Coleman v. Coleman

348 S.W.2d 384, 1961 Tex. App. LEXIS 1834
CourtCourt of Appeals of Texas
DecidedJuly 5, 1961
DocketNo. 10859
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 348 S.W.2d 384 (Coleman v. Coleman) 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. Coleman, 348 S.W.2d 384, 1961 Tex. App. LEXIS 1834 (Tex. Ct. App. 1961).

Opinion

HUGHES, Justice.

This is a suit for divorce brought by ap-pellee, Earnest A. Coleman, against appellant, Ernestine Coleman, who, by cross action impleaded the parents of appellee, C. S. Coleman and wife Lela W. Coleman.

Trial to a jury resulted in judgment awarding appellee Earnest Coleman a divorce, awarding appellant custody of their minor child, an order for her support by the father, settling the community property rights of the parties, and partitioning the community estate, and decreeing a take nothing judgment on appellant’s cross action against the parents of Earnest Coleman.

[386]*386The first point is’that appellee1 failed to prove the statutory requirements of residence in order to maintain a divorce ■ suit.

At a pretrial hearing conducted under Rule 166, Texas Rules of Civil Procedure it was agreed and stipulated that appellee possessed the statutory qualifications for bringing a divorce suit'.

We do not rest our decision on this stipulation, but on the testimony of appellee and his father that appellee had lived in Miles, which is in Runnels County, since 1951. Mr. Coleman, who also lived in Miles, testified that his son had worked for and with' him in Runnels County in various capacities since 1951.

There was no contrary evidence, and no jury issue was presented concerning the, residence requirements of appellee.

Appellant complains that the court erred in overruling her seventh motion for continuance. We copy the grounds stated in this motion:

“(1) That C. S. Coleman is a necessary witness and is absent; that discrepancies in said witness’s testimony by deposition have been discovered too late for another deposition to have been taken by the time of trial; that Defendant expects to prove by said witness that title to property taken in his name is community property of the marriage of Plaintiff and Defendant.
■ “(2) That Plaintiff and C. S. Coleman, . Third Party Defendant, all of Miles, Texas, have failed to bring into Court all records summoned in a subpoena duces tecum served with one dollar tender on said parties on July 11, 1960.
“(3) That Plaintiff has not made his child support and temporary alimony payments in over three months,' and that Plaintiff admitted in open Court that he was able to make said pay- \ ■ ments; that Defendant is in a critical state of finances and is not able to meet the financial demands of counsel.
“(4) That Defendant has had a recurrence of a heart condition which makes it impossible for her to withstand the trial at this time.”

The Trial Court did not abuse his discretion in overruling this motion.

We have read the deposition of Mr. C. S. Coleman. Mr. Coleman was a very ill man, yet he testified fully, directly and intelligently to every question. Just what discrepancies in his testimony Appellee has reference to, we are not informed. We have, not found any discrepancies in his testimony.

Appellant does not inform us which records Mr. Coleman failed to produce under the subpoena. When certain records were offered during the trial appellant stated:

“I object to the introduction of those because I subpoenaed them and they were not brought in until yesterday, and I have not had an opportunity to prepare my defense.”

We assume that these records were the same records mentioned in the motion for continuance.

Appellant offered no medical opinion in support of her illness. She participated in a portion of the trial, and the trial was recessed at her request and because of her absence. This matter, as well as appellant’s financial condition, was for the Trial Judge to consider in his discretionary capacity. His ruling was sound and we fully approve it.

Appellant complains of the judgment in decreeing a 743.4 acre tract of land to be the “separate” property of C. S. Coleman.

[387]*387The jury found that appellee had no interest in this land. The judgment adjudicated that neither he nor appellant had any interest in this land and that it was the “separate property of ,C. S. Coleman and wife Lela Coleman.”

We will not construe the quoted language from the judgment as appellant has no concern with its effect upon property in which she has no interest.

Appellant contends that the jury finding that appellee had no interest in the 743.4 acre tract is contrary to the evidence.

The evidence is undisputed that Mr. C. S. Coleman bought this land from D. C. Davis in 1951, for about $58.00 per acre. Both Mr. Coleman and Mr. Davis so testified. All of the purchase price except about $11,000.00 for which a note was given by Mr. Coleman was paid in cash by Mr. Coleman from money he had saved over the years.

Appellant construes the statement by a witness that when the agreement for the purchase of this land was made that $4500.00 “was put up against the deed and abstract as Earnest’s money” as meaning that the $4500.00 was money belonging to Earnest Coleman, appellee.

The similarity between the term “earnest money” and the name of appellant’s husband is understandably confusing to appellant who is not an attorney, and has no attorney representing her. The evidence conclusively establishes that this similarity is a pure coincidence. There is no evidence that any part of this $4500.00 belonged to appellee.

■There is some testimony that appellee paid some of the installments on-the $11,-000.00 note. Mr. C. S. Coleman testified that to the extent of the payments he was ■indebted to his son, and that he, the son, acquired no interest in the land by making such payments.

These payments, of themselves, gave ap-'pellee no interest in the land. Since there was no agreement, oral or written, that such páyments should give him an interest in the land, we need not pursue the matter ■ further.

Appellant complains that the court erred in not submitting to the jury an issue inquiring into the ownership of stock in the Coleman Production Credit Association. The court made no adjudication as to the ownership of such stock unless it is by implication adjudicated to belong to C. S. Coleman and wife under the take nothing judgment against appellant on her cross action.

Appellant pleaded “that records of loans of approximately $10,000.00 made by the Coleman Production Credit Association to Cross-Defendant, Earnest A. Coleman, and Third Party Defendant, C. S. Coleman, should also be brought in so that the community interest of Ernestine Coleman and Earnest A. Coleman may be determined, and for a proper adjudication of the community property rights of said parties in said loans, * * * ”

Appellee in his sworn inventory listed these shares in an unknown number as being in his name but stated that C. S. Coleman was the beneficial owner. He testified similarly.

The undisputed facts are that shortly after C. S. Coleman bought the land from Mr. Davis that he and his son Earnest borrowed from the Credit Association, on their joint obligation, $10,000.00 for the purpose of buying cattle to stock the land and that they were required to buy such shares of stock in this transaction.

Mr. C. S. Coleman testified unequivocally .that he and his son agreed to borrow the money, buy the cattle and divide the profits equally.

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Related

Davis v. Davis
647 S.W.2d 781 (Court of Appeals of Texas, 1983)

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Bluebook (online)
348 S.W.2d 384, 1961 Tex. App. LEXIS 1834, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/coleman-v-coleman-texapp-1961.