Associates Inv. Co. v. Thomas

210 S.W.2d 413, 1948 Tex. App. LEXIS 1141
Court of Appeals of Texas·Decided March 19, 1948·No. No. 14923.·Published·Cited by 23 cases

Opinion

McDONALD, Chief Justice.

Versie Thomas, appellee here, purchased an automobile from Ward Motor Company. The cash purchase price of the car was $1527, to which there was added a tax of $36. The trade-in allowance on an old car was $52; and the cash payment was $761, leaving a balance of $750. For this balance appellee executed a conditional sales agreement, in the nature of a chattel mortgage, and a note in the principal sum of $952,50, payable in 15 monthly instalments of $63.50-each. On the day following the sale pf the car the note and conditional sales contract were transferred to appellant, to whom ap-pellee paid the full amount of the fifteen in-stalments.

Appellee brought this suit to recover the statutory penalty of double the amount of alleged usurious interest paid. Art. 5073, Revised Civil Statutes.

The evidence showed that $45 of the $202.50 difference between $952.50 and $750 was devoted to payment of an insurance *415 premium. The trial court, without a jury, found that usurious interest was paid in the amount of $157.50, and rendered judgment in favor of appellee against appellant in double that amount.

The principal argument between the parties is whether the $157.50 represented the difference between a cash selling price and a time selling price, or whether it was paid as interest on the deferred balance of the purchase price. The difference between the two situations, in legal contemplation, is thus stated^ in Standard Supply & Hardware Co. v. Christian-Carpenter Drilling Co., Tex.Civ.App., 183 S.W.2d 657, 660, writ refused:

“If the ten per cent financing charge here involved was compensation for ‘the use or forbearance or detention of money/ it was ‘interest’ within the meaning of R. C.S. Art. 5069. See Parks v. Lubbock, 92 Tex. 635, 51 S.W. 322. If the ten per cent financing charge was an addition to the price charged for merchandise sold on an extended credit basis, over the price of the merchandise when sold on a current basis, at current prices, such charge is a legitimate commercial transaction. Rattan v. Commercial Credit Co., Tex.Civ.App., 131 S.W.2d 399, writ refused.”

The court further declares, following the settled rule, that the transaction is to be tested by its substance and not its form.

In Rattan v. Commercial Credit Co., Tex.Civ.App., 131 S.W.2d 399, writ refused, it is held:

“Where, in a bona fide sale, no loan oik money is involved, a purchaser buys an automobile from a regular automobile dealer for a credit price, known to the purchaser to be higher than the cash price, and signs a note and chattel mortgage for the unpaid balance, such transaction is an actual sale of the automobile on time or credit selling price, mutually agreed upon by the parties, and such note and mortgage thus given for the balance, providing for interest, only in case of default, at the highest legal rate, is not usurious. A seller may demand one price for cash and another and greater price upon credit, and it would not be usury.”

In the case before us the written conditional sales contract provided that the car was being sold at a time selling price, referring to designated clauses of the contract for means of computing the amount thereof. However, there is testimony sufficient to show that the only price quoted to appellee was the cash price, to-wit, $1527; that the seller told appellee that he would arrange for the financing of the deferred balance; that the matter was taken up with appellant before the sale was made, that the latter checked appellee’s credit and talked to her, and examined the car, and agreed to finance the sale before it was made; and that appellant prepared the note and contract and participated in the closing of the sale. Appellant paid Ward Motor Company the sum of $789 on the following day.

The conditional sales contract, after reciting that Versie Thomas agrees to purchase the described car, reads in part as follows:

“Together with all equipment and accessories thereon, all of which are included in the term ‘motor vehicle’ as used herein, for a Total Time Selling Price equal to the sum of Items (A and D) in the following tabulation:
Accessories . $-
Sales Tax. $ 36.00
Services ._ . $-
(A) Total Bona Fide Cash Price $1563.00.”

Following this tabulation is shown the allowance for the old car which was traded in, and the amount of cash paid.

The tabulation then continues:

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Associates Inv. Co. v. Thomas, 210 S.W.2d 413, 1948 Tex. App. LEXIS 1141 (Tex. Ct. App. 1948).

210 S.W.2d 413 (Associates Inv. Co. v. Thomas) — published by Counsel Stack Legal Research, free access to 12M+ legal documents.

Related

Miller v. First State Bank
551 S.W.2d 89 (Court of Appeals of Texas, 1977)
NORTH AMERICAN ACCEPTANCE CORPORATION v. Warren
451 S.W.2d 921 (Court of Appeals of Texas, 1970)
Northwestern Distributors, Inc. v. City of Fort Worth
377 S.W.2d 783 (Court of Appeals of Texas, 1964)
Lamb v. Ed Maher, Inc.
368 S.W.2d 255 (Court of Appeals of Texas, 1963)
Monclova v. Financial Credit Corp.
83 P.R. 742 (Supreme Court of Puerto Rico, 1961)
Tyson v. ASSOCIATES INVESTMENT COMPANY
331 S.W.2d 768 (Court of Appeals of Texas, 1959)
Western Guaranty Loan Co. v. Dean
309 S.W.2d 857 (Court of Appeals of Texas, 1957)
Industrial Finance Service Co. v. Riley
295 S.W.2d 498 (Court of Appeals of Texas, 1956)
Gill v. Universal CIT Credit Corporation
282 S.W.2d 401 (Court of Appeals of Texas, 1955)
Great American County Mut. Fire Ins. Co. v. Elliott
268 S.W.2d 484 (Court of Appeals of Texas, 1954)
Dallas Railway & Terminal Company v. Bosher
278 S.W.2d 357 (Court of Appeals of Texas, 1953)
Bell v. Idaho Finance Co.
255 P.2d 715 (Idaho Supreme Court, 1953)
National Bond & Investment Co. v. Atkinson
254 S.W.2d 885 (Court of Appeals of Texas, 1952)
Mossler Acceptance Co. v. McNeal
252 S.W.2d 593 (Court of Appeals of Texas, 1952)
Associates Inv. Co. v. Sosa
241 S.W.2d 703 (Court of Appeals of Texas, 1951)
G. F. C. Corporation v. Williams
231 S.W.2d 565 (Court of Appeals of Texas, 1950)
Associates Investment Co. v. Baker
221 S.W.2d 363 (Court of Appeals of Texas, 1949)
Goree v. Hansen
214 S.W.2d 824 (Court of Appeals of Texas, 1948)