Carter v. Bacle

94 S.W.2d 817, 1936 Tex. App. LEXIS 569
CourtCourt of Appeals of Texas
DecidedMay 28, 1936
DocketNo. 4946.
StatusPublished
Cited by9 cases

This text of 94 S.W.2d 817 (Carter v. Bacle) 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
Carter v. Bacle, 94 S.W.2d 817, 1936 Tex. App. LEXIS 569 (Tex. Ct. App. 1936).

Opinion

JOHNSON, Chief Justice. '

By deed dated October IS, 1897, W. F. Abbey and wife, Flora Abbey, conveyed to Emma L. Carter and husband, John C. Carter, 310 acres of land located in Gregg county, Tex. After his death, Emma L. Carter had been adjudged insane, and while she was confined in a state insane asylum, John C. Carter conveyed the land to the following persons: To O. E. McWhorter, 112 acres, November 30, 1906; to J. R. Castleberry, 47.3 acres, October 13, 1913; to H. G. Green, 1S0.7 acres, October 30, 1926. At the time the 1S0.7 acres were conveyed to H. G. Green, he was married to Arrenva Green. The property was community property of H. G. Green and wifq, Arrenva Green. H. G. Green subsequently died, leaving minor children as his heirs. Ar-renva Green married J. W. Bade.

On January 16, 1932, still being in the asylum, Emma L. Carter by next friend, William A. Abbey, filed three suits, Nos. 8379-A, 8380-A, and 8381-A, in the district court of Gregg county, in‘ trespass to try title against the several owners, lessees, and holders of mineral interests in different subdivisions of the 310 acres of land. Cause No. 8381-A, styled Emma L. Carter, by Next Friend, William A. Abbey v. A. G. Green et al., was tried, and resulted in judgment for defendants, rendered upon findings of a jury. The case was appealed to this court, and the judgment of the trial court was affirmed. 64 S.W.(2d) 1069. A writ of error was refused, and the judgment of this court became final.

On October 29, 1934, causes Nos. 8379— A and 8380-A were consolidated and tried to a jury. Upon findings of the jury, judgment was rendered in favor of defendants. Plaintiff has' appealed, and has assigned numerous errors alleged to have been committed in the trial of the cause.

While the case has been pending on appeal, and on motions of appellant filed in this court, the appeal has been dismissed as to all the appellees except the surviving wife (Arrenva Green Bade) and children (sole heirs) of H. G. Green, deceased, and grantees of mineral interests under them. The appeal has also been dismissed on motion of appellant as to the children of H. G.' Green, deceased, and their guardian, leaving in the case as appellees Arrenva Green Bade, surviving wife of H. G. Green, and her present husband, J. W. Bade, and those claiming under her, and those claiming under the children of H. G. Green, deceased.

It appears that the case should be reversed because of improper statements made by attorneys for appellees in their arguments to the jury, unless an instructed verdict should have been given in favor of appellees upon their plea of res ad-judicata or estoppel by judgment; which contention is presented by appellees’ first counterproposition, reading as follows: “The pleadings and proof in this case having been shown that the defendant, Mrs. Arrenva Green Bade and her children, (being children and sole heirs of H. G. Green, deceased,) were parties defendant in the case of Carter, v. Green, No. 8381-A, and that Emma L. Carter, by next friend, William A. Abbey, was the plaintiff in both cases, and in the former suit the right and title of Mrs. Bade and her children to the property therein involved was attacked upon the identical grounds as are relied upon by the plaintiff in the present suit, and the right and title of Mrs. Bade and her children to the property involved in said former suit and in this suit rest upon the same deed and title and state of facts, and that the validity of said deed having been directly adjudicated against the plaintiff in said former suit and the identical issues sought to be raised herein were likewise raised and adjudicated against the plaintiff in said former suit, plaintiff was barred and estopped from again litigating such issues or the validity of such title as against Mrs. Bade and her children, and the court should have *819 instructed a verdict in favor of Mrs. Bade and her children and the defendants holding under them.”

It appears from the records of both cases that the grounds upon which appellant seeks recovery in this case are the same as relied upon and determined in the former case, No. 8381-A; namely, it being the contention of appellant in both cases:

“(1) That the deed dated October 15, 1897, from W. F. Abbey and wife, Flora Abbey, conveying the 3Í0 acres of land to Emma L. Carter and husband, John C. Carter, was a forgery.
“(2) That the land was purchased by Emma L. Carter with her separate funds before she married John C. Carter.
“(3) That the marriage contract between Emma L. Carter and John C. Carter was void, because, it is contended, Emma L. Carter was insane at the time the marriage ceremony was performed. Therefore, it is contended, the land was not community property of Emma L. Carter and husband, John C. Carter, but that it was in whole or in part the separate property of Emma L. Carter, and that John C. Carter had no right to convey it.”

The issues of fact were submitted in the former cause No. 8381-A in the following language:

“1. Do you find that W. F. Abbey signed and executed the deed dated October 15, 1897, purporting to convey the land in controversy in this case to' Emma L. Carter and husband, J. C. Carter ? Answer ‘Yes/ or ‘No/ as you find the facts to be.”
Answer: “Yes.”
“2. Do you find that Flora Abbey signed and executed the deed dated October 15, 1897, purporting to convey the land in controversy in this case to Emma Carter and husband, J. C. Carter ? Answer ‘Yes/ or ‘No/ as you find the facts to be.”
Answer: “Yes.”
“3. Do you find that the property described in plaintiff’s petition was purchased in whole or in part with the separate funds of Emma L. 'Carter? By ‘separate funds/ as used in this special issue, is meant any and all funds owned by Emma L. Carter on or before the date of her marriage to J. C. Carter. Answer ‘Yes/ or ‘No/ as you find the facts to be.”
Answer: “No.”
“4. Do you find that Emma L. Carter purchased the land in controversy during the year 1896 and before her marriage to J. C. Carter? Answer ‘Yes/ or ‘No/ as you find the facts to be.”
Answer: “No.”

The contention that the marriage contract was void (a collateral attack) was determined adversely to appellant in cause No. 8381-A [(Tex.Civ.App.) 64 S.W.(2d) 1069], on the assumption that insanity of Emma L. Carter at the time of her marriage was proven by evidence un-contradicted. This is here mentioned for the reason that it will be noted that the only change in the issues submitted in the two trials was that the issue of fact as to whether or not Emma L. Carter was insane at the time of her marriage to John C. Carter was submitted to the jury in the second trial.

In the present case the issues were submitted in the following language:

“Special Issue No. 1: Do you find from a preponderance of the evidence in this case that Emma L. Alexander at the time of her purported marriage to John C. Carter on December 16, 1896, was mentally incapable of comprehending and understanding the marriage contract and relation and the reciprocal and mutual duties and obligations thereof? Answer ‘Yes/ or ‘No/ as you find the facts to be.” '

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Bluebook (online)
94 S.W.2d 817, 1936 Tex. App. LEXIS 569, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/carter-v-bacle-texapp-1936.