Coleman v. Banks

349 S.W.2d 737, 1961 Tex. App. LEXIS 1943
CourtCourt of Appeals of Texas
DecidedJune 16, 1961
Docket15859
StatusPublished
Cited by21 cases

This text of 349 S.W.2d 737 (Coleman v. Banks) 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
Coleman v. Banks, 349 S.W.2d 737, 1961 Tex. App. LEXIS 1943 (Tex. Ct. App. 1961).

Opinions

WILLIAMS, Justice.

A. Y. Banks and wife Ernestine Banks were divorced on May 26, 1946. At the time of their divorce they were the.owners of certain real estate located at 4076 Stanford Street, City of University Park, which had been their homestead, and which was encumbered by a mortgage in favor of California-Western States Life Insurance Company. They were also the parents of one minor child. Prior to the divorce on May 24, 1946, the parties had entered into a written agreement which provided, inter alia, that A. Y. Banks agreed to pay off the mortgage on the property in question, payments to be made monthly by the terms of said mortgage, which included insurance and taxes thereon. Ernestine Banks was given the privilege of “residing in said house, and shall have the right to enjoy the use of the same as a home and as a home for George Banks for the balance of her natural life, and she agrees to occupy as her homestead as long as she shall have the custody of George Banks.” The settlement agreement was incorporated as part of the divorce decree. Subsequently, on November 5, 1954, the house located on the real property hereinbefore described was totally destroyed by fire. Mrs. Ernestine Banks Coleman (having married Ernest A. Coleman) submitted proof of loss and entered into a settlement with Queen Insurance Company in the amount of $8,510.66, and said insurance company issued its draft in payment thereof, payable to A. Y. Banks, Ernestine Banks Coleman, and California-Western States Life Insurance Company. A. Y. Banks refused to endorse said draft. This suit was instituted in the District Court by A. Y. Banks against Mrs. Ernestine Banks Coleman, and her then present husband, Ernest A. Coleman, seeking a partition of the real estate and also seeking credit on his ½ interest in said property in the sum of $5,619.64 by reason of payments made by him on the mortgage held by California-Western States Life Insurance Company. Plaintiff, A. Y. Banks, also sought partition of the uncashed draft for $8,510.66 issued by Queen Insurance Company. Defendant, Mrs. Ernestine Banks Coleman, and her present husband, answered by general denial and certain special pleas and also impleaded Queen Insurance Company as a cross-defendanc. Queen Insurance Company filed its answer and bill of interpleader making California-Western States Life Insurance Company a third-party defendant, and subsequently paid the $8,510.66 into the registry of the court and was allowed $250 compensation. California-Western States Life Insurance Company filed a disclaimer. Thereafter, Mrs. Ernestine Banks Coleman (without the joinder of her present husband) filed a Fifth Amended Answer and Cross-Action. Plaintiff’s exceptions to various portions of defendant’s cross-action was sustained. Plaintiff, by special pleas, alleged abandonment of the property as a home, waiver, estoppel, breach of agreement, and other special pleas. The case was tried to a court and a jury and, in response to three special issues the jury found (1) that defendant had voluntarily and permanently abandoned the use and occupancy of the property in question as her homestead; (2) that appellee had paid $5,619.64 on the mortgage, taxes and insurance on the property; and (3) that defendant had not waived any homestead rights in said property. Judgment was rendered awarding plaintiff Y2 of the $8,510.66 paid into the registry of the court, the other being awarded to defendant, subject to payment of costs; appointment of a receiver to sell the real estate, and out of the proceeds plaintiff was to receive the $5,619.64 which he had paid on the mortgage, taxes and insurance, and the remainder to be equally divided between plaintiff and defendant. Defendant has perfected her appeal to this Court, assigning 21 points of error.

By her first, seventh, tenth and thirteenth points, appellant contends thc\ [740]*740the judgment is fatally defective because of lack of pleadings (a) to support the judgment awarding taxes and insurance; (b) in submitting Special Issue No. 1 inquiring about abandonment; (c) in submitting Special Issue No. 1 concerning voluntary abandonment; and (d) in submitting Special Issue No. 2 inquiring concerning the amount of payment on the mortgage by appellee. The parties, in their property settlement agreement, a portion of which is quoted above, expressly provided that A. Y. Banks was to pay the mortgage payments, “including taxes and insurance.” Appellee’s pleadings of his payment of $5,-619.64 alleged “that the interest of the parties is subject to payment to the plaintiff of the sum of $5,619.64 by reason of the payment by the plaintiff of said sum to the California-Western States Life Insurance Company on the mortgage held by said company on the property, said payments being made by plaintiff since the plaintiff and said defendant were divorced by decree on May 26th, 1946 * * Without objection, appellee testified that he paid the sum of $5,619.64 which included principal, interest, insurance and taxes. Special Issue No. 2, as submitted to the jury, inquired as to the amount of money Banks paid on the mortgage, taxes and insurance on the property in question. To this question the jury answered “$5619.64”. No objection was interposed by appellant to the submission of this issue on the ground of lack of pleading. We deem the pleadings on the issue of payment to be sufficient in view of the parties’ prior written agreement which comprehended such payments to include taxes, insurance, etc. Appellee, by supplemental petition, pled that appellant had abandoned the property as a home. No exceptions were filed by appellant to such pleading. When the Special Issue No. 1 was submitted to the jury inquiring as to whether or not appellant had voluntarily and permanently abandoned the use and occupancy of the property in question as her homestead no objections concerning the inadequacy of the pleadings was then interposed by appellant. Appellee’s pleading of abandonment was sufficient to put appellant upon fair and reasonable notice of appellee’s contention and in the absence of a special exception or objection to the submission of said issues appellant cannot now be heard to complain. Since appellant did not object to the evidence, and made no objection to the charge as to the issues not being supported by pleadings, the issues were tried with the express or implied consent of the parties and therefore any objection of appellant has been waived. Rule 67, Texas Rules of Civil Procedure; Marshall v. Huron, Tex.Civ.App., 274 S.W.2d 572; Reberger v. Reed, Tex.Civ.App., 278 S.W.2d 591; Stephens v. Anderson, Tex.Civ.App., 275 S.W.2d 869; Moore v. Downie Brothers Circus, Tex.Civ.App., 164 S.W.2d 420; Yellow Cab & Baggage Co. of San Antonio v. Brennan, Tex.Civ.App., 171 S.W.2d 891; Wiseman v. Zorn, Tex.Civ.App., 309 S.W.2d 253; Commentary of Robert W. Stayton in 20 Texas Law Review 30; Rule 90 T.R.C.P.; McKee v. City of Mt. Pleasant, Tex.Civ.App., 328 S.W.2d 224; Chandler v. Hendrick Memorial Hospital, Tex.Civ.App., 317 S.W.2d 248; Tolson v. Carroll, Tex.Civ.App., 313 S.W.2d 131. Appellant’s first, seventh, tenth and thirteenth points are therefore overruled.

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Coleman v. Banks
349 S.W.2d 737 (Court of Appeals of Texas, 1961)

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Bluebook (online)
349 S.W.2d 737, 1961 Tex. App. LEXIS 1943, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/coleman-v-banks-texapp-1961.