Court Opinion

ID: 9583952
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-21 22:43:17.094558+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T15:06:04.019030
License: Public Domain

Pope, Judge,
dissenting.
The affidavit of Heyward V. Simpson states that because of his mother’s advanced age, she was unable to handle her financial affairs. He and his brother were placing her funds in the bank in order that they could handle her affairs.
The Georgia State Bank advised Heyward Simpson that his signature, his brother’s signature and the signature of his mother would be required on a “Depositors’ Contract.” This contract authorized the bank to apply the funds of the mother toward a debt owed the bank by the son, Heyward Simpson, and the bank did so.
The 88-year-old mother, unable to read the “Depositors’ Contract” and never intending for her life savings to be used to pay her son’s debt to the bank, was misled in signing the “contract” and therefore is not bound thereby under Pirkle v. Gurr, 218 Ga. 424 (128 SE2d 490) (1962) and Grimsley v. Singletary, 133 Ga. 56 (65 SE 92) *315(1909).
Mrs. Simpson never intended to guarantee the payment of her son’s debt to the bank. The bank had to know that the son’s signature on the contract would subject his mother’s money to repay the pre-existing loan of the bank to the son. Failure of the bank to disclose this to Mrs. Simpson would, in my opinion, constitute at least constructive fraud and therefore present a question of fact for the jury.
I respectfully dissent. I am authorized to state that Presiding Judge Deen and Judge Sognier join in this dissent.