Cockrell v. Houston Packing Co.

133 S.W. 697
CourtCourt of Appeals of Texas
DecidedDecember 17, 1910
StatusPublished
Cited by6 cases

This text of 133 S.W. 697 (Cockrell v. Houston Packing Co.) 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
Cockrell v. Houston Packing Co., 133 S.W. 697 (Tex. Ct. App. 1910).

Opinion

McMEANS, J.

This suit was instituted by plaintiffs against the Houston Packing Company, F. P. Chandler and Herman Walther. Afterwards, by a supplemental petition, plaintiffs dismissed as against Chandler and Wal-ther, and sought judgment only against the Houston Packing Company. A general demurrer urged by the defendant to plaintiffs’ petition was sustained, and, upon plaintiffs’ ■declining to amend, their suit was dismissed, and from the action of the court in sustaining, the demurrer plaintiffs have appealed.

Plaintiffs alleged, in substance, that on December 5, 1904, Cockrell & Bonner rented from J. J. Sweeney, the owner, a certain building situated on lots 9 and 10 in block 56 in the city of Houston for a term of five years and nine months, beginning December 15, 1904, and ending September 15, 1910, and that in the contract of renting it was expressly agreed that the said Cockrell & Bonner should have the right to sublet or sub-rent any portion of said building for lawful business; that on October 20, 1905, said Cockrell & Bonner, by an instrument in writing, sublet a part of said building, viz., the storeroom known as 503 Main street, to J. B. Ruhland, for a period of four years and ten months, beginning November 15, 1905, and ending September 15,1910, and that said Ruh-land moved into and occupied and continued to occupy said stoferoom until January 15, 1906, when he died, and that thereafter on February 2, 1906, Mrs. J. B. Ruhland, and her daughter, Clara Ruhland, who, as sale heirs at law of J. B. Ruhland, became vested with all the rights and interest which the ■said J. B. Ruhland had in said lease transferred and assigned all their right, title, and interest in said lease to Herman Walther, who thereupon assumed all the obligations, covenants, and stipulations contained in said lease; that as a part of said lease to Ruh-land it was expressly and impliedly covenanted and agreed that said Ruhland should not, without the consent of Cockrell & Bonner, sublet said premises or assign the lease for all or any part of the term covered by said lease; that said Walther accepted said lease and became bound not to sublet the rented premises, nor to assign the lease, and that he occupied the said leased storeroom from February 2, 1906, until October 13, 1906. That about February 2, 1906, Walther being indebted to the Houston Packing Company in the sum of $800, in order to secure the payment of said sum, executed and delivered to said company, without the consent of Cockrell & Bonner, an instrument in writing in the form of a chattel mortgage, wherein he undertook to transfer and assign to the packing company all his interest in the lease above described; that in February, 1906, Walther upon his own petition was adjudged a bankrupt, and in October, 1906, he filed his petition for composition with his creditors, and in the same month his petition was granted and the bankruptcy proceeding was closed; that, the funds necessary to make the composition, viz., $650, were procured by Walther from the Houston Packing Company, and in order to secure said sum to the packing company, Walther, on October 13, 1906, made and entered into an agreement in writing, “a substantial copy of which is hereto attached and marked ‘Exhibit A,’ and asked to be taken as a part hereof as fully as if set out at length herein.” The petition further alleges:

“That in said agreement hereinbefore referred to said Herman Walther agreed that the defendant F. P. Chandler should go into possession of said leased premises, and should continue to run the same, using -the lease, fixtures, and the stock in trade, and that the said F. P. Chandler might run said business until advances should have been paid for in full, and the amount due the Houston Packing Company should be fully extinguished and settled in full. That it is recited in said instrument that said F. P. Chandler had agreed to advance said Walther the sum of six hundred and fifty dollars ($650) to enable him to effect a composition with his creditors, but in truth and in fact said F. P. Chandler did not agree in person to advance said sum of money, but that the said agreement was made by F. P. Chandler for and on behalf of the Houston Packing Company, and that said Houston Packing Company did in fact advance for said purpose said sum of six hundred and fifty dollars ($650), or approximately that amount. That while said F. P. Chandler is in said instrument ostensibly a principal party in truth and in fact said F. P. Chandler was acting in said matters and transactions as the agent and for and on behalf of the defendant Houston Packing Company, and said instrument was executed by the said Herman Walther at the instance of and upon the procurement of said «Houston Packing Company for the purpose of securing the payment of said indebtedness of eight hundred dollars ($800) attempted to be secured by the chattel mortgage upon said leasehold hereinbefore mentioned, and for the purpose of securing the payment of said sum so advanced by said [699]*699Houston Packing Company to enable said Waltber to effect a composition with his creditors.

“That while in said instrument the said F. P. Chandler is described as the agent of said Herman Walther, in truth and in fact the said F. P. Chandler was at all of the times herein mentioned the agent and employs of the said Houston Packing Company, ■and was acting in all of said transactions for and on behalf of said Houston Packing Company, and for the purpose of securing the said indebtedness hereinbefore mentioned owing by the said Herman Walther to said Houston Packing Company. That after the execution of said instrument, and after the confirmation of the composition in bankruptcy hereinbefore set out, said defendant F. P. Chandler, for and on behalf of said Houston Packing Company and under the authority conferred upon him by said agreement,, entered into the possession of said storehouse known as No. 503 Main street, and assumed charge and control of said business, and conducted said business therein and occupied said premises until, to wit, the 23d day of July, 1907. That after the execution of said instrument hereto attached and marked ‘Exhibit A’ said Herman Walther ceased to exercise any control oyer said business, and shortly thereafter left the city of Houston, and remained away from said city until about the 15th day of December, 1906, and thereafter on or about the 15th day of January, 1907, said Herman Walther accepted •employment from said Houston Packing Company in the capacity of salesman ih the city •of Galveston, Texas, and continued in said •capacity until, to wit, the 10th day of February, 1907, and that during all of said time said lease and premises were occupied, managed, and controlled by the defendant F. P. Chandler at the instance and for the benefit of the said Houston Packing Company.

“That all of said acts and transactions by and between said defendants were done without the knowledge and consent of said Cock-rell & Bonner, or either of them, and that said acts and transactions were in fact and in law a subletting and assignment of said lease on the part of the said Walther, and were violations of the covenant expressed and impliedly contained in said lease, and entitled the said Cockrell & Bonner to declare said lease terminated and forfeited and to re-enter and take possession of said premises; that said acts and transactions whereby said premises were sublet and transferred were not known unto said Cockrell & Bonner, or either of them, until on or about the 10th day of December, 1906, and on or about said date said Cockrell &

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Bluebook (online)
133 S.W. 697, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/cockrell-v-houston-packing-co-texapp-1910.