Copeland v. Bennett

243 S.W.2d 264, 1951 Tex. App. LEXIS 1717
CourtCourt of Appeals of Texas
DecidedMarch 21, 1951
Docket4707
StatusPublished
Cited by16 cases

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

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]*267this 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.

We do not understand Burford v. Pounders to hold that it is unnecessary for a vendee in the ordinary contract for the sale and purchase of real estate where prior to the time for performance, the vendor has repudiated the contract or indicated his intention not to comply with its terms, to prove that he (the vendee) was ready, able and willing to pay the purchase price in accordance with the terms of the contract when he seeks specific performance. What that case does hold is that where a lease gave the lessee the refusal to purchase the leased property at an agreed price in the event of sale during the term of the lease and during the term the lessor-owner sold the property to a third party, without notice to the lessee, and the trial court found that the lessee was not in position to have purchased the land at the time it was. sold, but did not find and refused to find that the lessee did not have the money to purchase the land within a reasonable time after notice of the sale, it was not necessary for the lessee to make a tender but it was sufficient for him to offer to do equity in his pleadings. It is true that the opinion states this is the material consideration. The opinion shows that the lessee was able, ready and willing to perform within the term of the lease. The opinion quotes from 58 C.J., Specific Performance, Sec. 316, as the law applicable to that case: “On the contrary, the complainant ordinarily is entitled to specific performance where he alleges and proves that he is ready, able and willing to perform.” From the same authority, a footnote (2-f) under Section 342: “In Texas an actual tender is not necessary where the purchaser pleads and proves a willingness to pay, but is entitled to relief provided that within a time fixed in the decree he shall pay the amount due” (emphasis ours); citing among other authorities Kalklosh v. Haney, 4 Tex.Civ.App. 118, 23 S.W. 420 and Lockwood v. Frost, Tex.Civ. App., 285 S.W. 874. Appellant cites and relies heavily on Oliver v. Corzelius, Tex. Civ.App., 215 S.W.2d 231 by this court, and Corzelius v. Oliver, 148 Tex. 76, 220 S.W. 2d 632, 634 (Sup.Ct.). In Oliver v. 'Corze-lius an option to purchase real estate within a specified time was involved. This court held that in order to establish his right to specific performance it was incumbent upon the optionee to show that -he was able, ready and willing to perform his obligation during the life of the option. The judgment of this court was reversed by the. 'Supreme Court in that case on the ground that this court erred in holding that there was no evidence of the optionee’s ability to pay. [268]*268Corzelius v. Oliver, supra. However, the Supreme Court expressly held that !timder all the circumstances presented by this record" (emphasis ours) there was no error in the rulings of this court on the several contentions of the optionee, except this ruling, (220 S.W.2d loc. cit. 635, 1st column), and on this point said: “Notwithstanding Mrs. Oliver’s refusal to keep her Agreement it would appear hut reasonable that Corzelius be required to show by competent evidence that he could have raised the money to ,pay her. Brown v. Binz, Tex.Civ.App., 50 S.W. 483; Terrell, Atkins & Harvin v. Proctor, Tex.Civ.App., 172 S.W. 996.” 220 S.W.2d id. loc. cit. 635(3, 4).

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

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Bluebook (online)
243 S.W.2d 264, 1951 Tex. App. LEXIS 1717, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/copeland-v-bennett-texapp-1951.