Chapman v. Rucker

275 S.W. 193, 1925 Tex. App. LEXIS 690
CourtCourt of Appeals of Texas
DecidedApril 25, 1925
DocketNo. 11152.
StatusPublished

This text of 275 S.W. 193 (Chapman v. Rucker) 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
Chapman v. Rucker, 275 S.W. 193, 1925 Tex. App. LEXIS 690 (Tex. Ct. App. 1925).

Opinion

BUCK, J.

Mrs. Birdie Rucker, joined by her husband, J. D. Rucker, brought suit against J. L. Chapman, banking commissioner of Texas, the State Banking Board of Texas, composed of said commissioner and W. A. Keeling, Attorney General, and C. V. Terrell, treasurer of Texas, and the Guaranty State Bank of Cleburne, alleging that on April 17, 1922, said Guaranty State Bank was duly incorporated under the banking laws of the state, with a capital stock of $100,000, and was duly admitted by the state banking board to the benefit and protection of the Bank Deposit Guaranty Law (Verntfn’s Sayles’ Ann., Civ. St. 1914, arts. 445 — 517) of the state of Texas, and that on said last-named date the plaintiff had on deposit in said bank the sum of $11,859.92, and that said deposits were noninterest bearing and unsecured.

Plaintiff further alleged that prior to the-time the Guaranty State Bank of Cleburne had received said deposits, the Traders' State Bank, of Cleburne, Tex., bad held some of her funds as an interest-bearing account, but that on December 5, 1921, she changed the nature of her account and deposits with said Traders’ State Bank from an interest-bearing account to an open account, and that subsequently the Guaranty State Bank purchased said Traders’ State Bank and became responsible for all the deposits of the Traders’ State Bank, and that there- . after said Guaranty State Bank had on de- | posit to the credit of the plaintiff the sum *194 of $11,859.92, and that it so had on the 4th day of April, 1923, when it was taken over by the banting commissioner of the state of Texas. The plaintiff further alleged that she had filed her claim with the banting commissioner for said amount, but that said claim had not been paid.

The defendant, J. L. Chapman, banking commissioner, for the Guaranty State Bank, filed a general demurrer and a general denial, and further pleaded that if any change in the nature of the deposits was made with any one other than the plaintiff, that plaintiff ratified all of said acts, if any, and accepted the benefits of same and is bound by the same. The state banking board answered to the same effect.

The cause was tried before a jury, and only one issue was submitted to it, which was:

“Rid the plaintiff, Mrs. Birdie Rucker, intend that the sum of $11,859.92, which she had on deposit in the Guaranty State Bank of Cle-burne, Tex., should be interest bearing or secured deposit?” '

The jury answered, “No.”

Judgment was accordingly entered awarding the plaintiff judgment against the banking commissioner and the state banking board and the Guaranty State Bank for $11,-859.92, from which the defendants have appealed. The plaintiff testified that she made various deposits with the Traders’ State Bank during the years 1920 and 1921; that on December 5, 1921, by reason of her daughter’s ’phoning her from high school that it was reported that the Traders’ State Bank was having a run made on it, she went down town, and to the bank, and gave a check on it as follows:

“Cleburne, Texas. Dec. 5, 1921.
“Traders’ State Bank Cleburne, Texas.
“Pay to the order of open account $13,954.50l, thirteen thousand nine hundred fifty-four and 50/100 dollars.
“[Signed] Mrs J. D. Rucker.
“[Stamped] Paid 12 — 5—21. . Interest.”

That she never changed her account at the Traders’ State Bank thereafter from an “open account” to an “interest-bearing account,” nor did she ever authorize the Guaranty State Bank after it took over the assets of the Traders’ State Bank, to change her account from an “open account” to an “interest-bearing account.” The statement of facts signed and certified by the trial judge provides:

“It is agreed by the plaintiffs and defendants, that the Guaranty State Bank of Cleburne, Tex. took over the assets and assumed the indebtedness of the Traders’ State Bank of Cleburne, Tex., and that it was organized under the state banking laws and was entitled to the protection of the guaranty fund of the state of Texas, and that the plaintiff, Mrs. Birdie Rucker, made out a claim for $11,000, and some odd dollars, sworn to as provided by law in due time, and that the same was rejected by the banking commissioner of the state of Texas.”

Wa think that appellant’s assignments 1, 2, 3, and 4, in effect attacking the verdict and judgment for insufficiency of evidence to support the finding of the jury that Mrs. Rucker had on deposit with the defendant bank the funds sued for, should be overruled.

The sixth assignment complains of the action of the trial court in overruling the motion of appellant for a new trial, by reason of a letter written by J. R. Nail from Carlsbad, N. M., to J. E. Stroop, Cleburne, Tex., which, in so far as is pertinent, is as follows:

“Dear Joe: Your letter reached me at Roswell Sunday and I received a similar letter from Judge Goodwin. This is the substance of my Rucker conversation. I was undertaking to sell him 44 acres of land adjoining his farm north of town. He told me that if we could agree on price that he would pay cash, provided he could get his wife sufficiently interested to take her money off of time deposit. We had practically agreed on everything the afternoon the Guaranty Bank closed. Late that afternoon, after the closing of the bank, I was in Floyd’s barber shop. The doctor came in and asked me if I would go out and talk to his wife and see if I could pacify her some, as she was’ dam near crazy. I went out to the car and had a conversation with both the doctor and Mrs. Rucker, I told her I was so sure that the bank would reopen, that I would take then-check against the time deposit, and go on with the sale, as per our former negotiations. I do not recall, that either of them, at the time made the statement that the money was on time deposit, but rather took it for granted. I wish you would please communicate this to Judge Goodwin, and I will write him that I have made you a statement covering the matter ”

A judgment was rendered May 20, 1924, and the amended motion' for new trial was overruled July 3, 1924. This letter from Mr., Nail was written on May 28th, and evidently received in due course of mail. The motion for new trial is not supported by affidavit of Mr. Nail to the effect that the facts set forth in his letter are. true, and apparently appellant’s attorneys had ample time to secure such affidavit if they thought it necessary.

J. K. Russell, one of appellee’s attorneys, testified on the hearing of defendant’s second amended motion for new trial, that J. R. Nail was a brother-in-law of J. E. Stroop; that J. E. Stroop had been closely connected with the liquidating agent 'of. the bank and officed with him, and was with him daily prior and up to the trial of this suit; that Mr. Goodwin, one of the attorneys for the banking commissioner, stated immediately after the verdict of the jury was brought in, that he was going to appeal this case on newly discovered evidence.

*195 H. L. Jennings testified that he was the liquidating agent of the Guaranty State Bank from April 29,1923, to May 1,1924, and that during a part of that time Mr. J. E. Stroop worked for him as an assistant.

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Bluebook (online)
275 S.W. 193, 1925 Tex. App. LEXIS 690, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/chapman-v-rucker-texapp-1925.