Blain v. First National Bank in Wellington, Texas

1954 OK 272, 276 P.2d 205, 1954 Okla. LEXIS 661
CourtSupreme Court of Oklahoma
DecidedOctober 12, 1954
DocketNo. 35981
StatusPublished

This text of 1954 OK 272 (Blain v. First National Bank in Wellington, Texas) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of Oklahoma primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Blain v. First National Bank in Wellington, Texas, 1954 OK 272, 276 P.2d 205, 1954 Okla. LEXIS 661 (Okla. 1954).

Opinion

ARNOLD, Justice.

The First National Bank of Wellington, Texas, brought this action in .the District Court of Beckham County upon a promissory note in the amount of $6,130 executed by defendant Argie Jones on August 6, 1951, and to foreclose a chattel mortgage given by Jones as security therefor upon 51 Hereford cows branded “V/” on left hip, and alleged that defendant Blain was claiming some right or interest in the cattle covered by the mortgage which was inferior and subject to the bank’s mortgage lien.

Defendant Argie Jones filed answer and cross petition admitting the execution and delivery of the promissory note and chattel mortgage on April 21, 1951, and renewal thereof on August 6, 1951, and alleging that he was the owner of the cows described in the mortgage by reason of an oral contract between himself and his father-in-law, defendant Blain, in fulfillment of which on about January 1, 1950, Blain had given Jones a 5,000 acre ranch in Beckham County, the legal title to which, though owned by Blain, stood in the name of Blain’s daughter, Jones’ wife, together with all the cattle on the ranch; that on or about June 27, 1951, Blain took possession of all the cattle on the ranch, including the 51 head described in the mortgage, and prayed for judgment against defendant Blain quieting his title to said 51 head of cows, subject to plaintiff’s mortgage lien.

Defendant Blain filed a general denial to the petition and cross petition.

The uncontroverted evidence shows that Blain owned a 5,000-acre ranch in Beck-ham County, legal title to which had been in his daughter’s name for many years prior to her marriage; that after his daughter married Jones, in about 1942, Blain hired Jones to manage the ranch and Jones and his wife moved on the ranch; that with Blain’s permission Jones sold cattle off the ranch from time to time; that Blain paid all expenses of operating the ranch, reimbursing Jones for any amounts .advanced by him; that during the time Jones operated the ranch he bought and sold cat-[207]*207tie of his own and that Jones had his own brand; that the V/ slash brand was Blain’s brand and registered in his name in the public records both in Texas and Oklahoma; that Blain had never done business with plaintiff bank and had never even had an account there; that Jones had had numerous dealings with plaintiff bank in the past, sometimes borrowing money on his open note and sometimes giving a chattel mortgage as security; that on previous occasions when Jones had mortgaged cattle to plaintiff bank the cattle were described as bearing a backward N brand and not the V/ brand as did the cattle here in question ; that Blain did not know of the various transactions which Jones had had with plaintiff bank; that the plaintiff bank loaned $6,000 to Jones on April 21, 1951, and took from him the chattel mortgage on the 51 head of cows here in question on Jones’s representation that he owned the cows; that the loan was made solely on the strength of Jones’ credit and not by reason of any acts, representations, or conduct of Blain; that the bank made no inquiry before loaning the money to see whether or not Jones really owned the cattle he was mortgaging to the bank; that the bank renewed the note in August, 1951; that thereafter the plaintiff learned that Jones was no longer at the ranch, and upon making inquiry of the new ranch foreman learned that Jones had no cattle on the ranch; that on or about June 27, 1951, at the request of Blain Jones and his wife deeded the ranch back to Blain and that Jones left the ranch a short time thereafter; that Blain learned about the mortgage to plaintiff bank sometime in May, 1951, but did not advise the bank that he, not Jones, was the owner of the cows until upon inquiry from the bank his ranch foreman so advised the bank.

The controverted evidence is that defendant Jones claimed that he went on the ranch in 1942 under an agreement with Blain that at some time to be fixed by Blain he and his wife would be given the ranch and cattle thereon; that in January, 1950, Blain told Jones he didn’t want to be bothered with the ranch any longer and that from then on the ranch and all the livestock would belong to Jones and his wife; that thereafter Jones treated the cattle as if he owned them himself, buying and selling the cattle, buying feed and incurring other expenses in connection with their maintenance; that in October, 1950, he borrowed $6,400 from Clinton Production Company, giving a mortgage on some calves as security therefor, and used some of the money to buy cattle, some to buy feed, and some to buy a new automobile and a new truck for himself; that in April, 1951, he borrowed $6,000 from plaintiff bank, intending to buy some cattle, but being unable to buy the cattle he applied $5,000 of the money in paying off his note and mortgage with Clinton Production Company and expended the balance on expenses incurred at the ranch'; that he had borrowed money twice at Wellington State Bank, in which Blain owned some stock, upon Blain’s authorization, giving as security a mortgage on some of Blain’s cattle, and had borrowed from Clinton Production Company upon Blain’s authorization so to do; that'he had never asked for nor obtained permission to borrow money for Blain from plaintiff bank; that he considered he owned the cows when he borrowed the money from the plaintiff bank and gave the mortgage in' question.

Blain’s evidence, however, tends to show that he hired Jones to run the ranch as a ranch foreman at a salary of $75 per month in 1942; that he never made an agreement, as alleged by Jones, to give Jones the ranch and cattle; that he never at any time authorized Jones to borrow money and mortgage his cattle ás security therefor; that he paid all the expenses on the ranch at" all times, introducing numerous cancelled checks in corroboration; that at times he allowed Jones to sell some cattle and retain the proceeds to use in defraying expenses on the ranch; that in about October, 1950, Jones asked to borrow $300 or $400 and he told Jones that he did not have the money to lend; that Jones then said that' he could get that much on his open note with Clinton Production Company; that he did not learn that Jones had borrowed $6,400 from Clinton Production Company and had giveii a mortgage on some calves as security until about May, 1951, when he asked Jones about it; that he thereafter learned of the [208]

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Related

Atchison, T. & S. F. Ry. Co. v. W. B. Johnston Grain Co.
113 F. Supp. 396 (W.D. Oklahoma, 1953)

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Bluebook (online)
1954 OK 272, 276 P.2d 205, 1954 Okla. LEXIS 661, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/blain-v-first-national-bank-in-wellington-texas-okla-1954.