Cattlemen's Trust Co. of Ft. Worth v. Pruett

184 S.W. 716, 1916 Tex. App. LEXIS 351
CourtCourt of Appeals of Texas
DecidedMarch 9, 1916
DocketNo. 539.
StatusPublished
Cited by7 cases

This text of 184 S.W. 716 (Cattlemen's Trust Co. of Ft. Worth v. Pruett) 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
Cattlemen's Trust Co. of Ft. Worth v. Pruett, 184 S.W. 716, 1916 Tex. App. LEXIS 351 (Tex. Ct. App. 1916).

Opinion

WALTHALL, J.

This suit was filed by C. E. Pruett, in the district court of Presidio county, Tex., against the Cattlemen’s Trust Company of Ft. Worth, and the Texas Underwriters Company, on the 21st day of December, 1914. Plaintiff, in his petition, sought the cancellation of one note for $3,-750, dated August 2, 1913, payable to the Cattlemen’s Trust Company, which note plaintiff alleged had been renewed on August 2, 1914, on date of maturity, and extended to December 1, 1914. He also sought a cancellation of a note for $1,250, executed by plaintiff, payable to the Texas Underwriters Company, due August 2, 1914, which note was also renewed on August 2, 1914, and date of payment extended to t]ie 1st day of December, 1914.

Plaintiff alleged that at the time of the execution of the two notes, he subscribed for 250 shares of the capital stock of the Cattlemen’s Trust Company of Ft. Worth; that said stock was evidenced by certificate No. 220, attached to the renewal note for $3,750, as collateral security therefor. Plaintiff further alleged that said notes were given in full payment of the 250 shares of the capital stock of the Cattlemen’s Trust Company; that the stock was issued to the plaintiff and was the sole consideration for the said notes, by reason of which plaintiff alleged that the consideration for said notes and each of them was illegal, and that all of said acts were ultra vires and contrary to article 12, § 6, of the Constitution of the state of Texas and the statutes thereof, and that defendants, by reason thereof, had perpetrated' a fraud upon the plaintiff in Presidio county, where said notes and their renewals were executed. Plaintiff further alleged that J. B. Martin, *717 who acted as fiscal agent in taking his subscription for said stock for the purpose of selling him the said stock, represented to him that he was then offering the stock for sale at par value, to wit, $20 per share, and that said statements were false and fraudulent, in that the said stock represented a par value of only $10 per share, but that said statements were known to be entirely fraudulent by defendants; that said statements were material; that plaintiff relied wholly upon the said statements, and relied and acted thereon entirely in the several obligations alleged by him. Plaintiff offered to surrender 250 shares of stock for a cancellation of the said two notes, and prayed for an injunction, restraining the defendant from transferring or otherwise disposing of the said notes.

Each of the defendants filed its respective pleas of privilege to be sued in Tarrant county, Tex., both of which pleas were submitted to the jury on the trial of the case. Plaintiff filed reply to each of said pleas of privilege. On August ISth, defendants filed their original answer, consisting of a general denial of the allegations of the petition and specially answered as follows:

First. Defendants denied that any stock in defendant the Cattlemen’s Trust Company of Ft. Worth has ever been issued to plaintiff, but say that while a certificate of 250 shares of such stock was written up in the name of plaintiff, same was never signed officially by the president or vice president, and said certificate was so written up only for convenience, and to avoid keeping an account with plaintiff on the books of defendant trust company, and that such certificate of stock is now, and has at all times been, in th'e exclusive possession and control of defendant trust company, and neither such certificate of stock, nor any other certificate of stock in said company, by reason of plaintiff’s said subscription has ever been delivered to or given into the possession, control, or custody of plaintiff.

Second. Defendants alleged that the notes executed by plaintiff were given in connection with his subscription for stock in the trust company and as a part of the same transaction, and were given to evidence the time when, and the terms upon which, plaintiff was to pay for said stock, and not in full payment therefor, as alleged, and were executed and delivered upon the express condition and agreement that said stock so subscribed for was not to be delivered to plaintiff until said stock had been fully paid for, in accordance with said agreement; and that ■defendant trust company was ready at any time to deliver said stock to plaintiff upon his payment of the notes executed by him, by reason of which defendants denied that the consideration for said notes was or is illegal, or that there was any fraud perpetrated on plaintiff.

Third. Defendants denied all of th'e allegations as to the representations alleged by plaintiff as to the par value of the stock, and alleged that plaintiff knew, at the time he subscribed for the stock, that the par value of the same was $10 per share.

Fourth. Defendants further alleged that, after having acquired full knowledge th'at the par value of the stock in the trust company was not $20, as plaintiff alleged same was represented to him at the time he subscribed for same, plaintiffs and defendants, on or about August 2, 1914, made an agreement, whereby the notes originally executed and delivered to defendant trust company, for $3,750, due August 2, 1914, should be renewed, and plaintiff executed in renewal thereof his note for a' like amount, due December 1, 1914, and that plaintiff transferred and ,assigned to defendant underwriters company, all dividends accrued or to accrue December 1, 1914, on the stock subscribed for by plaintiff in defendant trust company, and that defendant trust company, as a party to said agreement and contract, did agree to extend, and did extend, the time of payment of plaintiff’s said note, by reason of which plaintiff ratified his said subscription contract and the notes given by him in connection therewith, waiving any fraud or invalidity of said contract, and is now estopped to seek to avail himself of the alleged representations as to the par value of said stock.

Plaintiff, by supplemental petition, denied all the allegations contained in the original answer, and further alleged that the notes were given in full payment for the 250 shares of stock; that it was understood and agreed, and the intention of the parties was that said stock should become the property of the plaintiff, if his subscription contract was not rejected within 20 days as provided, which was not done, but said stock was issued as evidenced by the said certificate No. 220, and that the same was placed with and pinned to his said notes as collateral security; that defendant trust company, its officers, agents, and representatives, have constantly treated and recognized plaintiff as a stockholder and owner of the said 250 shares of stock — they sent him notices of stockholders’ meetings, paid him dividends on said stock, and voted the same at stockholders’ meetings, etc.— whereby plaintiff alleged that the defendants are estopped to claim that he is not the owner of said stock and stockholder in the company, and that said stock has been issued.

Plaintiff further alleged that if he is mistaken .as to the issuance of the stock, then in that event the contract of subscription between him and defendants was unilateral and without mutual covenant, conditions, agreements, and options.

After the evidence on behalf of the plaintiffs in chief had been introduced and plaintiff rested, the defendants presented their mbtion for an instructed verdict in their favor, *718 which the court heard and overruled, and defendants excepted.

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Bluebook (online)
184 S.W. 716, 1916 Tex. App. LEXIS 351, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/cattlemens-trust-co-of-ft-worth-v-pruett-texapp-1916.