Opinion ID: 2570762
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: allstate check

Text: Farrell was sent a check by Allstate Insurance Company to satisfy a judgment in an underinsured motorist claim. The judgment was in Shawnee County District Court, No. 97-CV-1285. The check was made payable to the Clerk of the Shawnee County Dist Court in the amount of $25,000. The check was issued April 8, 1999. On Friday, April 16, 1999, Farrell drove to a drive-through facility at Silver Lake Bank in Topeka. At that time, Farrell presented the bank teller, Trisha Fazio, with the $25,000 check from Allstate Insurance and a deposit slip for his personal account. Farrell attempted to deposit $24,900 into his personal account and obtain $100 cash. Fazio examined the check, saw that it was made payable to the Clerk of the Shawnee County Dist Court, and also saw that the check was endorsed with two different colors of ink. The check was endorsed with the words Clerk of the Shawnee County District Court on the top and second endorsement line and with Farrell's name on the third endorsement line on the back of the check. Fazio took the check to her supervisor, who called the Clerk of the Shawnee County District Court. The clerk asked the bank to refrain from cashing the check and to retain possession of the check. Farrell endorsed the check with both Clerk of the Shawnee County District Court and his name, but did not have permission from the clerk to endorse or negotiate the check. On May 10, 1999, Farrell provided a written response to the initial complaint. He asserted in part: On April 16th, I generally recall that I was working in my office, and that I had two or three checks on my desk all of which were face down. On[e] of the checks was from A.T. & T. in the amount of $50.00. I was planning on cashing that check simply to have some money for the weekend. I then endorsed what I thought was the A.T.&T. check and was planning on cashing it at Silver Lake Bank, which I would [be] going by on my way to a luncheon meeting. While I was on my way to the bank, I looked at the check and realized for the first time, that the check which I had endorsed was not the A.T.& T. check, but instead the check from Allstate which was made payable to the Clerk of the District Court. The check was to satisfy the judgment in 97-CV-1285. Since I felt my relationship with the new claims manager at Allstate was tenuous at that time, I did not want to call him and tell him that I had mistakenly endorsed the Allstate check and request that another check be issued in it's [sic] place; As a result, my intent was to deposit the Allstate Check in my account at Silver Lake Bank, and then on Monday, April 19th, to write a personal check out of my account payable to the Clerk of the Court and deposit that check with the Clerk to satisfy the judgment. On the way to the bank, after realizing that I had endorsed the wrong check, I filled out a deposit slip and wrote `Clerk of the District Court' on the back of the Allstate check. At the disciplinary hearing, Farrell admitted that the explanation contained in the written response to the initial complaint was false.