Brooks Supply v. Senter Bros. Co.

245 S.W. 101, 1922 Tex. App. LEXIS 1393
CourtCourt of Appeals of Texas
DecidedOctober 25, 1922
DocketNo. 1941.
StatusPublished
Cited by6 cases

This text of 245 S.W. 101 (Brooks Supply v. Senter Bros. Co.) 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 v. Senter Bros. Co., 245 S.W. 101, 1922 Tex. App. LEXIS 1393 (Tex. Ct. App. 1922).

Opinion

HUFF, C. J.

This is an appeal from a judgment overruling appellant Brooks Supply Company’s plea of privilege to be sued in the county of its residence, Jefferson county, Tex. The contract upon which the issues are to be determined is, in substance, as follows:

“July 5, 1919.
“The Brooks Supply Company has this day sold to the undersigned purchaser, at Beaumont, Texas, upon the terms stated herein, payable at its office in the city of Beaumont, the supplies and material listed below. It is understood that the same has been inspected by the purchaser and accepted but until paid for it remains the property of the seller:
Cask draft.$4,984 55
A demand draft against S/O B/I<. 4,484 55
Cash deposit on boiler. 500 00
$9,960 10”

The contract was made with Mr. H. J. Peterson, providing for several articles, some of which were to be obtained from other parties. The contract had attached to it a long *102 list of tile material to be shipped under the contract. The material is treated by the parties as constituting a rotary drilling outfit. As part of the contract the following is included:

“Send draft through First National Bank of Burkburnett, shipping instructions to be at Iowa Park, unless advised otherwise.”

An assignment, dated Houston, Tex., July S, 1919, is indorsed on the contract, reciting:

“In consideration of the payment to me by E. G. Senter of the sum of $4,984.55, made by taking up my check given to the Brooks Supply Company of Beaumont, for said sum, and of the further sum of $1,030.00 paid by his personal check on the American Exchange National Bank of Dallas, and of his assumption of demand draft for $4,4S4.55, by said Brooks Supply Company, I hereby assign, bargain, sell, convey and deliver unto the said E. G. Senter the machinery and equipment described in the within agreement and represent that the same is wholly free from liens or incumbrances of any sort, except the amount represented by said draft by the Brooks Supply Company for $4,484.55. I further swear the matters above stated are true.
“[Signed] H. J. Peterson.”

This was acknowledged before a notary. E. G. Senter was acting for the appellees, Senter Bros. & Co., and purchased the contract for them. He paid the money as stipulated in the assignment. Before doing so, and at the time, he called up the appellant company, and procured their consent to substitute the appellees for Peterson in the contract, or consent that Peterson could assign the contract to appellees. After considerable delay the appellant shipped the machinery called for in the contract to the appel-lees consigned to Iowa Park, as stipulated in the contract, and drew a draft on them for the amount called for in the contract, $4,484.55, with bill of lading attached, but sending it to the City National Bank of Wichita Falls, Tex. By agreement had between appellant and appellees before shipment it was agreed to send the draft through the City National Bank instead of the Burk-burnett National Bank. After the draft was in the bank and the goods shipped on September 4th, the appellant wired appellees that it was advised by the bank at Wichita Falls that the draft was still unpaid; if not paid by noon the next day, it would have the car returned, and appellees would forfeit the payment made. After receiving this wire the appellees paid the draft, and took up the bill of lading which was attached to it The appellees’ place of business and residence was Wichita county. That Iowa Park and Burkburnett are both situated in Wichita county. The pleadings admit that appellant’s domicile was at Beaumont, Jefferson county, Tex. Based on- the contract and assignment, the appellees instituted suit in one of the district courts of Wichita county, Tex., alleging they were partners, doing business in that county; that H. J. Peterson was a resident of Wichita county, and that appellant, Brooks Supply Company, a corporation, was domiciled and doing business in the city of Beaumont, Jefferson county. The contract as originally executed was alleged, and its assignment by Peterson to appellees before its attempted performance. With particularity the failure on the part of the appellant to ship immediately or within a reasonable time the rotary drill and articles called for in the contract was alleged. A wrongful delay and consequent damages of several thousand dollars was alleged.

Within the proper time the appellant filed its plea of privilege to be- sued in the county of its business residence, Jefferson county, Tex. In-its plea appellant alleges it is a corporation, duly incorporated and' domiciled in Jefferson county, Tex; that none of the exceptions provided for under article 1830 existed, authorizing suit in a county other than its residence. It further set up the first two clauses of the contract, requiring payment in Beaumont, Tex., and that the machinery until paid for remained the property of the appellant; that H. J. Peterson was made a party for the sole purpose of giving the court jurisdiction in Wichita county, Tex.; that the effort to join Peterson is not predicated upon facts which would sustain jurisdiction, but was done for the. fraudulent purpose of giving the court jurisdiction over the person of appellant.

The appellees controverted the plea of privilege by sworn controversy, and alleged that Peierson resided in Wichita county; that the contract was made between appellant and Peterson, and transferred by Peterson to E. C. Senter, one of the appellees, who was acting for the appellees in its purchase; that by reason of the facts and the facts set up in the original petition, they have a cause of action against all the defendants by reason of the breach of the contract alleged; that by reason of the contract pleaded, setting out the two provisions set up by the appellant, and after notice of the assignment to appellees, the appellant shipped the machinery to Iowa Park to their own or shipper’s order, with draft attached, upon appellee for $4,594, which was sent to the City National Bank of Wichita Falls; that before the draft was paid appellant asserted ownership and control of the drilling outfit by a threatening-telegram ; that it is thus shown by the contract and by telegram that the contract was to be partly performed and completed in Wichita county; that appellant did agree orally with one of the appellees to draw the draft through the City National Bank of Wichita county, Wichita Falls, upon appel-lees, and the draft was so drawn and paid at the bank.

*103 It was urged in the court helow the appellees, and the proposition is present-fed in this court, that the delay in presenting the plea in the court below was a waiver of the plea of privilege. Without setting out the facts on that issue, we have reached the conclusion the trial court would not have been justified in finding a waiver of the plea, and that he properly overruled appellees’ motion, which in effect asked the court not to consider or hear the plea of privilege because of waiver on account of delay. by

We do not think joining Peterson with appellant in the suit in Wichita county gave jurisdiction therein against appellant under subdivision 4 of article 1830.

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Bluebook (online)
245 S.W. 101, 1922 Tex. App. LEXIS 1393, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/brooks-supply-v-senter-bros-co-texapp-1922.