Copeland v. Bennett

243 S.W.2d 264, 1951 Tex. App. LEXIS 1717
Court of Appeals of Texas·Decided March 21, 1951·No. 4707·Published·Cited by 16 cases

Opinions

McGILL, Justice.

This is the second time this appeal has been before this court for consideration. Our former opinion is reported in 232 S.W. 2d 765, and the opinion of the Supreme Court in 235 S.W.2d 605.

Appellee L. M. Bennett was plaintiff and appellant Joe W. Copeland was defendant in the trial court, and the parties will be referred to here as there. The suit was for specific performance of the sales provision of a contract to convey certain lands and grazing leases. The defendant by a cross-action sought a partition of the property and an equitable accounting. The trial court granted plaintiff specific performance of the contract and fixed a time for performance thereof, and defendant perfected his appeal.

The nature of the case is fully stated in the, opinion of the Supreme Court, to which we refer without making any further statement. The opinion and mandate of the Supreme Court finally disposed of the first and second points presented by appellant in his brief, and remanded the case to this court to pass on ten other points raised by appellant which this court had, not decided. We shall consider these points in the order in which they are presented by appellant in his brief.

The third point is that the court erred in decreeing specific performance because the record expressly negatives performance by plaintiff, his readiness to perform and every legal substitute for performance or readiness to perform. The court peremptorily instructed the jury to find that defendant was in default under the contract on December 23, 1948. The suit was filed on December 24, 1948. The contract, paragraph 4, provides that the balance of the purchase money due thereunder should he paid in cash at Marfa, Texas, within sixty days after the date of default thereunder. In his seqond amended original petition plaintiff alleged that he had been at all times and that he was ready and willing to pay to defendant the net amount of the consideration due him for conveyance of the property, and that he tendered and offered to pay into the registry of the court said amount. In his trial amendment, he again alleged that he had been at all times and was ready and willing to pay to defendant the net amount of the consideration for the conveyance of defendant’s interest in the property as might be determined by the court upon defendant’s conveyance thereof to him. Under [267] this point appellant states that the record conclusively shows that plaintiff had not performed and that he was not ready to perform and could not perform his obligation to pay for the land under the terms of the contract and that he had refused to do so. His bill of exception No. 2, which was allowed by the court, is as follows:

“Be It Remembered that upon the trial of the above entitled and numbered cause and after the return by the jury of its verdict under the direction of the Court, and upon the announcement by the Court that a judgment would be entered granting specific performance against the defendant and in favor of plaintiff of the contract declared upon in plaintiff’s original petition, but conditioned upon payment to defendant, Joe W. Copeland, of the sum of $15,859.53, all of which said events occurred on the 12th day of August, 1949, plaintiff, L. M. Bennett, did thereupon orally move the Court to allow him a period of nine months within which to make such payment to defendant, Joe W. Copeland; whereupon, defendant Joe W. Copeland objected and contended that such payment should be made immediately.

“Thereupon the Court ruled that the plaintiff, L. M. Bennett, would be allowed a period of six months within which to make such payment, to which said action of the Court the defendant in open court excepted.”

In his brief appellee does not point out any part of the record which discloses any evidence showing or tending to show that he was ready, able and willing to pay anything for defendant’s interest in the property at any time. He relies on the allegations of his pleading, citing Burford v. Pounders, 145 Tex. 460, 199 S.W.2d 141.

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Copeland v. Bennett, 243 S.W.2d 264, 1951 Tex. App. LEXIS 1717 (Tex. Ct. App. 1951).

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Copeland v. Bennett
243 S.W.2d 264 (Court of Appeals of Texas, 1951)