MANILA LIGHTER TRANS V. CA

182 SCRA 251

 

FACTS:

Perez was able to collect the checks payable to petitioner.  The petitioner wasn't able however to receive the checks.  Instead, the payee’s signatures therein were forged and was able to land in the hands of third persons who deposited  the  same  to  their  account  in  China  bank.    Petitioner  sued Chinabank for the sum of money.  The trial court held that there was equal negligence on the part of petitioner and bank but the appellate court held that the bank had no liability whatsoever.
 

HELD:

Since  the  petitioner  had  no  account  with  the  bank  and  wasn't  a  client thereof,  the  latter  had  no  way  of  ascertaining  the  authenticities  of  its indorsements  on  the  checks  which  were  deposited  in  the  accounts  of  the third  party  defendants  in  said  bank.    Respondent  bank  wasn't  negligent
because, in accordance with banking practice, it caused the checks to pass through  the  clearing  house  before  it  allowed  their  proceeds  to  be withdrawn by the depositors.