American Surety Co. v. Gracey

252 S.W. 263, 1923 Tex. App. LEXIS 253
CourtCourt of Appeals of Texas
DecidedMay 10, 1923
DocketNo. 1479.
StatusPublished
Cited by4 cases

This text of 252 S.W. 263 (American Surety Co. v. Gracey) 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 Surety Co. v. Gracey, 252 S.W. 263, 1923 Tex. App. LEXIS 253 (Tex. Ct. App. 1923).

Opinion

WALTHALL, J.

This suit was brought by. the American Surety Company of New York against R. R. Graeey, A. A. Webster, and J. C. Gude to recover $1,350 on an indemnity bond, on which bond Graeey was principal, and Webster and Gude were his sureties, in the penal sum of $2,000; the bond reciting that Graeey had applied to the American Surety Company for bond in favor of the Magnolia Petroleum Company, and that the American Surety Company required indemnity, or counter security, and further recited its condition to be that if Graeey shall honestly and faithfully perform his duties in the employment named, and the American Surety Company shall not have any money to pay in consequence of its suretyship for him, the indemnity obligation to be void, otherwise to be of force.

Thereafter Graeey, as principal, and the American Surety Company, as surety, entered into an obligation to pay to the Magnolia Petroleum Company, as employer of Graeey, such pecuniary loss, not exceeding $1,000, as the latter shall have sustained of money or other personal property, “by any act or acts of fraud, dishonesty, forgery, theft, embezzlement, wrongful abstraction or willful misapplication on the part of the employee (Graeey), directly or through connivance with others, while in any position or at any location in the employ of the employer,” (Magnolia Petroleum Company). The suretyship of the American Surety Company was to begin September 16th and end with the date of the discovery by the Magnolia Petroleum Company, either of loss under the contract of employment or of dishonesty on the part of Graeey, and stating a number of conditions and provisions* not necessary to state here. Appellant alleged that by ■ reason ' of the above obligation of the American Surety Company, as surety for Graeey, it' was forced to pay to the Magnolia Petroleum Company the $1,000 by reason of losses, the amounts .duly itemized, resulting to that company through the employment of Graeey, and because of Gracey’s breach of his obligation to that company. The necessity for employment of attorneys is alleged, and the agreement to pay $250, alleged to be a reasonable compensation. The suit is to recover on the idemnity bond for the $1,000, interest and attorney fees.

Graeey, Webster, and Gude answered by general and special exceptions, and general denial. .

The case was tried with a jury and submitted upon one special issue, viz.:

“Did the Magnolia Petroleum Company sustain any loss by reason' of any act or acts of fraud, dishonesty, forgery, theft, embezzlement, wrongful abstraction or willful misapplication on the part of R. R. Graeey? Answer Yes or No.”
The jury answered “No.”

Judgment was rendered that plaintiff take nothing by its suit, and that defendants recover their costs.

Opinion.

Appellant makes two contentions: First, that the court erred in refusing to give its requested charge, directing a verdict in its favor for the full amount of $1,000; second, the court should have set aside the verdict and granted a new trial on its motion when the uncontroverted evidence supports the cause of action, or any part thereof, as appellant insists that it does.

Unquestionably the liability of the appel-lees to appellant under the indemnity bond is limited to the liability of the appellant to the Magnolia Petroleum Company under its obligation. to that company as surety for Graeey against pecuniary loss of money or property to the extent of $1,000, as recited in the bond “through any act or acts of fraud, dishonesty, -forgery, theft, embezzlement, wrongful abstraction or willful misapplication on the part of Graeey, directly or though connivance with others,” and within the times fixed by its bond or obligation.

The evidence shows a loss to the Magnolia Petroleum Company of money and property *264 through the agency of Gracey to the full extent of $1,000, and that the American Surety Company paid the $1,000 to the Magnolia Petroleum Company on account of said losses.

The serious question presented is: Does the evidence show that the losses were sustained on account of any act or acts of fraud, dishonesty, forgery, theft, embezzlement, wrongful abstraction or willful misappropriation of such money on property on the part of Gracey as agent or employee of the Magnolia Petroleum Company? If not, the finding of the jury on the one issue submitted should be sustained. If the evidence shows that the losses were sustained on account of any one or more of the acts mentioned the finding of the jury cannot be' sustained, and the court should have set the verdict aside on the motion, and granted a new trial.

It is quite clear, we think, that the court was not in error in refusing to peremptorily instruct the jury to find in favor of appellant for the full amount of the $1,000, as insisted under the first proposition.

It is clear that no act or acts of forgery, theft, embezzlement, wrongful abstraction or willful misapplication on the part of Gracey of any money or property of the Magnolia Petroleum Company is shown, and we need not discuss the evidence with reference to any of such acts. Then does the evidence show an act or acts of fraud or dishonesty on the part of Gracey in the disposition he made of the money or property received by him?

As governing the conduct and authority of Gracey as agent of the Magnolia Petroleum Company in the disposition of the property, appellant refers us to the following portion of the agency contract:

“I (referring to Gracey) agree to faithfully and conscientiously perform all duties connected with the position I hold to the best of my ability and to observe and obey all company rules and regulations strictly. I agree to sell the products of the company for cash, or promise of cash only, and not to exchange or promise to exchange the products of the company for property or merchandise for my private use or account. I also agree that I will not incur personal bills and have them charged to the person or firm without first receiving authority from my division manager, and to stop selling on credit to any customer after having received notice from the division manager to sell to such customer for cash only. * * * I agree to faithfully and correctly account for all money, stock and equipment placed in my charge or coming into my possession.”

Gracey was handling and selling the products of the Magnolia Petroleum Company on commission. Without quoting the evidence, it was shown w.ithout 'opposing 'testimony, that Gracey sold the products of the Magnolia Petroleum Company to a number of people and firms on credit without having made application for permit, and without permit from the company to extend credit to such persons or firms, and that the aggregate of such sales on credits without permit exceeded the sum of $1,000.

The evidence shows that a permit to extend credit is secured by the agent by filling out an application blank, which contains a number of questions to be answered, giving information to the credit manager as to the worth and responsibility of the applicant for credit, and, if the application is approved, the agent receives notice of its approval.

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Bluebook (online)
252 S.W. 263, 1923 Tex. App. LEXIS 253, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/american-surety-co-v-gracey-texapp-1923.