged sirfifaf threats were used
toSforce Mr.. Shafer and his brother
to vote for the defendants as direc-
tors. tf
Immediately after the election, III
is claimed. the new directors began
campaign Of Misrepresentation.
They are said to have told the state
banking department that he was a
man of vicious habits and unfit to
be bank officer DtW. Gciselman
is accused OF having state bank
examiner report that a certain
amount of paper in the bank was
that Of the plaintiff. The claim is
made that the state banking depart
: rlent was niislcd TO believe that Mr..
S1afer had stolen large amounts OF
mo9ey from the bank:
Alleges False Reports.
The banking department is said to
have been urged by the. defendants
to demand that Mr.. Shafer and hns
Sfother dispose of their interest i'll
the American State bank, Following
this, a report is stated to have beersi
circulated that the department at
Lineolnv had prohibited the two
brothers from continuing iii control
of tho bank. This is alleged to have
been sdonc to injurc, Mr.. sShafef sa
that he would be compelled to sell
his interest, ~
Letters were scnt out BY D. w,
GciseIman, according to, fthc COM
plant to the stockholders of the |
various companies Mr.. Shafer had
: built up. ; making accusations de-
signcd to deEtroy his standing. I
Several law suits were filed against
Mr., Shafer, and he declares these
to have been instituted by tie bank
directors to injurc his credit, compel
him to dispose OF his bank stock and
turnover control Of the company
planning to erect the Office building.
Claims Suits Groundless.
These suits are alleged to have
been groandicss, one instance being
given Of note for $4,000 paid at
the Merchants National bank, on
which the American State. bank, hav-
ins bsught the note. is said TO have
sued Mr. Shafer after j had been
paid ...-
The warfare of the directors on
MrA AShafer is declared to have gone
even to the extent OF urging stock
holders in his other enterprises to
sue him. Investigations by the Iowa
and Nebraska state departments are
said to have been melted, with the
result that both not only refused to !
stop his companies from doing busi- !
ness. but found them Mo be in good
condition. Articles in newspapers
attacking his business methods and
suits in the district court at Council
Bluffs designed merely to injure his
financial standing are also among
fhs CHARGES