Baltimore American Ins. Co. of New York v. James

49 S.W.2d 828, 1932 Tex. App. LEXIS 428
CourtCourt of Appeals of Texas
DecidedMarch 17, 1932
DocketNo. 9730.
StatusPublished

This text of 49 S.W.2d 828 (Baltimore American Ins. Co. of New York v. James) 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
Baltimore American Ins. Co. of New York v. James, 49 S.W.2d 828, 1932 Tex. App. LEXIS 428 (Tex. Ct. App. 1932).

Opinion

PLEASANTS, C. J.

This is a suit by appellant against appellee to recover the sum of $221.40, with interest and attorney’s fee's, due upon five promissory notes executed by appellee in favor of Raymond Pearson and transferred and assigned by Pearson to appellant, and to foreclose a mortgage lien upon personal property given by appellee to secure the payment of the notes.

The appellee answered in the court below by a general demurrer and a special exception on the ground that plaintiff’s petition fails to state the date of the transfer of the notes to it by the original payee, Pearson. Subject to the demurrer and exception, defendant denied generally all of the allegations of the petition, and specially denied that Pearson sold and transferred the notes sued on to plaintiff for a valuable consideration, and denied “that plaintiff was the legal or equitable holder and owner of the notes.” The answer then avers, in substance: That on or about August 1, 1929, plaintiff entered into 'a contract with the defendant by the terms of which plaintiff insured the defendant against loss by theft of the 'automobile described in plaintiff’s petition, for the purchase price of which the notes sued on were given, and upon which the mortgage declared on in the petition was executed by defendant to secure the payment of the notes; that said original contract of insurance is now in the possession of plaintiff, and its production in court on the trial of this case is demanded; that on or about the 15th day of December, 1929, the automobile so covered by plaintiff’s policy of insurance was stolen from defendant under such circumstances as made the plaintiff liable to defendant for its value under the terms of the insurance contract which bound plaintiff to either procure the return of the automobile to defendant and pay defendant for any damage thereto caused 'by its theft, or pay defendant its value if unable to procure its return; that said automobile has never been returned to defendant, and plaintiff, being unable to procure its return did, on May 27, 1930, in accordance with the provisions of its insurance contract, pay to Raymond Pearson, the mortgagee in said contract of insurance, the sum of $221.40 in settlement of defendant’s loss by reason of the theft; that the amount paid Pearson was the amount of th% balance then owing on the notes declared on in plaintiff’s petition, and such payment by plaintiff satisfied and discharged said notes in full; that the amount so paid Pearson was not paid as the purchase price of the notes, but as the amount then due to defendant by plaintiff under its insurance policy, and as a matter of law and equity was made for and in behalf of defendant; and that said notes have therefore been paid in full. “Wherefore, premises considered, defendant 'prays that plaintiff take nothing by its suit, and that the relief 'by it prayed for be in all things denied, and that defendant go hence with his costs without day.”

The defendant then by cross-action sought affirmative relief against the plaintiff upon the following allegations:

“And now comes the defendant and file's this his cross-action and alleges and states that on or about the 27th day of July, 1939, defendant owned and possessed the following described personal property, of the value as follows;

“One'(l) 192S Model A, Ford Touring body, Automobile, Engine Number A273089, of the value of $260.00.

“That afterwards, to-wit, on the same day. plaintiff unlawfully took possession of said property and converted the same to its own use.

*829 “That by reason thereof defendant sustained damage in the sum of $260.00.

“Defendant further alleges that the conversion of said automobile by plaintiff as aforesaid and the resulting damage to defendant arose out of, is incident to, and connected with plaintiff’s cause of action, by reason of the fact that plaintiff took defendant’s said automobile as aforesaid in an effort to apply the proceeds of the sale thereof to payment of said notes upon which this suit is founded and a full and proper adjudication of the rights of the plaintiff and defendant require its consideration in connection with plaintiff’s alleged cause of action.

. “Wherefore, premises considered, defendant prays that the plaintiff take nothing by its suit, and that defendant have judgment against plaintiff in the sum of $260l.00, together with interest at the legal rate from the 27th day of July, 1930, for his costs herein expended, and for such other and further relief as he may be entitled to, either at law or in equity.”

Plaintiff replied to this answer by supplemental petition, which contains several special exceptions, the nature of which it is unnecessary to state, and alleges, in substance, that the policy of insurance upon defendant’s car mentioned in defendant’s answer was made payable to Raymond Pearson as his interest might appear in the mortgage given by defendant on the car to secure the payment of the aforesaid purchase-money notes, and that said insurance policy, which was for the sum of $375, by its express terms only covered the car while it was being used for business and pleasure, and generally provides “that in case of any liability of plaintiff herein under the said policy, that such liability shall be paid to Raymond Pearson only and shall be limited to the assured’s indebtedness to said Raymond Pearson, all of which is more fully shown in a copy of said policy of insurance contract No. 60514 and riders attached thereto, attached hereto and made a part hereof as though fully incorporated and set out herein, and called ‘Exhibit A.’ ”

Plaintiff further alleged that when the notes to Pearson became due and the car had not been recovered it was required under its insurance contract to pay Pearson the ■ amount due upon the notes, and that upon making such payment and in consideration therefor received from Pearson a transfer and assignment of the notes and mortgage securing same.

“Plaintiff herein specially denies that defendant herein, Leslie James, has any rights, claims, or credits under and by virtue of said insurance contract No. 60514 for the reason that said Leslie James did on numerous and divers occasions prior to the month of January A. D. 1930, that being the time the car is alleged to have been stolen, use and employ said car in rental or lease service, all contrary and in violation and in breach of the express terms and conditions and warranties of the said contract of insurance.

“Plaintiff herein would further show this Honorable Court that at a timé unknown to this plaintiff herein and in a manner unknown to this plaintiff herein, said Leslie James, after the alleged theft of the Ford car described in defendant’s answer, did come back into possession and control of said Ford car without in anywise reporting said repossession to the said Raymond Pearson or this plaintiff herein.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
49 S.W.2d 828, 1932 Tex. App. LEXIS 428, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/baltimore-american-ins-co-of-new-york-v-james-texapp-1932.