The Chase Manhattan Bank v. Milton May, 311 F.2d 117, 3rd Cir. (1963)

311 F.
2d 117
The CHASE MANHATTAN BANK

v.
Milton MAY, Appellant.
No. 13919.
United States Court of Appeals Third Circuit.

Argued October 18, 1962.
Decided November 29, 1962.
Certiorari Denied February 25, 1963.
See 83 S.Ct. 874.

Robert E. Kline, Pittsburgh, Pa. (John D. Ray, Beaver, Pa., Kennedy
Smith, Pittsburgh, Pa., on the brief), for appellant.
David B. Buerger, Pittsburgh, Pa. (Robert L. Frantz, Buchanan, Ingersoll,
Rodewald, Kyle & Buerger, Pittsburgh, Pa., Samuel Ross Ballin, Milbank,
Tweed, Hope & Hadley, New York City, on the brief), for appellee.
Before McLAUGHLIN and HASTIE, Circuit Judges, and DUMBAULD,
District Judge.
HASTIE, Circuit Judge.
In the district court, The Chase Manhattan Bank sued Milton May on his
guaranty of certain loans and recovered. May has appealed.
The suit is within federal jurisdiction solely because of diversity of citizenship.

The parties properly recognize that the contacts of the relevant transactions with
New York are such that New York law controls contested legal issues
concerning the reach of the parol evidence rule and the validity of alleged oral
modifications of a written guaranty.
The circumstances of the original contracting are undisputed. May was the
organizer and majority shareholder of States Grain Corporation, which engaged
in the buying and selling of grain. Beginning in 1940 and thereafter in the
normal course of business, the corporation financed many of its transactions by

borrowing from The Chase Manhattan Bank. In 1947, when the corporation's
line of credit was substantially increased, May, at Chase's request, personally
guaranteed future loans to the corporation. The instrument of guaranty, a form
prepared for general use by Chase, comprehensively covered loans "with or
without security". Subsequently, the corporation was unable to repay its
borrowings, and this suit was filed against May as guarantor for about
$700,000, plus interest.
4
In defending against this claim, May sought to prove that when the guaranty
was given the parties understood and Chase orally promised that loans to the
corporation would be made only upon adequate security in the form of
collateral supplied by the borrower. May also offered to prove a custom of the
trade to the same effect. The district court held both lines of testimony
inadmissible. The correctness of those rulings is the first question on this
appeal.
The New York decisions applying the parol evidence rule distinguish
contemporaneous oral agreements contradictory to a written contract from those
which supplement the writing. While the latter may be enforceable, it is clear
that the former are not. With Fadex Foreign Trading Corp. v. Crown Steel
Corp., 1947, 272 App.Div. 273, 70 N.Y.S.2d 892, aff'd, 1948, 297 N.Y. 903, 79
N.E.2d 739, and American Trust Co. v. Sullivan, 1955, 285 App.Div. 1043,
140 N.Y.S.2d 184, aff'd, 1957, 2 N.Y.2d 954, 162 N.Y.S.2d 358, 142 N.E.2d
423, compare Hicks v. Bush, 1962, 10 N.Y.2d 488, 225 N.Y.S.2d 34, 180
N.E.2d 425. See also Restatement, Contracts 240, comment b. Recognizing
this distinction, appellant argues that the alleged oral understanding between
lender and guarantor, that only adequately secured loans would be made, is
somehow consistent with the written promise to guarantee both secured and
unsecured loans.
But it is not asserted that the alleged oral understanding was an independent
contract, a promise supported by its own consideration. The appellant claims
merely that an oral assurance that there would be no unsecured loans
constituted a defense against the otherwise enforceable contemporaneous
written promise to guarantee unsecured loans. Thus analyzed, the offer of proof
was an inadmissible parol contradiction of a plain provision of a written
contract.
Appellant's reliance upon a usage and custom of requiring security for such
loans as these is also misplaced. The New York cases follow the teaching of
Hopper v. Sage, 1889, 112 N.Y. 530, 535, 20 N.E. 350, 351-352, that "[u]sage
and custom cannot be proved * * * to alter or contradict the express or implied

terms of a contract free from ambiguity or to make the legal rights or liabilities
of the parties to a contract other than they are by the terms thereof". See
Western Union Tel. Co. v. American Communications Ass'n, 1949, 299 N.Y.
177, 86 N.E.2d 162; Russell v. Marboro Books, 18 Misc.2d 166, 183 N.Y.S.2d
8; George Colon Contracting Corp. v. Morrison, Sup.Ct.1954, 162 N.Y. S.2d
841, 880-881, aff'd, 1956, 2 App.Div. 2d 869, 157 N.Y.S.2d 927, appeal
denied, 1957, 3 App.Div.2d 690, 158 N.Y.S.2d 797, appeal denied, 1957, 2
N.Y.2d 710, 141 N.E.2d 319. Moreover, in this case proof that loans are
normally not made without security would not help the appellant. For the
existence of such a custom would indicate no more than that appellant's
guaranty expressly covered unusual loans as well as customary ones. Certainly,
the guaranty would be no less binding on that account.
8
Next, even if the oral agreement said to have attended the execution of the
guaranty is invalid, appellant argues that the court below erred in excluding
testimony concerning alleged subsequent conversations wherein the bank
agreed with May that only loans secured by adequate collateral would be made
to the corporation.
Relevant to this issue is the following provision of the guaranty itself:
10
"This guaranty shall continue in full force and be binding upon the undersigned
* * * and the Bank may continue to act in reliance hereon until the receipt by
the Bank of written notice from the undersigned * * * not to give further
accommodation hereunder."
11
We think the plain meaning of this provision is that modification or revocation

