Carter v. Richardson

315 S.W.2d 378, 1958 Tex. App. LEXIS 2158
CourtCourt of Appeals of Texas
DecidedJune 26, 1958
DocketNo. 3533
StatusPublished
Cited by3 cases

This text of 315 S.W.2d 378 (Carter v. Richardson) 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. Richardson, 315 S.W.2d 378, 1958 Tex. App. LEXIS 2158 (Tex. Ct. App. 1958).

Opinion

TIREY, Justice.

Appellee grounded his action on the failure of appellant to pay, according to their terms, two certain promissory notes, each in the principal sum of $10,000, and for the balance of the interest due and .owing on one note in the amount of $4,000, executed by appellant and delivered to ap-pellee; each of said notes being dated February 4, 1956, the $4,000 note being payable on April 4, 1956, one of the $10,000 notes being payable on July 4, 1956, and the other on February 4, 1957. Appellant entered a general denial and specially pleaded as a defense a total failure of consideration, and, in the alternative, a partial failure of consideration, and, in addition thereto, he filed a cross-action against ap-pellee. Trial was had without the aid of a jury, and at the conclusion of the evidence and hearing of oral argument the court found in favor of the appellee and against the appellant, and awarded to ap-pellee judgment on the notes sued upon, plus interest and attorney’s fees, and denied relief on the cross-action.

Appellant excepted to the decree and perfected his appeal to this court, and at the request of appellant the court filed findings of fact and conclusions of law. We quote the material parts:

“Findings of Fact
“1. That the notes sued upon were executed and delivered in the forms substantially as alleged.
“2. That plaintiff delivered to defendant 112,500 shares of National Consolidated Mining Corporation stock of Missouri and assigned his (plaintiffs) interest in mining claims on 215,860 acres of land in the State of Wyoming for which these notes were given.
“3. That issuance of the stock was not void.
“4. That prior to the assignment, plaintiff owned an undivided interest in said mining claims.
“5. That the instrument assigning said interest contained description whereby right, title and interest therein could be ascertained.
“Conclusion of Law
“That there was consideration for the notes.”

Appellant filed exceptions to the foregoing findings of fact and conclusion of law, which were overruled, and, in addition, also filed written request for further findings of fact and conclusions of law, and these requests were denied by the court. Appellant duly excepted.

Appellant assails the judgment entered on what he designates as nine points. They are substantially to the effect that the court erred in rendering judgment on the notes because (1 and 2) the notes were an integral part of a memorandum in writing, subject to the Statute of Frauds of the State of Texas and the State of Wyoming, and (3) because the court erred in finding that the instrument assigning interest in land contained description whereby right, title and interest could be ascertained; (4 and 5) because the undisputed evidence showed a total failure of consideration, or in all events a partial failure of consideration; (6) in finding that the issue of corporate stock was not void when the court in another finding of fact found that appellee owned an interest in the very lands that were supposed [380]*380to have furnished the sole consideration for the issuance of such corporate stock; (7, 8 and 9) that the court erred in rendering judgment denying a 'recovery to appellant for-monies paid on a void contract and in denying a recovery to appellant for monies paid where there was a failure of consideration, and in concluding as a matter of law that there was consideration for the notes.'

Since-this cause Was tried without the aid, of,a jury, we are bound by the following rule: “ ‘The rule is well settled that the judgment of a trial court will not he set aside if there is any evidence' of a probative nature to support it and a court of civil appeals cannot substitute its findings of fact for those of the trial court if there is any evidence in the record to sustain the trial court’s findings.’ See Cavanaugh v. Davis [149 Tex. 573], 235 S.W.2d 972, 977; Woodward v. Ortiz [150 Tex. 75], 237 S.W.2d 286. See also cases collated under 4 Texas Digest, Appeal & Error, See Wilson v. Teague Independent School Dist., Tex.Civ.App., 251 S.W.2d 263, 268 (writ ref.).

In Googins v. E. W. Hable & Sons, Tex.Civ.App., 237 S.W.2d 705, 707 (n. r. e.), writ certiorari denied 342 U.S. 944, 72 S.Ct. 556, 96 L.Ed. 702, this court held “that (a) absent a jury the court becomes the trier' of facts as well as the law, and his findings are equivalent to a jury verdict on special issues; and (b) that a reviewing court will not disturb the fact findings of the trial court, if there is some evidence of probative force to support the same, viewing the evidence in the light most- * * * favorable to him. See John Hancock Mutual Life Ins. Co. v. Stanley, Tex.Civ.App., 215 S.W.2d 416 (no writ history), points 1 and 2 and authorities there collated; see also Rule 296, Texas Rules of Civil Procedure, and authorities there collated.”

Moreover, since this suit involves a n action on promissory notes executed and delivered by appellant to appellee and payable to him in Texas (Art 5933, Vernon’s Ann.Civ.St), the action is controlled by our Negotiable Instruments Act; and since appellant interposed a plea of failure of consideration, and, in the alternative, a partial consideration,' Sections 24 and 25- of Art. -5933, V.A.C.S. are. applicable here. ■ ■

Section 24 provides: “Every negotiable instrument is deemed prima facie to have been issued for a valuable consideration; and every person whose signature appears thereon .to have become a party thereto for value.” Section 25 provides: “Value is any consideration sufficient to support a simple-contract. * *

Since the notes sued upon are negotiable instruments, they imply a consideration under the terms of Art. 5933 aforesaid. Moreover, since appellant sought to defeat these notes by a plea of total or partial failure of consideration, the burden rested upon him to prove the absence of all of the elements which in law constitute a valid consideration. See statement of the rule in Shaw v. McShane, Tex.Com.App., 50 S.W.2d 278; see also 6 Tex.Dig., Bills & Notes, See also Kliesing v. Del Barto, Tex.Civ.App., 282 S.W.2d 249 (n. r. e.). Our Supreme Court has not seen fit to change the rule there stated.

Returning now to a discussion of what we consider to be appellant’s main point, which is failure of consideration, it is important to view the factual situation, which-we believe is substantially without dispute. At the time the negotiations were' had between the parties hereto, appellant was a resident of Amarillo, Texas,' and appellee was a resident of Mexia, Texas.

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Bluebook (online)
315 S.W.2d 378, 1958 Tex. App. LEXIS 2158, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/carter-v-richardson-texapp-1958.