Norment v. First Nat. Bank

ON MOTION FOR REHEARING.

PARKER, J.

A motion for rehearing lias been filed, based entirely upon a misconception of what was said in paragraph 2 of the opinion heretofore filed. It is assumed in the motion that we placed the decision upon the ground of estoppel as applied to ordinary nonnegotiable undertakings. In this plaintiff in error is confused and in error. Plaintiff in error offered, and was not permitted, to show that a part of the consideration for his note was, to the knowledge of the bank, an executory contract, which had not been performed at the time of the trial, and that consequently the consideration for his note had failed. He did not offer to show that the consideration for the note had failed when it was negotiated to the plaintiff bank, or that either he or the bank had notice or any reason to believe that it would fail. This clearly appears from the offer of proof made by plaintiff in error. What we held, upon that state of facts, was that the showing, had it been allowed, furnished no defense to the note. We did not found the holding upon the ground of estoppel, as applied to nonnegotiable undertakings, but upon the law of commercial paper, which precludes defenses of this kind under these circumstances. That knowledge of an indorsee' that a part or all of the consideration for a note is an executory contract of a third person does not deprive him of the character of a bona fide holder unless he further knows that the consideration has already failed; and that such failure of consideration, under such circumstances, D no defense to the maker, see Flood v. National Bank of the Pacific, 165 Cal. 309, 132 Pac. 256, 46 L. R. A. (N. S.) 861, and note collecting the cases.

For the reasons stated, the rehearing is denied.

HANNA, C. J., and ROBERTS', J., concur.