Wells Fargo Bank International v. Binabdulaziz

opinion of the court

Leo F. Hayes, J.

In July, 1982, Wells Fargo mistakenly deposited one and a half million dollars to the account of a Syracuse University student, Talal Saud, and his wife, Al-Anound N. Khuthailia, both of whom are citizens of Saudi Arabia. By the time Wells Fargo discovered the error defendants had already moved into a house purchased with a portion of the misdeposited money.

Defendants were not the least bit surprised when they discovered an extra million and a half dollars in their account! They figured a rich relative in Saudi Arabia had sent them a belated wedding present.