Byrne v. Williams

45 S.W.2d 336
CourtCourt of Appeals of Texas
DecidedDecember 16, 1931
DocketNo. 3693
StatusPublished
Cited by8 cases

This text of 45 S.W.2d 336 (Byrne v. Williams) 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
Byrne v. Williams, 45 S.W.2d 336 (Tex. Ct. App. 1931).

Opinion

HALL, C. J.

The appellee Williams sued C. A. Jacobson, H. E. Byrne, and W. A. Myrick. He alleged: That he was operating a machine shop at Lubbock, was a mechanic, artisan, and ma-terialman within the meaning of article 16, § 37, of the State Constitution; that about February 14, 1928, defendant Jacobson owned a certain 100 H. P. Nash gas engine and an auxiliary compressor, which are now in the milling plant of the Standard Milling Company'at Lubbock; that Jacobson desired to have said machine extensively overhauled and repaired and then installed in the plant of the Milling Company for the purposes of demonstration and sale to the company, and employed plaintiff to supply the necessary repairs, furnish the funds and service for the accomplishment of such end; that he furnished all labor, parts, material, services, and funds, as shown in the itemized account attached to the pleading, for which Jacobson promised to pay when the work was completed and the engine and compressor started ; that they were completed and started, on or about July 5, 1928.

He alleges, in the alternative, that if he is mistaken as to an agreed price, then that his services were reasonably worth the amount stated in the exhibit. That he was never paid any amount within a reasonable time, which he alleges to be February 8, 1929, nor since said time. That Jacobson verbally agreed at the time he employed plaintiff that, if the Milling Company failed to buy said machine, the plaintiff should have a lien upon the engine and compressor and all accessories ’to secure the amount due him for labor and material. That there is due him $414.82, together with interest from July 5, 1928.

That on or about March 8, 1928, Jacobson executed a chattel mortgage upon said engine and- equipment in favor of the defendant H. E. Byrne to secure what is recited to have been an indebtedness of $1,000, evidenced by Jacobson’s personal note due Byrne April 8, 1928. That plaintiff is informed and believes that Jacobson was not indebted to Byrne in any sum exceeding $400. That, at the time such mortgage was executed, Byrne had extended the full amount of credit for which the mortgage was taken as security, and therefore, if the lien is otherwise valid, it was given for a pre-existing indebtedness, either in whole or in part, and that Byrne [337]*337was fully aware of the contract with plaintiff and >plaintiff’s unpaid claim and lien upon the property, for which reason said chattel mortgage, if otherwise valid, is inferior and subordinate to the lien which plaintiff has against the property.

That thereafter, Byrne proceeded, or at least pretended, to foreclose his pretended mortgage lien upon the property by causing his attorneys to conduct some sort of an extrajudicial sale under the power conferred by said mortgage in which his attorneys as agents pretended, to buy said property for Byrne, which was afterwards sold by the latter to the defendant W. A. Myrick and transferred by bill of sale dated December 17,1928. That said Myrick is claiming title adverse to plaintiff’s lien and claim, and the other defendants are asserting some character of right or title to the property adverse to plaintiff.

That Byrne and his agents failed to comply with the terms of the chattel mortgage in foreclosing and pretending to sell the property, and, at the time Myrick bought it, he had knowledge of the plaintiff’s claim and lien and the nature thereof. That said property is and always has been of value greater than $500. That plaintiff has at all times kept said engine constantly in his possession as security for his debt.

He prays for judgment for the amount of his claim and for foreclosure of the lien, and in the alternative against Byrne and Myrick for conversion.

Byrne answered by general demurrer, several special exceptions, and alleged that plaintiff had furnished the material, repairs, and done the work for the purposes of demonstrating the engine at the milling plant, and that said work was done for the purposes of installing the engine for demonstration purposes only, which was not such work as was contemplated by section 37, art. 16 of the Constitution.

It is further alleged that, by the contract between Williams and Jacobson, the former was to have a verbal chattel mortgage upon the engine to secure his claim, which mortgage was accepted in lieu of the constitutional lien, and he is thereby estopped from claiming his constitutional lien.

Byrne further alleges that on March 8, 1928, he advanced money and other valuable consideration for which he received a note in the sum of $1,000, secured by a chattel- mortgage on the engine, which said note and mortgage were executed by Jacobson, who was doing business under the name of the Nash Gas Diesel Engine Company. That Jacobson represented that said engine was clear and free from all indebtedness and liens and that he, Jacobson, was the sole and complete owner of said' engine, upon which , representations Byrne accepted said note and mortgage; otherwise he would not have advanced any money under any circumstances. That according to the mortgage records of Lubbock county at that time, said engine was clear and free of all liens, and that he had no knowledge whatever of plaintiff’s claim. That plaintiff did not have any lien of record, nor did he have possession of said engine. He further alleges that if plaintiff ever had any character of lien he has lost and waived the same by failing to perfect it in accordance with the statutes of Texas, or to give notice, such as is required by law.

The case was submitted to a jury upon special issues as follows:

“(1) Did the defendant Byrne have notice of the claim of plaintiff Williams prior to acceptance of the mortgage from Jacobson to Byrne?” This was answered in the affirmative.
“(2) What is the value of labor performed and parts furnished, if any, by plaintiff Williams on the engine itself and its necessary auxiliary units?” Answered $406.64.
“(3) Did the plaintiff Williams retain possession of the engine at all times?” Answered “Yes.”

Judgment was rendered that plaintiff take nothing against Myrick; that he recover of Byrne and Jacobson, jointly and severally, $473.11; and that Byrne recover the same amount of Jacobson, all with interest at six per cent.

By the first proposition, appellant insists that the judgment should be reversed because of improper argument made by plaintiff's .attorney to the jury. The language objected to is as follows:

“Gentlemen of the jury, law and justice does not always jibe in a law suit, but I believe it will do so in thisi case. Let’s look at the justice in this case. W.e have poor old Williams here, a laborer, with grimey and greasy hands from toil in his machine shop. I believe he has to work harder for his .money than anybody, not excepting lawyers, and God knows that they have to work hard enough. I have read in the Good Book somewhere that a laborer is worthy of his hire. Now, gentlemen, the important issue in this case is Special Issue No. One. If Williams is to get his hire you must answer this Special Issue No. One Yes. If you answer it no, he will lose everything, and if you answer it yes, he will receive his hire. * * *
“Gentlemen, Jacobson is a transient person, he goes from place to place, he doesn’t live anywhere. Look at these depositions. They were taken in New York, and God knows where we could find him now.

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Bluebook (online)
45 S.W.2d 336, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/byrne-v-williams-texapp-1931.