Public-domain · open source
OpenJurist

217 N.C. 589

9 S.E.2d 18

State v. . Dowless

Supreme Court of North Carolina

Decided May 22, 1940

Supreme Court of North Carolina · decided 1940-05-22

Key passage — most relied on by later courts

“The warrant, upon which the defendant was tried and convicted, charged that defendant W.B. Dowless did issue and deliver a worthless check, knowing that he did not have sufficient funds or credit with the bank with which to pay same, whereas the proof shows a check issued by a corporation of which defendant Dowless was executive head, together with oral evidence that the corporation did not have sufficient funds or credit with the bank to pay same. While the terms of the statute (Public Laws 1927, Chap. 62) are broad enough to cover the utterance and delivery of the check of a corporation by an officer thereof with knowledge of the falsity of the check and the insufficiency of the funds or credit of the maker, here the charge is that W.B. Dowless, individually, issued the check with knowledge that he (Dowless) did not have sufficient funds or credit with the bank to pay the check. The proof does not conform to the charge contained in the warrant. There is a variance between allegation and proof.”

quoted by 1 later decision, including 29 N.J. Super. 204 - State v. Lamoreaux

Good law ✅— No negative treatment on recordhow we know

Decided 1940-05-22

How this case has been cited

Cited by 5 later decisions — most recently June 1992

5 state decisions

20194019501960197019801990decided

Later decisions citing this case, by decade. The current decade is in progress, and our corpus holds fewer opinions from the most recent years, so the latest bars are undercounted — not a real decline.

View the full empirical analysis of this case →

Devin, J.

¶1 The defendant assigns as error the ruling of the court below denying his motion for judgment of nonsuit.

¶2 The warrant, upon which the defendant was tried and convicted, charged that defendant W. B. Dowless did issue and deliver a worthless check, knowing that he did not have sufficient funds or credit with the bank with which to pay same, whereas the proof shows a-check issued by a corporation of which defendant Dowless was executive head, together with oral evidence that the corporation did not have sufficient funds or credit with the bank to pay same.

¶3 While the terms of the statute (Public Laws 1927, ch. 62) are broad enough to cover the utterance and delivery of the check of a corporation by an officer thereof with knowledge of the falsity of the check and the insufficiency of the funds or credit of the maker, here the charge is .that W. B. Dowless, individually, .issued the check with knowledge that he (Dowless) did not have sufficient funds or credit with the bank to pay the check. The proof does not conform to the charge contained in the warrant. There is a variance between allegation and proof. S. v. Franklin, 204 N. C., 157, 167 S. E., 569; S. v. Corpening, 191 N. C., 751, 133 S. E., 14; S. v. Harbert, 185 N. C., 760, 118 S. E., 6.

¶4 We conclude that, on this record, the defendant’s motion for judgment of nonsuit should have been allowed.

¶5 Reversed.

/217/nc/589 · .json · Public domain