Bell v. Kins

428 S.W.2d 158, 1968 Tex. App. LEXIS 2297
CourtCourt of Appeals of Texas
DecidedApril 24, 1968
DocketNo. 14667
StatusPublished
Cited by2 cases

This text of 428 S.W.2d 158 (Bell v. Kins) 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
Bell v. Kins, 428 S.W.2d 158, 1968 Tex. App. LEXIS 2297 (Tex. Ct. App. 1968).

Opinion

BARROW, Chief Justice.

Appellee Samuel Kins brought this suit for specific performance of a written sales contract for approximately 150 acres of land in Wilson County, Texas, entered into on August 8, 1964, with Sarah Alice Witten, and to set aside a gift deed of land, including these premises, from Mrs. Witten to her son and daughter-in-law, appellants, Alfred Melrose Bell and wife, Beatrice Graham Bell, executed on December 30, 1964. Mrs. Witten died on January 19, 1965, and her grandson, appellee Howard E. Bell, administrator of her estate, was joined as party defendant. The administrator admitted the validity of the contract and filed a cross-action seeking to cancel the deed from Mrs. Witten to appellants for [159]*159undue influence. Judgment was rendered on a jury verdict setting aside the gift deed for undue influence and granting specific performance to appellee Kins under the earnest money contract.

Appellants have perfected this appeal wherein they assert five points of error: That (1) the earnest money contract violated the Statute of Frauds, Art. 3995, Vernon’s Ann.Civ.St., and is therefore unenforceable; (2) and (3) there is no evidence or insufficient evidence, as a matter of law, that Kins timely tendered performance of the earnest money contract; (4) and (5) there is no evidence or insufficient evidence, as a matter of law, to raise an issue of undue influence upon Mrs. Witten by Mrs. Beatrice Bell in the execution of the deed of December 30, 1964. Each of these points is predicated upon the action of the trial court in failing to grant an instructed verdict and therefore only “no evidence” points are raised by appellants. Garza v. Alviar, 395 S.W.2d821 (Tex.Sup.1965).

On August 8, 1964, Mrs. Witten, as seller, and appellee Kins, as buyer, entered into an earnest money contract whereby Mrs. Witten agreed to sell approximately 150 acres of described land for a stated consideration of $93.50 an acre, payable $2,000 cash and the balance in twelve annual payments. Two thousand dollars was deposited with the Wilson County Abstract Company in accordance with said contract and Clark Murray, Esq., was employed to check the title and prepare the closing papers. It is admitted by appellee Kins that he actually agreed to pay $96.00 per acre for the land. He testified that his father, who had a financial interest in the deal, had placed a price limit of $93.50 on the land and therefore Kins paid Mrs. Witten in cash a bonus of $2.50 an acre at the time the contract was signed. The contract, as sought to be enforced and as ordered by the trial court, provides for $93.50 an acre and there is nothing in the record to justify consideration of the other $2.50 per acre as anything other than a bonus for execution of the contract.

Appellants concede that the written contract of sale meets the requisites of the Statute of Frauds. It is urged, however, that there was an oral modification which renders the same unenforceable. It is settled that oral changes or modifications of a written contract required to be in writing by the Statute of Frauds make the contract unenforceable. Dracopoulas v. Radial, 411 S.W.2d 719 (Tex.Sup.1967); Michael v. Busby, 139 Tex. 278, 162 S.W.2d 662 (1942); Robertson v. Melton, 131 Tex. 325, 115 S.W.2d 624, 118 A.L.R. 1505 (1938); Zeluff v. Ekrnan, 386 S.W.2d 838 (Tex.Civ. App.—Houston 1965, no writ).

Appellants’ brief is not clear as to the basis of their complaint of an oral modification of the written contract. About November 19, 1964, Mrs. Witten and Kins made a verbal agreement whereby he agreed to purchase an additional 50 acres owned by her for $100.00 per acre. This deal was never reduced to writing, was not sued upon by Kins, and formed no part of the judgment. There is no evidence that the original contract was modified or changed in any manner by this subsequent oral agreement affecting different land. This second contract did not affect the validity of the first contract, in that the oral contract was not related to and did not change the first contract.

The written contract of sale is not brought within the Statute of Frauds by the payment of the bonus of $2.50 per acre at the time of execution of the original contract. In Garcia v. Karam, 154 Tex. 240, 276 S.W.2d 255 (1955), the Supreme Court reviewed the Texas law relative to oral consideration for a contract for sale of real estate. The Court said: “It is well settled in Texas that the Statute of Frauds does not require that the consideration in a contract for the sale of realty be expressed in writing. Simpson v. Green, Tex.Com.App., 231 S.W. 375; Adkins v. Watson, 12 Tex. 199. Texas has not adopted the section of the Statute of Frauds relating to the transfer of personalty, neither has this state en[160]*160acted a statute which prohibits a subsequent oral modification of a contract which is required by the Statute of Frauds to be in writing.” Here the bonus was fully paid and there is no contention that there was an oral agreement which varied the written contract of sale upon which this suit was brought or on which the judgment directed specific performance. The trial court did not err in refusing to grant appellants an instructed verdict on the asserted ground that the contract of August 8, 1964, was unenforceable by reason of the Statute of Frauds.

Appellants’ second and third points relating to whether there is evidence to support an issue of timely tender of performance by Kins is briefed with the first point, however there is no argument or authority relating to these points. We therefore doubt that these points are properly presented for review. Rule 418(c), Texas Rules of Civil Procedure; Appellate Procedure in Texas § 12.4(6); Lowe v. Valdez, 380 S.W.2d 200 (Tex.Civ.App.—Amarillo 1964, no writ); Garcia v. Lacey, 316 S.W.2d 183 (Tex.Civ.App.—San Antonio 1958, no writ). In any event, the testimony of attorney Murray, who prepared the closing papers as soon as the title was cleared, as well as that of the brother of Mrs. Witten, and appellee Samuel Kins supports a fact finding that Kins timely tendered full performance of the contract of sale on December "4, 1964.

The deed from Mrs. Witten to appellants was executed on December 30, 1964, subsequent to timely tender of performance by appellee Kins under the contract of sale. It is undisputed that at the time the deed to appellants was executed Mrs. Witten and appellants were aware of the contract of sale. In fact, Attorney Murray refused to prepare a deed when requested on December 30, and advised Mrs. Witten, in the presence of appellant Mrs. Bell, that she was not in a position to convey the land to appellants. Under this uncontradicted record, the appellants do not claim to be innocent holders and took said deed subject to the rights of appellee Kins under the contract of sale. The trial court did not err in entering a judgment ordering specific performance.

In view of the judgment on administrator’s cross-action, setting aside the deed to appellants, it is necessary to discuss appellants’ contention that there is no evidence to support the jury finding that Mrs. Witten was acting under the undue influence of Mrs.

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428 S.W.2d 158, 1968 Tex. App. LEXIS 2297, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/bell-v-kins-texapp-1968.