Brooks Supply Co. v. First State Bank of Electra

292 S.W. 631
CourtCourt of Appeals of Texas
DecidedFebruary 18, 1927
DocketNo. 474.
StatusPublished
Cited by2 cases

This text of 292 S.W. 631 (Brooks Supply Co. v. First State Bank of Electra) 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
Brooks Supply Co. v. First State Bank of Electra, 292 S.W. 631 (Tex. Ct. App. 1927).

Opinion

BARCUS, J.

The First State Bank of Electra, hereafter called bank, filed this suit against E. L. Gallinger, J. N. Groesbeck, and appellant Brooks Supply Company, a corporation, seeking judgment on a note for $2,-500, with interest and attorney’s fees, which Gallinger had executed to it, and alleged that it had a mortgage on “one complete Lueey special drilling rig, with 2,200 feet of drill pipe and tool joints,” and that the defendants had converted'said‘property to their use and benefit and by reason thereof each of them was liable. Gallinger answered, admitting the execution of the note and mortgage, and, by way of cross-action against his codefendants Groesbeck and Brooks Supply Company, alleged that they had converted the property to- their use and benefit, and prayed for judgment ovdr against them for his damages, and prayed that after the bank’s debt was satisfied the remainder be paid to him. Groesbeck filed a general demurrer and general denial. Appellant, Brooks Supply Company, filed a general demurrer, special exceptions, general denial, and specially pleaded that it had purchased from Groesbeck for value without any notice of said mortgage, and, in the event judgment was rendered against it, asked for judgment against Groesbeck. The cause was tried to -a jury, submitted on special issues, and resulted in a judgment being rendered against appellant for $6,275.95 and in favor of the bank for $3,933.63, same to be paid out of the amount awarded to Gallinger, and in favor of Brooks Supply Company against Groesbeck for any sum it whs required to pay. Brooks Supply Company alone has appealed.

Appellant complains of the action of the trial court in "overruling its general demurrer and special exceptions to the cross-action filed against it by Gallinger for conversion of the property. It also contends that the description of the property in the mortgage held by appellee bank was not sufficient to identify same. These identical questions were raised with reference thereto on the former appeal of this case (279 S. W. 524), and we there held against appellant’s contentions on said issues. The pleadings and evidence relative thereto are the same. We see no reason for changing that part of our former opinion and appellant’s assignments raising these issues are overruled.

Appellant complains of the action of the trial court in awarding interest to appellees on the amount which the jury found *632 the drilling rig was worth. We sustain this assignment. The cause was submitted to the jury, and it found the market value of the respective parts constituting the drilling rig at the date same was converted by appellant, •and the court added thereto $1,206.65 as interest that had accrued prior to the date of judgment.

It is ,a well-established principle of law that interest in a suit for tort is not recoverable eo nomine, but is recoverable, if at all, only as a portion of the damages. In order to recover interest as damages, the pleadings must support same, and where the cause is tried to a jury said question should be passed on by it. Appellee Gallinger in his cross-action against appellant alleged’ that appellant had converted the drilling rig to its use and benefit, and that by reason thereof he had sustained damages in the sum of $9,000, and he prayed “for judgment for $9,000, interest and costs, and for general and special relief.” There was no issue with reference to appellees’ right to recover interest submitted to the jury. Gallinger in his pleadings did not ask for interest from the date of the conversion. His cross-action was filed' March 10, 1921, and he alleged the property had been converted on June 28, 1922. He alleges his damages were $9,000, for which he prayed judgment, with interest. Our Supreme Court has in a number of cases construed pleadings very similar to this to mean- that the interest was only asked for from the date judgment was rendered, and not from the time the cause of action accrued; and in the same cases the Supreme Court has held that interest is recoverable only as an item of damage and that, where the cause is submitted to a jury, it is a question for the jury alone to determine. Pecos & N. T. Ry. Co. v. Rayzor, 106 Tex. 544, 172 S. W. 1103; Texas Electric Ry. v. Greenhill, 112 Tex. 419, 247 S. W. 840; St. L. S. W. Ry. Co. v. Seale & Jones (Tex. Com. App.) 267 S. W. 676; Wichita Valley Ry. Co. v. Brown (Tex. Civ. App.) 274 S. W. 305 (writ dismissed); Standard Accident Ins. Co. v. Stanaland (Tex. Civ. App.) 285 S. W. 878 (writ refused). We do not think the court was authorized, either by the pleadings or by the findings of the jury, to render judgment for the interest that accrued before the cause was tried.

Appellant complains of the action of the trial court in rendering judgment for the market value as found by the jury of the following items: Cones, $100; 400 feet two-inch-pipe, $70; steam gauge, $10; pop-ofC valve, $10; overshot fishing tool, $175; pipe overshot fishing tool, $35; one water pump, $20; one water pump, $30; rotary hose, $50; manifold, .$25; and drill collar, $35; totaling $560.00 — because none of said items are supported by the pleadings, and because it is not shown that appellant at any time received any of said items. We sustain these assignments. G-'allinger in his-pleadings alleged that the drilling rig which had been converted by appellant consisted of approximately 2,200 feet of drill pipe, draw works, rotary slips, bushings, Hill tong,. Eureka tong, mudhog pump, Bucey special pump, Acme boiler, Ajax engine, hoops, drill line, suction pipe, Huges roller bit, 3 boxes-extra bits, Moon generator, elevators, 16-inch tongs, brake band linings, Kelly joint, traveling block, crown block, boiler, and all small fittings belonging thereto. The record shows-that this list is an exact copy of the items as described in the bill of sale which appellant received from Groesbeck at the time it purchased the drilling rig in question, except the bill of sale states “drill pipe” and the pleadings state “approximately 2,200 feet of drill pipe.” None of the items above complained of are embraced in said list or in said bill of sale, unless it could be said •that they, were embraced in the phrase, “and all small fittings belonging thereto.” We do not think said items could be construed as .embraced under said phrase. In addition, there is no evidence that appellant received any of said items. Appellee Gallinger testified that “there was a number of small fittings and attachments that belonged to the rig and used with it that were not listed in the bill of sale,” and then describes the items-above mentioned as some of the small fittings, but neither he nor any other witness testified that appellant received same. J. M. Hacker, who purchased and received the drilling rig for appellant as its agent, testified that they listed all the items which he-purchased for appellant, and that the phrase, “all small fittings belonging thereto,” meant and included pipe fitting, elbows, small valves, and such fittings used in making connections, and that the total value thereof would not exceed $10, and that they were of no value when offered for sale separately, and that their value was embraced in the-articles as listed.

Appellant complains of the finding of the jury that it received 2,200 feet of drill pipe. It contends that under the most favorable testimony for appellee the jury could not have found that it received more than 1,500 feet, and that by reason thereof there should be deducted from the judgment $180.-45, the value of the extra 700 feet as found by the jury. We sustain this assignment.

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