Barker v. Fagg

107 S.W.2d 490, 1937 Tex. App. LEXIS 686
CourtCourt of Appeals of Texas
DecidedJune 16, 1937
DocketNo. 8470.
StatusPublished
Cited by4 cases

This text of 107 S.W.2d 490 (Barker v. Fagg) 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
Barker v. Fagg, 107 S.W.2d 490, 1937 Tex. App. LEXIS 686 (Tex. Ct. App. 1937).

Opinion

BLAIR, Justice.

Appellant, L. W. Barker, sued appellees, E. E. Fagg, R. W. Burleson, and L. P. Powell, to recover upon an alleged oral contract of indemnity and a written bond obligation securing it, or upon the written bond obligation as established by the oral collateral contract of indemnity pleaded. The trial court sustained several special exceptions to appellant’s third amended original petition and tó his fourth amended original petition, filed under an order to replead; and rendered judgment for ap-pellees upon the ground that the sustaining of the special exceptions determined all issues of fact against appellant; hence this appeal.

The facts set forth in said pleadings are substantially as follows: Appellant owned 5,735.1 acres of land, which he desired to sell, and listed the land with C. E. Harkey and E. E. Fagg, real estate brokers, and agreed to pay 3 per cent, of the sale price of the land to either of them for procuring a sale. The land was sold to R. M. Manley for a total consideration of $54,434.53. Harkey and Fagg each claimed to have been the procuring cause of the sale, and each claimed the sum of $1,633.04 as commission for procuring the sale. During this controversy appellee Fagg requebted that appellant pay the commission to him, which appellant refused to do upon the ground that he could not afford to pay two commissions; whereupon appellee Fagg orally agreed that if appellant would let him have the money he would give appellant a good bond to secure its repayment, and that he would take all of the worry off of appellant’s hands concerning the commission, and that appellant would not have to go into court and be dragged around, and that Fagg would take care of and defend any suit that might thereafter be filed for collection of the commission ; and that appellant would not have to pay nor be liable for the payment of but one commission. Relying upon said promises and representations of Fagg, appellant paid him $1,633.04, and Fagg as principal, with R. W. Burleson and L. P. Powell as sureties, executed and delivered to appellant a bond, which, omitting formal and immaterial parts, reads as follows:' .

“That we, E. E. Fagg, of San Saba County, Texas, as principal, and R. W, Burleson and L. P. Powell as sureties, are held and firmly bound unto L. W. Barker of said County of San Saba, and ■ State of Texas, his heirs and assigns in the full sum of Three Thousand, Two Hundred, Sixty-six and 8/100 Dollars ($3,266.08) for the payment of which sum well and truly to be made we bind ourselves, our heirs, executors and administrators firmly by these presents.

“The condition of the foregoing obligation however is such that: Whereas, a controversy has arisen between the said E. E. Fagg and the said. L. W. Barker as to whether or not the said Barker is justly indebted to the said Fagg in the sum of $1,633.04 for commissions due by Barker to the said Fagg' for making a sale of approximately 5,735 acres of land for said Barker to R. N. Manley * * * (here follows 'description); the said sum of $1633.04 being three per cent, of the total consideration for said purchase, said total consideration having been the sum of $54,434.53, which said sum of three per cent of said selling price the said L. W. Barker has heretofore agreed to pay to the said E. E. Fagg, a. real estate agent and commission broker in said County of San Saba, Texas, in the event of a sale of said land having been made by the said Fagg; and '

“Whereas, the said L. W. Barker has paid to the said E. E. Fagg the said sum of $1633.04, being the full amount claimed by said Fagg to be due him under and by *492 virtue of said contract heretofore made with the said L. W. Barker; and there is as above stated some question in the mind of the said Barker as to whether or not said commission being the said sum of $1633.04 was justly due said Fagg:

“Now, therefore, should it be at any time hereafter determined by the final decree of a court of competent jurisdiction, that the said E. E. Fagg was not justly entitled to receive said sum of $1633.04, and that the same was not justly due him by the said L. W. Barker, then and in that event if the said E. E. Fagg shall refund and repay to the said L. W. Barker within sixty days such decree of such court of competent jurisdiction has become final said sum of $1633.04 or so much thereof as shall be decreed to have been unjustly paid to said Fagg by said Barker, together with interest on such sum from this date to the date of such repayment at the rate of six per cent per annum; then and in that event this obligation shall become null and void, otherwise to remain in full force and effect.”

The bond was dated March 13, 1933, and on March 24, 1933, the said O. K. Harkey filed suit against appellant for $1,634.50 as the alleged amount due him for procuring the sale of the property to R. M. Manley. Harkey named and cited appellee Fagg as a party defendant upon the allegation that he was claiming some interest in the commission. Fagg filed an answer in said suit, consisting of a general demurrer and pleas of misjoinder. The general demurrer was overruled, but the pleas of misjoinder were sustained; and Fagg was dismissed from the suit upon said pleas, notwithstanding appellant requested that he comply with his oral agreement to defend the suit. On May 8, 1933, the cause was tried, both appellant and Fagg testifying in said cause, and a final judgment was rendered in favor of O. K. Harkey for the sum of $1,089.66 against appellant.

Appellant pleaded the above facts and circumstances and sought to recover upon the alleged oral contract of indemnity and the written bond obligation securing it, or upon the written bond obligation as established by the alleged oral collateral contract of indemnity. He further alleged that if the oral contract of indemnity could not be proved because it varied the term's of the written bond, then .either by fraud, ■accident, or mutual mistake Fagg did not execute the character of bond agreed upon, in that it did not incorporate the terms of the oral agreement; and that Fagg made the agreement with the fraudulent intent of never carrying it out.

Appellant further pleaded the oral contract of indemnity, the bond obligation securing it, and the judgment obtained by Harkey against him for $1,089.66, in bar and estoppel of Fagg to claim that he made the sale of the land to Manley and that he was entitled to a commission for the sale of said land. Appellant also pleaded the judgment in favor of Harkey as a final adjudication and determination of the issue of whether appellant owed Fagg any commission for the sale of the land. He especially denied that Fagg made the sale and was entitled to a commission for the sale of the land. Appellant prayed that the legal and equitable remedies of indemnity, estoppel, res adjudicata, mutual mistake, and fraud be adjudged against appellees, and for judgment for the amount of the bond, interest, and costs of suit, and for general relief.

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Bluebook (online)
107 S.W.2d 490, 1937 Tex. App. LEXIS 686, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/barker-v-fagg-texapp-1937.