Bishop v. Tartt

107 S.W. 359, 48 Tex. Civ. App. 551, 1908 Tex. App. LEXIS 491
CourtCourt of Appeals of Texas
DecidedJanuary 16, 1908
StatusPublished
Cited by7 cases

This text of 107 S.W. 359 (Bishop v. Tartt) 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
Bishop v. Tartt, 107 S.W. 359, 48 Tex. Civ. App. 551, 1908 Tex. App. LEXIS 491 (Tex. Ct. App. 1908).

Opinion

*552 PLEASANTS, Chief Justice.

This is a suit by appellee against appellant to enforce specific performance of the following contract:

“Galveston, Texas, October 21, 1905.

“$1500.00.

“Eeceived from B. G. Tartt $1500 and no hundredths dollars, earnest money, to close sale to him of lots 12, 13 and 14 (twelve, thirteen and fourteen), in block No. three hundred and twenty-two, in the City and County of Galveston, State of Texas, according to the map and plan of said City of Galveston by the Galveston City Company in common use, together with the improvements thereon situated, save and except the one-story frame building on the north portion of lots 13 and 14, in said block, and said building running parallel with alley; also the one-story frame building on the middle of lot No. 14 and now occupied by Charles F. Juneman, Jr., and used as a blacksmith’s shop; also the frame building situated on lot No. 12, in said block, and now under construction by Beats & Crossley, at a total price of fifteen thousand ($15,000.00) dollars, terms of payment one-fourth cash, balance in said Tartt’s three certain promissory purchase money vendor lien notes, due respectfully one, two and three years after their date, and all bearing interest at the rate of five per centum (5) from their date until paid, interest payable annually, and providing for 10 per centum additional on the aggregate of principal and interest of each of said notes as attorney’s fees if placed in the hands of an attorney for. collection, after maturity.

“Notes to be secured by vendor’s lien and deed of trust. All papers and interest to date from date of delivery conveying good title. Title to be' perfect or to be made perfect. In case of defect in title, which can not be cured within a reasonable time, then, upon application of buyer, this earnest money shall be refunded. Deed at expense of seller. Deed of trust and notes to be prepared by John Adriance & Sons, at expense of buyer. Abstract of title to said property to date of its making, at expense of seller. All back taxes, if any, to be paid by seller, and seller to pay pro rata of taxes of 1905 to date of delivery of deed, and buyer to pay taxes of 1905 from that date forward. This sale to be finally closed up, on or before within sixty days after delivery of abstract of title, or in default thereof this contract may thereupon be null and void and this earnest money may then be paid to the seller, which in such case is hereby agreed to be liquidated damages, or said seller" may enforce specific performance of this contract in Galveston County, at his option. All money to be paid and papers to be delivered at Galveston, Texas, all rents to go to buyer from date of delivery of deed.

“John Adriance & Sons,

“Agent for owner.

“I .hereby accept the foregoing contract of sale.

“B. G. Tartt,”

*553 Plaintiff alleged also that the terms of said contract of sale, as to deferred payments and security therefor, were usual and customary in the county where the land was situated, and that the said written contract of sale was subsequently ratified by the defendant.

In the alternative, plaintiff alleged that at the time of making and signing the said written contract and the payment by plaintiff of the earnest money, and contemporaneously therewith, it was mutually covenanted, agreed and promised by and between plaintiff and defendant’s agents, that plaintiff would, upon defendant complying with the conditions precedent in said contract, pay the balance of thirteen thousand five hundred dollars ($13,500) of the purchase price for said property, either in cash or in the three certain promissory purchase money vendor lien notes described in said written contract, as the defendant by and through his agents might elect, choose and demand, but that said agreement of alternative cash payment in full was omitted from said contract as written by the mutual mistake and oversight of plaintiff and defendant’s agents.

Defendant answered by demurrers, general and special, a general denial of all of the allegations contained in plaintiff’s petition, except the allegation that the defendant was tire owner of the land involved, a denial that there was at the time of making and signing the written contract any covenant or agreement between plaintiff and the alleged agents of defendant, that plaintiff would pay for the property described in the petition, either in cash or in the three notes, as defendant might elect, a denial that any such covenant, agreement or promise was omitted from the contract by mutual mistake or oversight on the part of the plaintiff, a denial that defendant ever ratified the written contract alleged in plaintiff’s petition, and verified denial that John Adriance & Sons were authorized or empowered, as agents of said defendant, to make or enter into the agreement or contract of sale alleged in plaintiff’s petition, and verified denial that the contract or agreement of sale, set out in plaintiff’s petition, was made by defendant, or by his authority.

The trial in the court below without a jury resulted in judgment reforming the contract in accordance with the allegations of the petition and decreeing specific performance thereof.

The trial court filed the following findings of fact which we adopt as the findings of this court:

“I find that John Adriance & Sons, real estate agents at Galveston, successors of H. M. Trueheart & Co., were the agents for Chas. R Bishop, the defendant, owner of lots 12, 13 and 14 in block 322, city of Galveston, and that after some correspondence between them about the best price that could be obtained for the property, Bishop by letter of October 11, 1905, named $20,000 as the lowest offer he would entertain, but asked for the opinion of the agents as to what price he should place on it. Adriance & Sons by their letter of October 16, 1905, replied that in their opinion the property would be well sold at $15,000, either cash or part cash and balance in six or - seven percent interest bearing purchase money notes, secured by vendor’s lien. That on the 17th of October, 1905, Adriance & Sons wired him, “Can probably sell the three lots Fourteen Thousand *554 dollars, if can obtain $15,000 would consider well sold. Answer.” That on the 19th of October, 1905, Bishop replied by wire: “Telegram received; will accept $15,000 for three lots.” That pursuant to authority so vested in them, Adriance & Sons agreed to sell the property to the plaintiff for $15,000. Believing, from Bishop’s previous letters, interest bearing notes would be acceptable to him in part payment, and finding that the purchaser Tartt was unwilling to give notes bearing six or seven percent interest, as they had advised Bishop by their letter of the 16th of October could, they thought, be obtained, the sale ivas made to Tartt for all cash or at vendor’s option one-fourth cash and balance in three equal notes due at one, two and three years with five percent per annum interest, secured by vendor’s lien and deed of trust on the same property. That on the 'Slst of October, 1905, Adriance & Sons and Tartt executed the contract of sale to carry out their verbal agreement, but by inadvertence of Mr. C. D.

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

Related

EI DuPont De Nemours and Co. v. Zale Corporation
462 S.W.2d 355 (Court of Appeals of Texas, 1970)
West Texas Utilities Co. v. Nunnally
10 S.W.2d 391 (Court of Appeals of Texas, 1928)
Alford v. Thomas
238 S.W. 270 (Court of Appeals of Texas, 1922)
Hulshizer v. Nelson
229 S.W. 658 (Court of Appeals of Texas, 1921)
Duran v. Lucas
144 S.W. 695 (Court of Appeals of Texas, 1912)
Steensland v. Noel
134 N.W. 207 (South Dakota Supreme Court, 1912)
Bateman v. Hipp
111 S.W. 971 (Court of Appeals of Texas, 1908)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
107 S.W. 359, 48 Tex. Civ. App. 551, 1908 Tex. App. LEXIS 491, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/bishop-v-tartt-texapp-1908.