No. 13441
IN THE SUPREME COURT OF THE STATE OF MONTANA
1977
FIRST NATIONAL BANK OF CIRCLE,
Circle, Montana,
Plaintiff and Appellant,
-vs-
GRAHAM CHARLES GARNER and SYDNEY MORRIS et al.,
Defendants,
Graham Charles Garner and Sydney Morris et al.,
Cross Plaintiffs,
-vs-
FEDERICO CRUZ, et al.,
Cross Defendants,
Frederico Cruz ,
Cross-Plaintiff,
-vs-
BERNARD GADD ,
Cross-Defendant.
Appeal from: District Court of the Seventh Judicial
District,
Hon. C.B. Sande, Judge presiding.
Counsel of Record:
For Appellants:
Towe, Ball & Enright
Thomas Towe argued, Billings, Montana
For Respondents:
George Dalthorp argued, Billings, Montana
Crowley, Kilbourne, Hanson, Gallagher & Toole,
Billings, Montana
Gene Huntley, Baker, Montana
J.B. Casas, Jr., Los Angeles, California
Submitted: March 21, 1977
Yr. j u s r i c e Gene 3 . Daly d e l i v e r e d t h e Opinion of t h e Court.
P l a i n t i f f , F i r s t N a t i o n a l Bank of C i r c l e , C i r c l e , Montana,
f i l e c ; t h i s a c t i o n on May 22, 1972, i n t h e d i s t r i c t c o u r t , McCone
dounty, f o r a d e c l a r a t o r y judgment t o determine i t s l e g a l o b l i g a -
Lions r e g a r d i n g c e r t a i n bank d e p o s i t s and c a s h i e r ' s checks.
311 W y 6 , 1975, p l a i n t i f f ' s motion f o r summary judgment was
a
g r a n t e d , p l a i n t i f f then f i l e d a motion f o r award of a t t o r n e y
fees. T h i s motion was denied on May 5 , 1976 and from t h a t d e n i a l
p l a i n t i f f appeals.
I n 1971, D r . Federico Cruz a c q u i r e d c o n t r o l of t h e B r i t i s h
.4merican Bank Limited of t h e Bahamas. D r . Cruz was p r e s i d e n t
;£
I t h e bank when i t s l i c e n s e was suspended by t h e government
oi tlhe Bahamas i n e a r l y 1972. On March 23, 1972, D r . Cruz,
c e p r e s e n t i n g himself t o be t h e p r e s i d e n t of t h e British-American
Yank, Ltd.(Glasgow, s c o t l a n d ) , opened a c o r p o r a t e checking
account w i t h p l a i n t i f f F i r s t N a t i o n a l Bank of C i r c l e , Montana.
de p r e s e n t e d checks endorsed t o t h e B r i t i s h American Bank Limited
from d e p o s i t o r s l o c a t e d a l l over t h e world, i n t h e approximate
rlinount of $1,600,000.00. On May 8 , 1972, t h e account b a l a n c e
was approximately $1,542,868.01 and D r . Cruz r e q u e s t e d a w i t h -
drawal of $1,327,788.00. The C i r c l e Bank i s s u e d c a s h i e r ' s
checks t o him p e r s o n a l l y t o t a l i n g t h i s amount.
On May 1 5 , 1972, t h e C i r c l e Bank r e c e i v e d a telephone c a l l
and a celegram from a Bernard Gadd who informed t h e C i r c l e Bank
he had been appointed P r o v i s i o n a l L i q u i d a t o r f o r t h e B r i t i s h -
American Bank,Ltd., on May 11, 1972, and demanded t h e C i r c l e
Bank s t o p payment on t h e c a s h i e r ' s checks i s s u e d t o D r . Cruz on
!day 8 , 1972. Gadd l a t e r demanded t h a t a l l remaining funds be
L r o ~ e r land r e t u r n e d t o him. May 1 5 , 1 9 7 2 , was t h e f i r s t n o t i c e
c o t h e C i r c l e Bank of such l i q u i d a t i o n proceedings.
O May 22, 1972, t h e C i r c l e Bank f i l e d t h i s a c t i o n a g a i n s t
n
deielldarlts. Although t h e a c t i o n was s t y l e d "Complaint f o r
9 e c l a r a t o r y Judgment!', t h e d i s t r i c t c o u r t t r e a t e d i t a s an
interpleader. The C i r c l e Bank asked t h e d i s t r i c t c o u r t (1) t o
ddjudicate i t s l e g a l obligations t o defendants regarding t h e
bank d e p o s i t s and c a s h i e r ' s checks, (2) f o r a d e t e r m i n a t i o n
whether i t should f r e e z e t h e account and s t o p payment on t h e
c a s h i e r ' s checks, and ( 3 ) f o r r e a s o n a b l e a t t o r n e y f e e s and c o s t s .
