Blackmon & Associates, Inc. v. Cooper

445 S.W.2d 577, 1969 Tex. App. LEXIS 2205
CourtCourt of Appeals of Texas
DecidedSeptember 26, 1969
DocketNo. 4341
StatusPublished
Cited by4 cases

This text of 445 S.W.2d 577 (Blackmon & Associates, Inc. v. Cooper) 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
Blackmon & Associates, Inc. v. Cooper, 445 S.W.2d 577, 1969 Tex. App. LEXIS 2205 (Tex. Ct. App. 1969).

Opinion

GRISSOM, Chief Justice.

Aubra Cooper sued Blackmon & Associates, Inc., and Larry Blackmon for the balance due on a contract for labor and material used in painting and otherwise completing six houses. His contract was made with J. E. Fitzgerald, who, plaintiff alleged, was their partner and agent. Cooper also sought attorney’s fees by virtue of Article 2226, Vernon’s Ann.Civ.St. Defendants verified answer was to the effect that, as to them, plaintiff’s account was not just or true in whole or in part and that Fitzgerald was neither their agent nor partner. Defendants alleged Cooper’s claim did not come within the statutory provisions allowing recovery of attorney’s fees.

In a trial to the court, judgment was rendered against only Blackmon & Associates, Inc., for the unpaid balance plus $650.00 attorney’s fees. Said corporation has appealed.

Appellant’s first four points are that the court erred in finding (1) that between May 1st, 1966, and August 16th, 1966, [578]*578Cooper, at appellant’s request, acting through its agent Fitzgerald, furnished labor and material for painting and completing six houses because there was no evidence to support that finding; (2) because the evidence was insufficient to support it; (3) that the court erred in finding that said corporation owed Cooper $1378.00, because the evidence was insufficient to support a finding that appellant owed any amount and that (4) the court erred in rendering judgment against Blackmon & Associates, Inc., for any amount. In support thereof appellant says Fitzgerald was engaged in building houses in Mineral Wells and that Larry Blackmon, individually, arranged with The First National Bank of Mineral Wells for financing house building by Fitzgerald and that a loan for that purpose was made to Fitzgerald, payment being guaranteed by Blackmon; that the money so borrowed was deposited in an account with that bank styled “Blackmon & Associates, Inc., Special Account” and checks were authorized thereon when signed by “Fitzgerald and one of two other persons”; that Cooper testified he met Fitzgerald about May 1, 1966 and Fitzgerald asked him to finish six houses in the “Blackmon” Addition to Mineral Wells; that when Cooper started work he asked Fitzgerald if he had written contracts, stating that “Larry wouldn’t pay nothing unless he had a contract”, whereupon, Fitzgerald brought him contracts exactly like those he had previously executed when doing work for Blackmon & Associates, Inc. Appellant says that while two of the contracts were for labor and material required to finish two houses owned by appellant those accounts have been paid and that the other four contracts, for the unpaid balance on which the judgment was rendered, were not contracts with said corporation but were contracts with Blackmon, individually, or Fitzgerald, and they did not even purport to bind appellant. It says Cooper’s judgment is based on contracts made with Fitzgerald and that there is no evidence to support the findings necessary to support the judgment holding Blackmon & Associates, Inc., liable for the unpaid bal-anee due for painting the four houses the title to which was in Fitzgerald.

Cooper’s counter point is to the effect that there was sufficient evidence to support the findings essential to support the judgment, among others, that Cooper furnished Blackmon & Associates, Inc., labor and material of the value of $3,051.00, at the request of its agent, Fitzgerald. Ap-pellee says that, relying upon prior dealings in performing similar services for appellant, he bid for and obtained the job of painting, textoning, taping and bedding six houses for appellant, the record title to two being in appellant and record title to four being in Fitzgerald; that, relying upon his past practices while working for appellant, Cooper requested Fitzgerald to furnish the usual Blackmon & Associates, Inc., contracts showing their agreement; that this was done; that partial payments for Cooper’s work on his contract to complete six houses were made by checks on “Blackmon & Associates, Inc.,-Special Account” and that each check was delivered to Cooper with a “certificate” on the letterhead of Blackmon & Associates, Inc., reciting that it did not thereby approve Cooper’s work and it would not accept it until it had made final inspection. One such certificate, executed on the letterhead of appellant and purporting to be its act, accompanied a check for $500.00 on Black-mon & Associates, Inc.,-Special Account showed it was Cooper’s “draw” for painting “four” units, although it described only two houses, the record title to which was in Fitzgerald. Appellee concludes that the evidence establishes or, at least, supports the conclusion that Cooper (1) agreed to complete six houses as a group; (2) that his work was done for appellant and that (3) partial payments therefor were made by appellant. There was evidence that, in accord with Cooper’s previous practice while working for appellant, he was approached by a person, to wit, Fitzgerald, who represented he was “running jobs” for appellant and wanted Cooper to complete [579]*579the six houses, that Fitzgerald was operating out of appellant’s office in Mineral Wells; Fitzgerald obtained and presented to Cooper green contract forms exactly like those previously presented to him by appellant’s agent when he had been employed to do such work for appellant; Fitzgerald prepared and approved appel-lee’s claims against appellant and signed some of the checks issued on said account paying on Cooper’s contract for completing six houses, including the two whose record title was in appellant. Proceeds of a loan guaranteed by Blackmon, appellant’s president, constituted the sole source of funds placed in the Blackmon & Associates, Inc.,Special Account out of which Fitzgerald operated in building houses and out of which payments to appellee were made. 'The evidence shows that the signatures of any two of the following three persons were required on checks on said account, to wit, Manson, appellant’s Vice-president, Mrs. Hamm, its bookkeeper and, apparently, the manager of appellant’s Fort Worth office, and Fitzgerald. Appellant is mistaken in its contention that the evidence conclusively shows Fitzgerald’s signature was a prerequisite to cashing checks on said account. There was evidence that the signatures of any two of said three named persons was sufficient. In other words, the signatures of two of appellant’s employees were sufficient. Checks were drawn on said account to pay Cooper for more than half the contract price for completing six houses. That contract was made by Fitzgerald, who was found by the court to have acted as the authorized agent of appellant. There was evidence of further close association between appellant and Fitzgerald in building and completing the six adjacent houses in the same addition in Mineral Wells. The evidence indicates that building and selling said houses, obtaining loans by the purchasers and closing the deals were, to a large extent, controlled by appellant and its president. Illustrative thereof, Mr. Hall, manager of an ■ abstract company that closed the sale of some of said houses, testified with reference to Lot 29, Block 6, of the addition in which all six houses were built, that the closing statement from J. E. Fitzgerald to Boyer was signed by Black-mon & Associates, Inc., as the seller, and, although this purported to be a sale by Fitzgerald, Hall received the closing contract from Blackmon & Associates, Inc.; that the closing statement received by Hall for the sale of Lot 28, Block 6, showed the seller was Fitzgerald and the purchaser was Saunders but Fitzgerald’s name was signed thereto by Mrs.

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Bluebook (online)
445 S.W.2d 577, 1969 Tex. App. LEXIS 2205, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/blackmon-associates-inc-v-cooper-texapp-1969.