Bering v. Republic Bank of San Antonio

581 S.W.2d 806, 1979 Tex. App. LEXIS 3646
CourtCourt of Appeals of Texas
DecidedMay 17, 1979
Docket1359
StatusPublished
Cited by9 cases

This text of 581 S.W.2d 806 (Bering v. Republic Bank of San Antonio) 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
Bering v. Republic Bank of San Antonio, 581 S.W.2d 806, 1979 Tex. App. LEXIS 3646 (Tex. Ct. App. 1979).

Opinion

OPINION

YOUNG, Justice.

In this summary judgment case appellant, Donald R. Bering, sued the Republic Bank of San Antonio and Charles H. Leopold, appellees, to set aside a substitute trustee’s sale held pursuant to a deed of trust. Both of the appellees filed motions for summary judgment which were granted. Bering appeals.

The record in this case reflects the following facts and events. On July 15, 1974, appellant Bering borrowed $17,000 from the Republic Bank to purchase 68.36 acres of land in Lavaca County, Texas. Appellant executed and delivered to the Bank his promissory note in the above amount, the repayment of which was secured by a vendor’s lien and a deed of trust lien. James B. Stewart was named trustee, but the deed of trust provided for the appointment of a substitute trustee without other formality than the designation in writing.

The note matured on July 14, 1975, and remained unpaid. After several unsuccessful efforts by the Bank to collect, notice of a trustee’s sale, to be held at the courthouse steps in Hallettsville, was posted for December 2, 1975, and written notice was given to appellant. The Bank subsequently caused to be cancelled such notice and sale at the request of appellant upon his representation that he would refinance the loan if given until January of 1976. Appellant did not tender the funds in January as promised, and Cecil Schenker, who had been appointed substitute trustee, posted notice of sale for January 6, 1976, between the hours of 10:00 a. m. and 4:00 p. m. in Hallettsville. Notice of such sale was also given to the appellant and his attorney.

On January 6, 1976, at approximately 1:00 p. m. Schenker as substitute trustee, talked with Clark Thompson, appellant’s attorney in Houston, asking whether he had received cash for payment of the note. Thompson advised Schenker, who was then in Hallettsville with Jerry Angerman, president of the Bank, that the cash had not yet arrived. He did, though, ask that Schenker delay the sale until 3:00 p. m. Schenker advised Thompson that he would have to discuss the requested further delay with Angerman, and would then call Thompson. At approximately 1:30 p. m. Angerman called Thompson and advised that he would not agree to any further delay. The sale was held at approximately 2:00 p. m. on that day at the Lavaca County Courthouse in Hallettsville, Texas.

Appellee Leopold purchased the property for $21,000, such being the highest bid for cash. Schenker executed his substitute trustee’s deed conveying the property, and Leopold filed the deed of record. Appellant filed this suit on February 6, 1976, seeking to set aside the above conveyance. Appel- *808 lees’ motions for summary judgment were granted on November 7, 1977, from which action Bering appeals.

Appellant brings six points of error. Point 1 contends that the trial court committed error in granting the summary judgment because there was no valid appointment of the substitute trustee. We need not consider this contention, however, because the appellant did not plead facts which, if true, would have given rise to this defense, nor is the issue raised by any of the summary judgment evidence which was before the trial court. The issue cannot be raised for the first time on appeal. “Moore” Burger, Inc. v. Phillips Petroleum Company, 492 S.W.2d 934, 936 (Tex.1972); State of Cal. Dept. of M.Hyg. v. Bank of S.W. Nat. Ass’n, 163 Tex. 314, 354 S.W.2d 576, 581 (1962). Appellant’s point 1 is overruled.

Appellant’s points 2, 3, 4 and 6 contend the trial court erred in granting the summary judgment because there existed issues of fact concerning the gross inadequacy of the price paid for the property at the trustee’s sale coupled with the trustee’s failure to postpone the sale until 3:00 p. m. on January 6, 1976. We disagree.

In his affidavit before the trial court, appellant Bering stated that the sale price of $21,000 was inadequate consideration for such property. He stated that in his opinion as a real estate salesman the property involved had a reasonable market value on January 6, 1976, of between $54,-400 and $68,000. While Bering’s statements are sufficient to raise a fact issue as to the adequacy of the sale price; even so, mere inadequacy of consideration alone is not grounds for setting aside a trustee’s sale. Or stated another way, our Supreme Court in Am.Sav. & Loan Ass’n of Houston v. Musick, 531 S.W.2d 581, 587 (Tex.1976) said:

“There must be evidence of irregularity, though slight, which irregularity must have caused or contributed to cause the property to be sold for a grossly inadequate price”

Appellant contends further in that regard that the trustee had an obligation of fairness to both the mortgagor and the mortgagee, and that the trustee’s failure to wait until 3:00 p. m. was such irregularity when coupled with the inadequacy of the price as to require a setting aside of the sale. See First Federal Savings & Loan Ass’n of Dallas v. Sharp, 359 S.W.2d 902 (Tex.1962). We find the trustee’s failure to postpone the sale until 3:00 p. m. was not such an irregularity as would justify setting aside the trustee’s sale herein. The evidence is conclusive that the trustee posted the proper notices, and advised the public that the sale would be held on January 6, 1976, between the hours of 10:00 a. m. and 4:00 p. m. Though the trustee had the right to sell the property at 10:00 a. m., he waited until 1:30 p. m. to find out whether appellant Bering had secured the funds necessary to compensate the mortgagee. Bering’s attorney had not secured the money at 1:30 p. m. and the trustee rightfully decided to sell the property.

We also note that there is no indication in the record that Bering asked a representative to be present in Hallettsville for the sale. Furthermore, Thompson, to whom Bering was attempting to transfer the money, was located in Houston and the sale was in Hallettsville, which we judicially know is at least 100 miles from Houston. The deed of trust provided that the sale should be a “cash sale.” In common ordinary popular acceptance a direction to sell for cash is a clear and unqualified direction not to sell or pass title to the goods without cash in hand. First Federal Savings & Loan Association v. Sharp, 347 S.W.2d 337, 340 (Tex.Civ.App.—Dallas 1961), affirmed, 359 S.W.2d 902 (Tex. 1962). Even if Thompson had secured the funds by 3:00 p. m. it would have been difficult, if not impossible, for him to travel the 100 miles from Houston to Hallettsville before the 4:00 p. m. sale deadline.

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581 S.W.2d 806, 1979 Tex. App. LEXIS 3646, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/bering-v-republic-bank-of-san-antonio-texapp-1979.