Childress v. Pyron

285 S.W. 1100, 1926 Tex. App. LEXIS 1004
CourtCourt of Appeals of Texas
DecidedJune 2, 1926
DocketNo. 7588.
StatusPublished
Cited by6 cases

This text of 285 S.W. 1100 (Childress v. Pyron) 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
Childress v. Pyron, 285 S.W. 1100, 1926 Tex. App. LEXIS 1004 (Tex. Ct. App. 1926).

Opinion

COBBS, J.

Appellees sued appellant for rescission and cancellation of a trade made between the Pyrons and Childress on or about December 22, 1923. Pyron traded to Childress a store and confectionery business in Aransas Pass for the transfer to appellees of a 640-acre section of land in Brewster county. As part of the trade Childress assumed to pay the debts of appellee against the business, and appellees delivered their note to Childress in the sum of $2,000, which note appellant transferred to appellee Ull-anann, Stern & Krausse, Inc., as collateral to secure a debt of Childress held by the said corporation. The cause of action was predicated upon certain fraudulent, false representations made by appellant, Childress, to appellee Pyron to bring about the sale and exchange of the property upon which appellee relied.

The cause was tried with a jury upon special issues, which were found in favor of appellees, upon which the court entered judgment cancelling said note and allowing a money judgment against Childress, from which judgment Childress brings his -appeal to this court.

The first complaint or proposition of appellant is as to the following special issue given to the jury:

.“Did the defendant, H. B. Childress, during negotiations leading up to the trade between *1101 plaintiffs and defendant, and prior to the con-' summation of said trade, make any material false representations of fact to plaintiffs, or either of them, with the intention of him, the said Childress, of having said plaintiffs rely on such false representations? Answer this question ‘Yes’ or ‘No.’ ”

Appellant contends that the issue was erroneous, because in such question the jury was authorized to consider any misrepresentation, whether pleaded or not.

The right of recovery is based upon the fraud of appellant that induced the trade; misrepresentations with reference to the'value and character of .the Brewster county land, for the exchange of a stock of goods and a $2,000 note. The petition pleaded several different material facts employed by appellant, Childress, to secure the trade, such as that the tract of land in Brewster county was a very valuable tract of land and in a highly improved condition, and went into details in mentioning some of the acts of fraud and misrepresentations, such as that “his equity in said tract of land was worth at least $10 per acre in addition to the amount due the state,” and it was averred that appellees relied upon all these statements and misrepresentations, which caused him to enter into the trade.

The testimony showed that Childress stated the 640 acres abutted the Rio Grande river, with 35 or 40 acres in cultivation, and had grown a bale of cotton to the acre one year, and had three houses on it, an adobe house 40x40, two rock houses 16x24, “or something like that; that it had an everlasting spring, a valley with 200 acres in it ready to plow already cleared.;” and that the statements were made by Childress upon his own knowledge.

This testimony was shown to be untrue, and that the land was rough and rocky and mountainous and not tillable. There was practically 59.6 acres almost level, but nothing like 200 acres, and there was no spring of everlasting water. The evidence was admissible upon the issue of whether or ■not Childress had misrepresented the value of this tract of land, which was the fundamental issue to be established as showing the fraud. There was much testimony on the question of fraud which supports the finding of the jury.

We do not think the submission of the issue of fraud complained of constitutes fundamental error, because the record contains evidence that there was false representation to the effect that 200 acres of the land was irrigable. The pleading set out that the land was represented to be very valuable and in a highly improved condition, and the purpose of the- testimony was to show the false representation as to the value of the land. There are no facts which could' have been considered by the jury that the pleading does not.sufficiently coter, and there was no injury done to appellant by showing the false statement as to the amount of the land that was irrigable, and as to its value and improved condition.

Article 2185, R. S., provides that objections to the court’s charge “shall in every instance be presented to the court before the charge is read to the jury, and all objections not so made and presented shall be considered as waived.” It will not do to say that the statute does not apply where the error in the charge is fundamental, as claimed here. This statute applies to every erroneous charge, real or imaginary. Texas Electric Ry. Co. v. Barton (Tex. Civ. App.) 213 S. W. 689; Tex. Electric Ry. Co. v. Crump (Tex. Civ. App.) 212 S. W. 827; Loeb v. Texas & N. O. R. R. Co. (Tex. Civ. App.) 186 S. W. 378.

Appellant, in his list of objections made to the special issues that were submitted by the court, instead of urging the objection now complained of to special issue No. 1, should have submitted a correct one. Appellant’s said question No. 1 reads as follows:

“Did the defendant, H. B. Childress, during the negotiations ' leading up to the trade ■ between plaintiffs and defendant and prior to the consummation of said trade knowingly make any material false representations of fact to plaintiff with the intention of him, the said Childress, having said plaintiffs rely on such false representations? Answer yes or no. Answer: -.”

In so far as the complaint now made against special issue No. 1 is concerned, appellant, in his objections, affirmatively requested' the court to submit this issue in exactly the form in which it was submitted, and appellant therefore now certainly is in no position to complain that the court adopted his suggestion. The said assignment and proposition are without merit and are overruled.

Appellant complains that, inasmuch as the cause was for cancellation and rescission, the court erred in permitting appellees to file a trial amendment for partial rescission, cancellation and damages. And further, that the court should have reinvested the title to the Brewster county land in appellant, and the failure so to do is an error fundamental on the face of the record. This was not error.

There was no abuse of the discretion of the court in allowing appellees to file the amendment complained of and to seek a judgment sounding in damages growing out of the alleged fraud instead of the rescission of the trade, so as to put each party in statu quo. .Under the pleadings as they stood before amendment the same relief could have been had.

The appellant claimed no surprise nor asked for a postponement of the trial, and he made no motion for a continuance to secure evidence to meet the changed pleading, if there was any. It was a very proper amendment, for it is doubtful that the. equi *1102 ties could otherwise have been adjusted or a full rescission be accomplished. It was impracticable, if not impossible, for appellee to show the value of the stock of goods on hand in the store or prove the value of the fixtures at the time of trial. Appellant made no showing as to the value of the stock of goods on hand.

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Related

Continental Casualty Co. v. Canales
100 S.W.2d 797 (Court of Appeals of Texas, 1936)
Lloyds America v. Payne
85 S.W.2d 794 (Court of Appeals of Texas, 1935)
Indemnity Ins. Co. of North America v. Sparra
57 S.W.2d 892 (Court of Appeals of Texas, 1932)
Schaeffer v. Speckels
42 S.W.2d 153 (Court of Appeals of Texas, 1931)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
285 S.W. 1100, 1926 Tex. App. LEXIS 1004, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/childress-v-pyron-texapp-1926.