North Dakota § 41-04-20 - (4-208) Presentment warranties

§ 41-04-20. (4-208) Presentment warranties

1. If an unaccepted draft is presented to the drawee for payment or acceptance and the drawee pays or accepts the draft, the person obtaining payment or acceptance, at the time of presentment, and a previous transferor of the draft, at the time of transfer, warrant to the drawee that pays or accepts the draft in good faith that: a. The warrantor is, or was at the time the warrantor transferred the draft, a person entitled to enforce the draft or authorized to obtain payment or acceptance of the draft on behalf of a person entitled to enforce the draft. b. The draft has not been altered. c. The warrantor has no knowledge that the signature of the purported drawer of the draft is unauthorized. d. If the draft is a demand draft, creation of the demand draft according to the terms on its face was authorized by the person identified as drawer. 2. A drawee making payment may recover from any warrantor damages for breach of warranty equal to the amount paid by the drawee less the amount the drawee received or is entitled to receive from the drawer because of the payment. In addition, the drawee is entitled to compensation for expenses and loss of interest resulting from the breach. The right of the drawee to recover damages under this subsection is not affected by any failure of the drawee to exercise ordinary care in making payment. If the drawee accepts the draft, breach of warranty is a defense to the obligation of the acceptor and, if the acceptor makes payment with respect to the draft, the acceptor is entitled to recover from any warrantor for breach of warranty the amounts stated in the first two sentences of this subsection. 3. If a drawee asserts a claim for breach of warranty under subsection 1 based on an unauthorized endorsement of the draft or an alteration of the draft, the warrantor may defend by proving that the endorsement is effective under section 41-03-41 or 41-03-42 or the drawer is precluded under section 41-03-43 or 41-04-37 from asserting against the drawee the unauthorized endorsement or alteration. 4. This subsection applies if a dishonored draft is presented for payment to the drawer or an endorser or if any other item is presented for payment to a party obliged to pay the item, and the item is paid. The person obtaining payment and a prior transferor of the item warrant to the person making payment in good faith that the warrantor is or was at the time the warrantor transferred the item a person entitled to enforce the item or authorized to obtain payment on behalf of a person entitled to enforce the item. The person making payment may recover from any warrantor for breach of warranty an amount equal to the amount paid plus expenses and loss of interest resulting from the breach. 5. The warranties stated in subsections 1 and 4 may not be disclaimed with respect to checks. Unless notice of a claim for breach of warranty is given to the warrantor within thirty days after the claimant has reason to know of the breach and the identity of the warrantor, the warrantor is discharged to the extent of any loss caused by the delay in giving notice of the claim. 6. A cause of action for breach of warranty under this section accrues when the claimant has reason to know of the breach. 7. A demand draft is a check as provided in subsection 6 of section 41-03-04. 8. If the warranty in subdivision d of subsection 1 is not given by a transferor under applicable conflict of law rules, then the warranty is not given to that transferor when that transferor is a transferee.