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9 Colo. 331

Miller v. Mickel

Supreme Court of Colorado

Decided October 15, 1886

Supreme Court of Colorado · decided 1886-10-15

This action is brought by the appellee, Mickel, against the appellant, Miller, the owner and proprietor of the Miners’ & Merchants’ Bank of Breckenridge, Summit county, Colorado, to recover on a book-account for services rendered by said Mickel, at the instance of Miller, and to recover the balance of a bank account at defendant’s bank. There was a direct conflict of evidence, on which the court, sitting without a jury, gave judgment in plaintiff’s favor.

Cited by 1 later decisions — most recently March 1959

1 state decisions

Key passage — most relied on by later courts

“"* * * The court did not err in refusing to allow the overdraft on the account of the mining company as an offset against the individual claim of the plaintiff."”

quoted by 1 later decision, including Cox v. Metropolitan State Bank, Inc.

Good law ✅— No negative treatment on recordhow we know

Decided 1886-10-15

View the full empirical analysis of this case →

Elbert, J.

¶1This is a case of conflicting evidence. The plaintiff and the defendant were the only witnesses to the principal issues, and contradicted each other with regard to many items of the account sued upon. The court was the judge of their credibility, and an examination of the record discloses no grounds for the reversal of the finding and judgment as being against the weight of evidence.

¶2The chief objection urged here is the refusal of the court below to allow the defendant credit against the plaintiff for the $180.53 overdraft on the account of the Sallie Barber Mining Company. The checks drawn by the plaintiff against the Sallie Barber Mining Company’s account were, without exception, signed by him in his official capacity as treasurer of the company. In addition to this, he distinctly notified the defendant, at the time the account was opened and thereafter, that he was acting as treasurer of the company, and would in nowise be individually responsible on any of the company’s transactions, nor for any of its debts. This part of the plaintiff’s testimony stands uncontradicted. The defendant, thereafter, could not pay out money on account of the company, and hold the plaintiff responsible therefor. Unless he intended to credit the company, he should have rejected their drafts when there were no funds in his hands to meet them. The mistake whereby the letter intended for Denver was directed to New York, in .consequence of which the telegram expected from Denver was not received, was the mistake of the defendant, for which the plaintiff was. in nowise responsible, and for the consequences of which he cannot be held to answer. *333The court did not err in refusing to allow the overdraft on the account of the mining company as an offset against the individual claim of the plaintiff.

¶3The judgment of the court below is affirmed.

¶4Affirmed.

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