Court Opinion

ID: 6468070
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2022-06-26 14:08:23.266886+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T15:53:44.383621
License: Public Domain

ON SECOND MOTION FOR REHEARING. PARKER, J.  [4] A second motion for rehearing has been filed and is allowable, we assume, for the reason that the question to which it is directed was first considered upon the first motion for rehearing. The motion is directed to a supposed departure in the holding of the court from rules fixed by statute and tire previous holdings of this court. The motion calls attention to sections 649 and 653, Code 1915, being a part of the Negotiable Instrument Act, and suggests that the court overlooked .those provisions. Section 649 provides that the title of a person who negotiates an instrument is defective “when he negotiates it in breach of faith, or under such circumstances as amount to fraud.” Section 653 provides that: “When it is shown that the title of any person who has negotiated the instrument was defective, the burden is on the holder to prove that he or some person under whom he claims acquired the title as holder in due course.” Section 646, Code 1915, defines a holder in due course as follows: “A holder in due course is a holder who has taken the instrument under the following conditions: * - * * III. That he took it in good faith and for value; IY. That at the time it was negotiated to him he had no notice of any infirmity in the instrument or defect in the title of the person negotiating it." It sufficiently appears, from what has been heretofore said in the two opinions heretofore handed down in this case, that the'title of the payee of this note was defective, and that the plaintiff bank took the paper charged with the burden of establishing that- it took the same in due course; that is to say, under the facts in this case, that it took it in good faith and for value, and without notice of any infirmity in the instrument or defect in the title of the person negotiating it. While neither of these sections of the statute were noticed in the opinion, none of the principles or rules therein mentioned were overlooked by the court. In the discussion of the matter, the exact situation herein outlined xvas assumed. Tire question, then, before the 'court is whether that burden of proof resting upon the plaintiff bank has been successfully met by the proofs. In our former discussion of the evidence, we pointed out that there xvas no evidence in the case tending directly to show notice or lack of good faith on the part of the bank when it took the paper. We further pointed out that there was no evidence in the case from which any legitimate inference of notice or'lack of good faith could be drawn. The evidence was all one way, and pointed unequivocally to lack of notice and to good faith on the part of the plaintiff bank. Counsel for appellee, however, points out the fact that one of the important considerations before the trial court was the demeanor and character of the witness Flournoy, whose conduct and honesty in taking the paper for the bank xvere directly involved. The verdict of the jury was in the following form: “We, the jury, by direction of the court, find the issues in this cause for the defendant.” “had full knowledge and notice of all tbe facts, * * * and took tbe said note charged and chargeable with full knowledge and notice thereof and of each of said facts.” The answer interposed by the defendant below tendered the proposition that the plaintiff bank— 'The reply put this allegation in issue. When the jury returned the verdict, by direction of the court, finding the issues for the defendant, it consequently found this issue as to notice against the plaintiff bank. Counsel for appellee would have the court hold, if we understand the motion, that because the character and demeanor of the witness Flournoy was one of the considerations before the court and jury, therefore there is substantial evidence in the cáse to support the finding of the issue of notice to the bank, as found by the jury. They say in their motion that: “His testimony alone, especially under tbe circumstances surrounding the transaction, was insufficient to compel the court, as a matter of law, to find the fact in accordance with his evidence.” We appreciate'fully the great difference in the effect of the evidence of a witness when he appears before a trial court, where he is seen and heard, where his demeanor while testifying may be observed, and the sum total of his credibility may be ascertained, and its effect when reduced to writing and submitted to an appellate • court. Untruthful witnesses seldom escape discovery, especially where their evidence is submitted to a trained man for consideration. It nevertheless remains true that this personality, demeanor while testifying, and apparent carefulness and fairness on the stand is something which cannot be committed to paper, and which is not present before a reviewing court. Here we must judge of the witness’ testimony by what he is reported to have said, without the aid of this personal element in his testimony. Here in the examination of the testimony of the witness, if he stands unimpeached, either by direct evidence of his lack of veracity, or of his bad moral character, or if unimpeached by some equivocal character of his testimony or inherent improbability .therein, or by some other legal method of impeachment, we must assume that his evidence is true. To hold otherwise would bring us to absurd results. For example, can it be said that a finding by a trial court, or a verdict found by direction of the court against a plaintiff, where all of the evidence in the case is in his favor, and, where there is none against him, cannot be disturbed in this court, because, possibly, the court did not believe the witnesses for the plaintiff, and consequently refused him the relief which he sought? Such cannot be the law. If there was a single fact in this record pointing to bad faith, or knowledge on the part of the bank, or if there were equivocation or inherent improbability in the testimony of the witness Flournoy, or if he had been impeached in some wajr, we might say that the court correctly found the issue as to the notice and good faith against the plaintiff bank, because he did not believe the witness Flournoy, the one witness who testified on the subject. There being no such infirmities in the testimony, there is no foundation upon which to base a finding of knowledge or bad faith on the part of the bank. Counsel in the motion suggest that the court in its holding has departed from the established doctrine in this jurisdiction that a verdict of a jury or the finding of the trial court will not be disturbed in this court if it is supported by any substantial evidence. This has been the established doctrine of this court ever since the case of Candelaria v. Miera, 13 N. M. 300, 84 Pac. 1020, and we do not desire to depart from or modify the doctrine there stated. But, as we have pointed out in this case, there is no substantial evidence, and no legitimate inferences can be drawn from any of the evidence, to support the finding of the court and the jury under his direction that the bank had notice of the infirmities in this paper or took it in bad faith. For the reasons stated, the motion for rehearing will be denied; and it is so ordered. Koberts. C. J., and Hanna, J., concur.