Professional Documents
Culture Documents
635
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636
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STREET, J.:
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638
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642
644
"A corporation can not avail itself of the defense that it had no
power to enter into the obligation to enforce which the suit is
brought, unless it pleads that defense. This principle applies
equally where the defendant intends to challenge the power of its
officer or agent to execute in its behalf the contract upon which
the action is brought and where it intends to defend on the ground
of a total want of power in the corporation to make such a
contract." (Opus citat. sec. 7619.)
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645
The rule has been applied where the question was whether
a corporate officer, having admitted power to make a
contract, had in the particular instance exceeded that
authority, (Merrill vs. Consumers' Coal Co., 114 N. Y., 216);
and it has been held that where the answer in a suit
against a corporation on its note relies simply on the want
of power of the corporation to issue notes, the defendant
can not afterwards object that the plaintiff has not shown
that the officers executing the note were empowered to do
so. (Smith vs. Eureka Flour Mills Co., 6 Cal., 1.)
The reason for the rule enunciated in the foregoing
authorities will, we think, be readily appreciated. In
dealing with corporations the public at large is bound to
rely to a large extent upon outward appearances. If a man
is found acting for a corporation with the external indicia of
authority, any person, not having notice of want of
authority, may usually rely upon those appearances; and if
it be found that the directors had permitted the agent to
exercise that authority and thereby held him out as a
person competent to bind the corporation, or had
acquiesced in a contract and retained the benefit supposed
to have been conferred by it, the corporation will be bound,
notwithstanding the actual authority may never have been
granted. The public is not supposed nor required to know
the transactions which happen around the table where the
corporate board of directors or the stockholders are from
time to time convoked. Whether a particular officer
actually possesses the authority which he assumes to
exercise is frequently known to very few, and the proof of it
usually is not readily accessible to the stranger who deals
with the 'corporation on the faith of the ostensible
authority exercised by some of the corporate officers. It is
therefore reasonable, in a case where an officer of a
corporation has made a contract in its name, that the
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646
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649
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651
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available funds for the purpose, and also because there are
88 shares of stock remaining still unsold."
In view of this statement, the stockholders adopted a
resolution to the effect that the agencies of the Eclair and
Milano films should be accepted, if the corporation could
obtain the money with which to meet the expenditure
involved, and to this end appointed a committee to apply to
the bank for a credit. The evidence shows that an attempt
was made, on behalf of the corporation, to obtain a credit of
P10,000 from the Bank of the Philippine Islands for the
purpose indicated, but that the bank declined to grant this
credit. Thereafter another special meeting of the
shareholders of the defendant corporation was called at
which the failure of their committee to obtain a credit from
the bank was made known. A resolution was thereupon
passed to the effect that the company should pay to
Hernandez,
652
654
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Judgment affirmed.
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