Brown v. Knox

261 S.W. 791, 1924 Tex. App. LEXIS 936
CourtCourt of Appeals of Texas
DecidedApril 17, 1924
DocketNo. 1633.
StatusPublished
Cited by5 cases

This text of 261 S.W. 791 (Brown v. Knox) 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
Brown v. Knox, 261 S.W. 791, 1924 Tex. App. LEXIS 936 (Tex. Ct. App. 1924).

Opinion

HIGGINS, J.

Appellant instituted' this suit, by petition in the usual form of trespass to try title, to recover certain tracts of land described in his petition, aggregating approximately 6,81314 acres of land.

Appellee, in his first amended original answer, presented the following defenses:

First. A disclaimer of all right, title, and interest in an undivided one-half of the lands described in the appellant’s petition.

Second. Appellee alleged that he was the owner of the other undivided one-half interest in said land and entitled to the possession of same by reason of the facts set out in the answer: He admitted that, on December 20, *792 19-21, he made, executed, and delivered to the appellant a deed of conveyance to an undivided one-half interest in the lands described, but alleged that this deed of conveyance was given as security for a debt that he was then due the appellant; that, if he should be mistaken in the fact that it was given for a debt to secure the appellant, then he alleged that it was a “conditional deed” and that the ap-pellee had until the 1st day of June, 1923, in which to pay off all indebtedness due Brown and redeem the land. In the same connection, he alleged that the deed was given as security, but, if mistaken as to this fact, then that the same was a conditional deed, with right in the appellee to redeem the same on or before the 1st of June, 1923. Ho further alleged that, at the time of the execution and delivery of the deed to the appellant, the latter executed an instrument in favor of the api)ellee, by the terms of which the appellant agreed with the appellee and his wife, Mary Knox, that appellant would reconvey the lands to them on or before June 1, 1923, in case the appellee, Knox, repaid the amount due the appellant at the time of the execution of said deed in December, 1921; that, at the time of conveying the undivided one-half interest in the land,'the appellee also executed and delivered a bill of sale to the horses and cattle, but that he had the right, on or-before June 1,1923, to redeem his half interest in all the cattle, horses, and land by paying the full amount- due said Brown, as set forth in the agreement.

Appellee further averred that he had paid Brown the full amount due him and exercised his option to take back his undivided one-half interest in said land, said payment to the appellant being made in the following manner: That, long prior to the time said deed was made in December, 1921, the ap-pellee sold to Brown an undivided one-half interest in his ranch in Nolen county, Ter., being the land described in appellant’s petition, and that there was a balance due by the appellant to the appellee on running expenses of said ranch and on the purchase price of said first undivided one-half interest, which balance, calculated to the date of the deed and option contract, amounted to $4,018.51. Further that, on account of the purchase by appellant from appellee of the second undivided one-half interest in said ranch and cattle, there was still a further sum due by appellant to appellee of $11,003.-11, which, added- to the former balance above mentioned, made a total of $15,021.62 alleged -to be due by appellant to appellee; that appellant had executed his note for $10,000, leaving a balance due to appellee of $5,021.-. 62. Further that, in the spring of 1922, after the appellee had executed his deed to the second undivided one-half interest ’ in the horses and cattle, he sold to the appellant his right to one-half of the cattle 'on the ranch, which he had the right to redeem by the 1st of June, 1923, “said Brown agreeing to pay him the sum of $26,687.50, which said amount should be credited on the amount which said Brown paid to said Knox in the fall of 1921, and which amount fully pays off, everything which the said Knox is due the said Brown, and said Knox is entitled to a reconveyance to him of the lands herein described.” It appears from the foregoing that appellee contended that he had repaid to appellant the amount required under the option agreement to repurchase the property by applying for that purpose the said alleged items of indebtedness, $5,021.62 and $26,-6S7.50.

Appellee further attached to his answer, as an exhibit, what purported to be an itemized and complete statement of the entire account between him and the appellant during the years 1920 and 1921, and up to the time the deed, bill of sale, and option agreement were executed and delivered.

Appellant filed his first supplemental petition, consisting of a general demurrer a.nd certain special demurrers; also, detailed allegations of fact, setting out the state of the accounts between the parties from the time appellant bought the first one-half interest in the ranch, and showing an agreement of settlement between the parties in December, 1921; also, allegations that appellee had never repaid to the appellant any of the moneys furnished him - and had never paid anything to redeem or repurchase his one-half interest in the ranch; allegations that, if the settlement between the parties, made in December, 1921, should be set aside and inquiry made into the partnership accounts, then that appellee would be found to be due to the appellant large sums of money to be taken into account as against any indebtedness alleged by the appellee against the appellant.

Appellee filed his first supplemental answer consisting of certain demurrers, a general denial, and a special denial that there was any adjustment and settlement between appellant and appellee in December, 1921. Further, that the bill of sale of the cattle, executed in December, 1921, was intended by the parties as a mortgage to secure certain indebtedness mentioned in the answer, and was not intended or given as an absolute sale of said cattle; but, if defendant should be mistaken, then that, in any event, he had the right and option to redeem or repurchase the cattle at any time on or before June 1, 1923, on the agreed or estimated value of $33,000, or the sum of $16,500 fpr a one-half interest therein, the time under said option contract not having as yet expired. Said supplemental answer contained other allegations of fact which it is not necessary to set out at this time.

The case was submitted to the jury on special issues; the issues, the instructious of *793 title court in connection therewith, and the verdict of the jury being as follows:

Question No. 1. After full accounting between the plaintiff and the defendant from the date of their partnership up to June 1, 1922, did the plaintiff owe the defendant upon such accounting any sum of money? Answer yes or no. No.
In determining this question you will not consider the $10,000 note given by plaintiff to the defendant, and you will not consider the indebtedness assumed or paid off by the plaintiff in December, 1921, at the time the defendant Knox and his wife executed deed and bill of sale to the plaintiff, and you will not consider the question as to whether or not there was any deal btween the plaintiff and the defendant as to the cattle in May or June, 1922.
Question No. 2. If you answer the foregoing question in the affirmative, then state what amount the plaintiff is now due the defendant, if any, upon such accounting. Ajnswer: •$-. Nothing.
Question No. 8.

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Related

Smith v. Jaggers
16 S.W.2d 969 (Court of Appeals of Texas, 1929)
Knox v. Brown
8 S.W.2d 280 (Court of Appeals of Texas, 1928)
Knox v. Brown
277 S.W. 91 (Texas Commission of Appeals, 1925)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
261 S.W. 791, 1924 Tex. App. LEXIS 936, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/brown-v-knox-texapp-1924.