of the guaranty can be accomplished only by an appropriate written
communication from the guarantor to the prospective lender.
12
The legal effect of this stipulation must be determined in the light of Section
33-c of the New York Personal Property Law, 40 Consolidated Laws, c. 41,
McKinney's 1962, 33-c, which reads as follows:
13
" 33-c. When written agreement or other instrument cannot be changed by

oral executory agreement, or discharged or terminated by oral executory
agreement or oral consent or by oral notice.
14
"1. A written agreement or other written instrument which contains a provision

to the effect that it cannot be changed orally, cannot be changed by an
executory agreement unless such executory agreement is in writing and signed

by the party against whom enforcement of the change is sought or by his
agent."
15
Were this a matter of first impression, it would be arguable that Section 33-c
does not cover an instrument of guaranty because such a writing is only a
continuing offer capable of ripening into one or more unilateral contracts as
credit is subsequently extended to the specified borrower. However, we must
be guided by a recent New York case in which both the trial judge and the
Appellate Division held that Section 33-c is applicable to a provision of a
written guaranty requiring a writing for the modification or revocation of the
guarantor's promissory undertaking. Associated Food Stores, Inc. v. Siegel,
1960, 10 App.Div.2d 1003, 205 N.Y.S.2d 208, modifying 20 Misc.2d 952, 193
N.Y.S.2d 500, aff'd 1961, 9 N.Y.2d 816, 215 N.Y.S.2d 764, 175 N.E.2d 343. In
the cited case the Appellate Division disagreed with the trial judge on the
question whether the language of the guaranty there in suit should be
interpreted as requiring a writing to revoke the guarantor's promise as well as to
modify it. But we have no such problem here. Any oral withdrawal from so
much of May's undertaking as covered unsecured loans would be in derogation
of his undertaking that his guaranty should "continue in full force" until he
should give the bank written notice to the contrary.
16
One additional point must be considered in connection with a counterclaim May

has filed for the value of certain securities he had deposited with Chase. The
bank later sold these securities, using the proceeds in partial satisfaction of
May's obligation on his guaranty. May's present contention is that the trial court
erroneously refused to submit to the jury a disputed question of fact whether, in
depositing these securities with the bank, May authorized their use as security
for his guaranty. But here again, the instrument of guaranty itself is controlling.
It contains the following provision:
17
"As security for the obligations of the undersigned hereunder, the undersigned
hereby pledge(s) to the Bank and give(s) it a general lien upon * * * all money,
negotiable instruments, commercial paper, notes, bonds, stocks, credits and
choses in action, or any interest in any thereof, and any other property, rights,
and interest, of the undersigned, or any evidence thereof, which have been or at
any time shall be delivered to or otherwise come into the possession or custody
or under the control of the Bank * * * and, in the event of a default hereunder,
the Bank * * * may sell or cause to be sold * * * all or any of such security, * *
* without demand of performance or notice of intention to sell or of time or
place of sale. * * *"
18
In the light of this provision it does not matter whether particularized

authorization was given for the securities which Chase sold.
19
Finally, appellant's argument that the bank had to prove its reliance on the
guaranty is unsound. This is a suit on a contract. It appears on the face of the
guaranty that the exchange bargained for was the making of loans by the bank
to States Grain Corporation in exchange for May's promise to be responsible for
any default by the borrower. Having received what he bargained for, the
lending of money to the corporation, May cannot insist that the bank prove
more.
20
Our conclusion that the guaranty covered loans made to the corporation
without security makes it unnecessary for us to consider contentions of the
appellant concerning the way in which the bank determined the amount of
collateral to be required of the borrower from time to time.
21
The judgment will be affirmed.

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311 F.

The CHASE MANHATTAN BANK

United States Court of Appeals Third Circuit.

See 83 S.Ct. 874.

The suit is within federal jurisdiction solely because of diversity of citizenship.

normal course of business, the corporation financed many of its transactions by

and custom cannot be proved * * * to alter or contradict the express or implied

Relevant to this issue is the following provision of the guaranty itself:

We think the plain meaning of this provision is that modification or revocation

" 33-c. When written agreement or other instrument cannot be changed by

"1. A written agreement or other written instrument which contains a provision

executory agreement unless such executory agreement is in writing and signed

One additional point must be considered in connection with a counterclaim May

In the light of this provision it does not matter whether particularized

The judgment will be affirmed.

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