D r . Federico Cruz f i l e d a c o u n t e r c l a i m demanding damages
against t h e C i r c l e Bank f o r t h e f a c e amount of t h e c a s h i e r ' s
zhdcks, which D r . Cruz a l l e g e d were wrongfully dishonored by t h e
i l r c l e Bank. The L i q u i d a t o r f i l e d a c o u n t e r c l a i m f o r a f u l l
accounting of a l l monies d e p o s i t e d i n t h e C i r c l e Bank i n t h e
name of t h e British-American Bank Ltd. O November 1, 1972,
n
t h e C i r c l e Bank f i l e d a motion f o r t h e d i s c h a r g e of i t s e l f and
i t s officers. After a lengthy l i t i g a t i o n p r o c e s s , on May 7 ,
1975, t h e d i s t r i c t c o u r t o r d e r e d :
"yc 9~ t h a t t h e motions f o r summary judgment of t h e
F i r s t N a t i o n a l Bank of C i r c l e a r e i n a l l r e s p e c t s
g r a n t e d and t h a t t h e motion f o r summary judgment of
t h e B r i t i s h American Bank Limited and t h e O f f i c i a l
L i q u i d a t o r s t h e r e o f a g a i n s t Federico Cruz a r e g r a n t e d
with r e s p e c t t o a l l m a t t e r s d e a l t w i t h h e r e i n and w i t h
r e s p e c t t o t h e ownership of t h e funds i n t h e custody of
t h e Court ** *.I'
Jw11drship was g r a n t e d t o t h e O f f i c i a l L i q u i d a t o r . All questions
!were s e t t l e d , except f o r t h e F i r s t N a t i o n a l Bank of C i r c l e ' s
:lain1 for attorney fees.
P l a i n t i f f p r e s e n t s one i s s u e f o r review by t h i s Court--
whether p l a i n t i f f F i r s t N a t i o n a l Bank of C i r c l e i s e n t i t l e d t o
a t t o r n e y f e e s and c o s t s t o be p a i d o u t of t h e i n t e r p l e a d e r fund?
To answer t h i s question t h e Court must decide whether
t h e C i r c l e Bank was a d i s i n t e r e s t e d stakeholder, I f the
stakeholder does not stand i n d i f f e r e n t between t h e claimants,
i t i s not e n t i t l e d t o an allowance f o r a t t o r n e y f e e s . Defendant
Bernard Gadd contends t h i s a c t i o n was not an i n t e r p l e a d e r and
t h a t p l a i n t i f f had an i n t e r e s t i n keeping t h e funds i n i t s bank
a s long a s p o s s i b l e . This Court i n Central Montana Stockyards
v. F r a s e r ; 133 Mont, 168, 193, 320 P.2d 981, s t a t e d :
"'An a t t i t u d e of p e r f e c t d i s i n t e r e s t e d n e s s ,
excluding even an i n d i r e c t i n t e r e s t on t h e p a r t of t h e
p l a i n t i f f i s indispensable t o t h e maintenance of t h e
b i l l [of interpleader! * *.
Jc "'
However, Rule 22(a), M.R.Civ.P., removes t h i s r e s t r i c t i o n
and expressly provides i t i s n o t a ground f o r o b j e c t i o n when a
p l a i n t i f f i n an i n t e r p l e a d e r a c t i o n avers he i s not l i a b l e i n
whole o r i n p a r t t o any o r a l l of t h e claimants. Since t h e
award of c o s t s and a t t o r n e y f e e s i s within t h e d i s c r e t i o n of
t h e c o u r t , such award i s commonly denied when t h e stakeholder,
although d i s i n t e r e s t e d , i s i n some way culpable a s regards t h e
s u b j e c t matter of t h e i n t e r p l e a d e r proceeding, but not s u f f i c i e n t l y
culpable t o warrant d e n i a l of i n t e r p l e a d e r a l t o g e t h e r . Merrimack
Manufacturing Co. v. Bergman, 154 F.Supp. 688.
P l a i n t i f f contends t h e reason i t d i d not f i l e a s t r i c t
i n t e r p l e a d e r a c t i o n was t o make sure t h i s money would continue
t o receive i n t e r e s t . The money did receive i n t e r e s t i n t h e amount
of approximately $345,000.00. Defendants, on t h e o t h e r hand, con-
tend p l a i n t i f f ' s motive was not a l l t h a t a l t r u i s t i c . They f e l t
t h e bank's reason f o r n o t f i l i n g an i n t e r p l e a d e r was t o keep t h e
funds a s a deposit i n i t s bank a s long a s p o s s i b l e . The record
shows a motion was made demandi~igt h a t p l a i n t i f f pay i n t o t h e
r e g i s t r y of c o u r t o r d e p o s i t f o r safekeeping i n a bank n o t a
pal-ty t o t h i s a c t i o n , d e s i g n a t e d by t h e c o u r t , a l l sums i n t h e
dccount i n q u e s t i o n .
The F i r s t N a t i o n a l Bank of C i r c l e r e s i s t e d t h e t r a n s f e r
02 t h e funds from i t s c u s t o d y , a r g u i n g t h a t i t should be r e l e a s e d
from a l l l i a b i l i t y i n c o n s i d e r a t i o n of i t s r e l e a s i n g t h e funds.
3n Wovember 6 , 1972, t h e funds were o r d e r e d t r a n s f e r r e d t o t h e
j e c u r i t y T r u s t and Savings Bank of B i l l i n g s , Montana.
During t h e p e r i o d t h e p l a i n t i f f had c o n t r o l of t h e f u n d s ,
4Zron1 :