Opinion ID: 1507556
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: The Facts Disclosed by the Summary Judgment Evidence

Text: This cause resulted from a swindle perpetrated by Mrs. Perry T. (Fredda) Grisham, who, in some way, learned that there was a sum of money on deposit at the Oak Cliff Savings & Loan Association at Dallas to the credit of Flora Grisham, Independant Executrix of the Estate of I. T. Grisham. Fredda Grisham was a resident of Wichita Falls, Texas, where Mrs. Flora Grisham also resided. On May 31, 1961 Fredda Grisham appeared at the First State Bank of Wichita Falls and represented that she was Flora Grisham; that she wished to withdraw such money as she might have on deposit with the Oak Cliff Savings & Loan Association and deposit the same with said First State Bank of Wichita Falls. She stated that she did not remember the exact amount on deposit with the savings and loan association; so a draft was prepared directed to Oak Cliff in favor of the Wichita Falls bank. This draft was signed by Fredda Grisham as Flora Grisham, Independent Executrix of the Estate of I. T. Grisham and no certain sum was set forth therein. The word balance appears on the face of the draft and the collection letter stated, Draft on you by Flora Grisham, Independent Executrix of the Estate of I. T. Grisham. Please remit through First National Bank in DallasBalance. It is not the practice of savings and loan associations to honor drafts as such and, accordingly, this draft was not paid. The savings and loan association, however, prepared a check dated June 2, 1961 drawn on the American Bank & Trust Company payable to Flora Grisham, Independent Executrix of the Estate of I. T. Grisham for $5,669.05, the amount of the Grisham account. This check was forwarded to the First National Bank in Dallas with a request that the check be not released until the pass book of the savings account had been obtained so that it could be forwarded to Oak Cliff. After a number of telephone calls from the First National Bank in Dallas, Mrs. Beatrice Martin, an officer in charge of accounts for Oak Cliff, received a call from J. R. Cummings, an officer of the Wichita Falls bank. As to this telephone conversation, Mrs. Martin stated in her deposition that Mr. Cummings identified himself as an officer of the (Wichita Falls) bank and said that we (Oak Cliff) were working a hardship on our customer by demanding that the pass book be surrendered for it seemed that the pass book had been lost and could not be surrendered.    I told him our standard practice was to require the pass book. He indicated that they knew the customer, that a real estate transaction was involved, and that they needed their funds desperately.    Upon the word of an officer of the bank, I told him we would release the check.    I called Mrs. Walton at the (First National) bank and told her we would release the check.    Had Mrs. Martin's version of this conversation been incorrect or untrue Mr. Cummings could have easily corrected or contradicted it. In his affidavit Cummings simply stated that after making inquiries of the First National Bank in Dallas he contacted Beatrice Martin, Vice President of the Oak Cliff Savings & Loan Association, regarding the pass book and at that time she waived the presenting of the pass book and did not require us (the Wichita Falls bank) to obtain affidavit of lost pass book and she notified First National Bank in Dallas to release Oak Cliff Savings & Loan Association check to us in payment of the draft, which we had sent for collection. The check was accordingly released to the Wichita Falls bank and delivered by it to Fredda Grisham, who endorsed it as Flora Grisham, Independent Executrix of the Estate of I. T. Grisham. The proceeds thereof at the request of Fredda Grisham were deposited in the Wichita Falls bank to the credit of the account of Mr. and Mrs. Perry Grisham. Seemingly, this circumstance did not arouse the suspicions of the officers of the Wichita bank. These funds were later withdrawn from the account and presumedly dissipated by Fredda Grisham and her husband. Mrs. Flora Grisham is the widow of I. T. Grisham, deceased, who had opened the account with Oak Cliff. In the spring of 1962 she requested payment of the money in the account of Flora Grisham, Independent Executrix of the Estate of I. T. Grisham. The fraud of Fredda Grisham was then discovered. Oak Cliff paid Mrs. Flora Grisham and brought suit against American Bank & Trust Company for an unauthorized payment out of its funds on deposit with said bank. American asked for a recovery against First National upon its endorsement of the check of June 2, 1961, and that bank requested similar relief against the Wichita Falls bank. The Wichita Falls bank pleaded over against Oak Cliff, contending that the unwarranted payment of the proceeds of the check to Fredda Grisham was occasioned by the acts and omissions of Oak Cliff.