Cartwright v. Flatt

244 S.W.2d 523, 1951 Tex. App. LEXIS 1803
CourtCourt of Appeals of Texas
DecidedNovember 28, 1951
DocketNo. 2978
StatusPublished
Cited by3 cases

This text of 244 S.W.2d 523 (Cartwright v. Flatt) 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
Cartwright v. Flatt, 244 S.W.2d 523, 1951 Tex. App. LEXIS 1803 (Tex. Ct. App. 1951).

Opinion

TIREY, Justice.

H. T. 'Cartwright brought this suit against J. W. Flatt, J. E. Roten and W. E. Henderson. His suit against Flatt was based on the unpaid balance on a promissory note in the principal sum of $1,468.13, executed by Flatt and his wife to him and secured by chattel mortgage on the 1949 cotton crop of Flatt. He sought recovery against Roten and Henderson for conversion of the cotton covered by said chattel mortgage. He did not ask for foreclosure of his mortgage. The court overruled Cartwright’s motion for instructed verdict

The jury in its verdict found substantially (1) that at the time of the execution of the note by Flatt to Cartwright that Cartwright agreed to advance to Flatt a certain sum of money in the future, and (2, 3 and 4) at the time of the execution of the note Flatt was indebted to Cartwright, and that such note was given by Flatt partly for money owed by him to 'Cartwright, and (5) that Cartwright consented to a sale of the cotton in question. The court overruled Cartwright’s motion for judgment non obstante veredicto and granted defendants’ motion for judgment on the verdict of the jury and awarded judgment in favor of plaintiff Cartwright against Flatt for the unpaid balance on the note, interest and attorney’s fees, and decreed that plaintiff take nothing against defendants Roten and Henderson. Cartwright seasonably filed motion for new trial, which was overruled, and thereafter perfected his appeal.

[524]*524Appellant has assailed the judgment on what he designates as eight points. Points 3 to 7 inclusive in effect assail Special Issue No. 5 and the jury’s answer thereto. Special Issue No. 5 was: “Do you find from-a preponderance of the evidence that H. T. Cartwright -consented to the sale of the cotton in question,” to which the jury answered “Yes.” Appellant says that the evidence was insufficient to tender such issue and that it was likewise insufficient to sustain an affirmative answer thereto, and that plaintiff’s consent did not constitute a waiver of his mortgage lien or an estoppel to assert his lien in the absence of a finding that such consent was given unconditionally and that it was so communicated to defendants Roten 'and Plenderson, and by reason thereof the -court should have granted appellant’s motion for judgment non obstante veredicto. A statement is necessary.

Appellant makes no complaint as to the judgment rendered in his favor against Flatt and 'his only complaint here is that the court failed to render judgment in his ■behalf against defendants Roten and Henderson. The sole basis of his relief against Roten and Henderson is a suit for conversion of mortgaged cotton. Evidence was tendered to the effect that defendant Flatt had been closely associated with the plaintiff since about 1941. During the year 1949 Flatt subleased on the halves the Bill Roten farm from J. E. Roten, one of the defendants herein. Flatt and his wife and children worked for plaintiff at different times nearly every year during the period from 1941 through 1949. They visited in each other’s homes on numerous occasions and were closely associated. Plaintiff had owed Flatt money at different times and on several occasions went on notes for Flatt and later paid them off. In January, 1949, Flátt and his wife executed to plaintiff the note in suit, and also executed a chattel mortgage securing such note covering the 1949 cotton crop on the Bill Roten farm. At that time plaintiff owed about $5,000 to other parties not pertinent here. Plaintiff had already mortgaged all of his equipment to these other parties and the note and mortgage in suit were given by Flatt to plaintiff so that plaintiff could obtain funds to make a down payment on a farm. Evidence was also tendered to the effect that plaintiff assured the Flatts that he, plaintiff, would pay off the note before it was due, and further assured them that the note would never bother them. In September, 1949, Flatt paid to plaintiff $50 from the sale of the first bale of -cotton and plaintiff knew that the money -came .from the sale of the cotton. Throughout the Fall of 1949 it became necessary for Flatt to get pickers to pick the cotton and it was likewise necessary for him to sell the cotton so that he could pay for the picking, and we think it is pertinent here to quote in question and answer form a part of plaintiff’s testimony:

“Q. Mr. Cartwright, is Mr. Flatt a man of considerable means? A. Off handed, I wouldn’t t-hink so.
“Q. What money was he to pay you this note out of that claim that he owed you? A. What money?
“Q. Yes, sir. A. He was to pay me out of that -cotton crop.
“Q. And he was to sell the cotton crop to get the money to pay you, was he not? A. Well, I guess he was. How could he get it, if he didn’t. * * *
“Q. Did you know he was gathering his crop over there? A. When?
“Q. During the time he was gathering it? A. Sure. The .fact of the business is I made four or five trips to Ft. Worth to get him help to help him get that cotton o-ut so I could get some money, but I never did get it.
“Q. You knew he was gathering his -crop and selling it? A. I figured it, -but I never did see anything to know it.
“Q. Of course, you were interested in getting your money off your mortgaged cotton, weren’t you? A. Sure I was.
“Q. And when you got your first $50.00 off of his cotton, did you ever ask him for more money? A. Well, I made several trips over there to collect.
“Q. Who did you think he was selling it to during that time? A. To Mr. Henderson -and Mr. Roten.
[525]*525“Q. He told you that, didn’t he? A. No. He told me that they bought it at the place. * * *
“Q. Didn’t you know if you sat by and let Mr. J. W. Flatt sell your mortgaged cotton to Mr. Roten and Mr. Henderson that was going to bring on trouble unless you said something about it and stopped it? A. No, I didn’t know.it. I figured the ■boy would pay me when he sold his cotton.
“Q. Mr. Cartwright, what was your understanding with Mr. Flatt about how and when you were going to foe paid? A. On this note you mean ?
“Q. Yes. A. It was supposed to come out of the cotton. * * *
“Q. How did he know that he was supposed to bring the money to you as soon as he had sold the cotton? A. I told him — the Bank notified him the note was up there for collection, and I wouldn’t have to know a word about when he made a deposit there for me, or anybody.
“Q. Mr. Cartwright, did you ever have an understanding with Mr. Flatt as to the details and procedure of when and 'how he was to pay you that note? A. No, nothing more than out of the cotton, and I told him when I done it, ‘Jesse, this is borrowed money, I will have to have my money because I have got to pay it back to the fellow I owe it to.’
“Q. And he was to pay you as soon as the cotton was sold? A. I would take it that way, how would you take it?
“Q. That is the way you and he took it, wasn’t it? A. That is the way I took it.”

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Bluebook (online)
244 S.W.2d 523, 1951 Tex. App. LEXIS 1803, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/cartwright-v-flatt-texapp-1951.