American Nat. Ins. Co. v. United States Fidelity & Guaranty Co.

24 S.W.2d 474
CourtCourt of Appeals of Texas
DecidedDecember 18, 1929
DocketNo. 1885.
StatusPublished
Cited by4 cases

This text of 24 S.W.2d 474 (American Nat. Ins. Co. v. United States Fidelity & Guaranty Co.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals of Texas primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
American Nat. Ins. Co. v. United States Fidelity & Guaranty Co., 24 S.W.2d 474 (Tex. Ct. App. 1929).

Opinion

O’QUINN, J.

The United States Fidelity & Guaranty Company was plaintiff in the court below. It filed its suit in the, county court at law of Jefferson county, Tex., against F. P. Ahysen, alleging that it was a foreign corporation with a permit to do business in Texas. The case was tried on plaintiff’s first amended original petition. For cause of action, it alleged that during the year 1923 the defendant, Ahysen, was in the employ of the American National Insurance Company 6f Galveston, Tex., as an agent thereof, and as such agent applied to the plaintiff, the United States Fidelity & Guaranty Company, for a bond payable to the American National In *475 surance Company, conditioned for the faithful performance of his duties as such agent and the payment to the American National Insurance Company of all moneys coming into his hands as such agent and belonging to said insurance company; that it became surety for said defendant and issued its bond or security for him as such agent of said insurance company; that, under and by virtue of said bond, as such surety, on September 3, 1924, it paid to the American National Insurance Company the sum of $457.98 on a- default of said defendant, Ahysen, in the payment of said sum to said company; that said amount was paid by it in good faith on a showing by said American National Insurance Company that the defendant, Ahysen, had failed to pay said amount of money coming into his hands as agent of said insurance company over to his said employer, said insurance company; that, by reason of the premises, the defendant, Ahysen, was obligated to pay plaintiff said sum, and prayed for| judgment therefor.

Defendant, Ahysen, answered by general demurrer, several special exceptions, general denial, and by cross-action pleaded over against the American National Insurance Company, alleging that said insurance company, well knowing that he was not indebted to it in any sum, had wrongfully and fraudulently represented to plaintiff, the United States Fidelity & Guaranty Company, his surety, that he was indebted to it in the sum of $457.98, and had made default in the payment of same, and thus procured the payment by said surety to it of said sum; that, instead of him owing said insurance company said sum, or any other sum, it was in debt to and owed him approximately the sum of $400, and prayed that said insurance company be cited to answer his cross-action, and that, if plaintiff recover judgment against him,- he have judgment over against said insurance company for the amount of the recovery, and that he also have judgment against said company for the balance due him, approximately $400.

Upon the filing of this answer by defendant, Ahysen, the plaintiff, United States Fidelity & Guaranty Company filed its first amended original petition, upon which the case was tried, and to which further reference will- be made later.

The American National Insurance Company was cited, and appeared and answered defendant Ahysen’s cross-action by general demurrer, general denial, and special plea of the two and four years statutes of limitation against any claim Ahysen might have against it.

The court sustained the pleas of limitation of the American National Insurance Company, defendant in Ahysen’s cross-action, against the liability therein asserted against it.

The case was then tried to a jury, but at the conclusion of the evidence, under instructions of the court, the jury returned the following verdict:

“We, the jury, find for the plaintiff, United States Fidelity & Guaranty Company, against the defendant, American National Insurance Company, for thé amount sued for, and that plaintiff, United States Fidelity & Guaranty Company, take nothing as against defendant, F. P. Ahysen, and that F. P. Ahysen take nothing on his cross action against defendant American National Insurance Company.”

On this verdict judgment was entered in favor of the United States Fidelity & Guaranty Company against the American National Insurance Company fo-r $457.98, with interest thereon at the rate of 6 per cent, from and after September 3, 1924, the date of the payment of said sum by the United States Fidelity & Guaranty Company to the American National Insurance Company; that Ahysen take nothing-by his cross-action against the American National Insurance Company; and that he (Ahysen) be discharged with his costs as to the plaintiff United States Fidelity & Guaranty Company’s suit against him. Motion for a new' trial was overruled, and the case is before us on the appeal of the insurance company.

Appellant’s first proposition is that the judgment should be reversed qnd rendered in its favor, because (a) the court was without jurisdiction to enter the judgment in question because same was without pleading or proof to sustain it; and, (b) because appellant was never cited to appear and answer any suit by appellee United States Fidelity & Guaranty Company against it, nor did it waive! service of citation or accept service in said suit, and because it did not answer (by suit by said plaintiff against it.

We think the assignment should be overruled for the following reasons:

(a) The record reflects that Ahysen was an agent of the American National Insurance Company; that the United States Fidelity & Guaranty Company was his surety, guaranteeing the faithful performance of his duties to said insurance company as such agent; that, on the complaint and showing of proof made by the insurance company to plaintiff that Ahysen was delinquent in the sum of $457.98 for not remitting moneys collected by him as such agent that belonged to said insurance company, the plaintiff, United States Fidelity & Guaranty Company, paid said sum to said insurance company under and by virtue of its suretyship; that it then sued Ahysen to recover the amount so paid; that on April 11, 1927, he (Ahysen) answered' denying that he had owed said insurance company any sum, but that to the contrary it owed him approximately $400, and by cross-action sought to recover said alleged indebtedness; that on April 2, 1927, the insurance company, after *476 being cited .to answer Ahysen’s cross-action, filed its answer to said cross-action; that thereafter, on April 23, 1928, plaintiff, the United States Fidelity & Guaranty Company, filed its first amended original petition, above referred to, and which contained the following:

“3. Plaintiff would further show unto the court that the defendant, F. P. Ahysen, has filed his cross-action herein against the American National Insurance Company, who have been made parties to.this suit, and is claiming in said cross-action against American National Insurance Company that he did not owe the amount of $457.98 as claimed by the American National Insurance Company, and as paid by this plaintiff, but that he had fully paid the American National Insurance Company and there had been an accord and satisfaction and that he did not at the time alleged in plaintiff’s petition owe the American National Insurance Company said sum of money or any other sum, and that plaintiff had no authority to pay said sum of money for his account.

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Bluebook (online)
24 S.W.2d 474, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/american-nat-ins-co-v-united-states-fidelity-guaranty-co-texapp-1929.