Culberson County v. Groves Lumber Co.

191 S.W. 165, 1917 Tex. App. LEXIS 18
CourtCourt of Appeals of Texas
DecidedJanuary 5, 1917
DocketNo. 647.
StatusPublished
Cited by4 cases

This text of 191 S.W. 165 (Culberson County v. Groves Lumber 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
Culberson County v. Groves Lumber Co., 191 S.W. 165, 1917 Tex. App. LEXIS 18 (Tex. Ct. App. 1917).

Opinion

WALTHALL, J.

This appeal is taken from an order of the district court of Cul-berson county, granting a writ of mandamus against the county judge and the county commissioners, naming them, composing the county commissioners’ court of Culberson county, directing them, as commissioners, to pay to the Groves Lumber Company, out of the funds of said county then on hand, “whatever amount of money may have been due and was due from said county to E. E. Churchill on the 7th day of October, 1914, to the extent of $1,177.62, together with interest thereon at the rate of 6 per cent, per annum from the 7th day of October, 1914, such payment, however, not to exceed the above said amount,” and directing the clerk of said court to issue said writ commanding the said county judge and commissioners “to immediately pay to the Groves Lumber Company the amount of money as directed by the decree herein set out.”

The history of the case resulting in the order for the writ of mandamus, as shown by the record, is substantially as follows: On September 19, 1914, the Groves Lumber Company filed its petition in the district court of Culberson county, seeking to recover against E. E. Churchill the sum of $1,-177.62, alleging said sum to be a balance due it for material furnished Churchill, and used by him in the construction of the courthouse for said county. The county was made a party defendant to the suit. The petition alleged that the county was liable for the indebtedness because of its knowledge of the contract between the plaintiff, Groves Lumber Company, and Churchill, and because of certain provisions in said contract, to the effect that the lumber company might present for payment to the commissioners’ court its account for material for any amount that might be due it at any time; that said account might be paid by the commissioners’ court and charged to the account of Churchill on his contract, a copy of which contract in writing was presented to the commissioners’ court; that the lumber company presented to said court an account for the said amount and requested payment a's per the terms of said contract; that the court then agreed to pay the account and charge same to Churchill on Churchill’s approval of said account; that Churchill approved the account, but payment was refused by the said court, though the members of the court knew of the purchase of said material by Churchill, at prices stated, and knew at the time that there was sufficient of the courthouse funds out of which the work done and material stated in the account used in the construction of the courthouse could.have been paid. In that suit the county answered by general demurrer and special exception on the ground that the petition showed no privity of contract between the lumber company and the county to pay the account, denied specifically the matters stated in each paragraph of the petition, and denied that the county was indebted in any sum to Churchill. The case was tried by the court without a jury, and judgment rendered for the plaintiff, in part, as follows:

“The court is of the opinion that the said E. E. Churchill is indebted to the plaintiff in the full amount sued for in this cause, and the said Culberson county, by reason of its notice of said account and plaintiff’s contract with defendant, E. E. Churchill, as set forth in plaintiff’s petition, has become and is liable to the plaintiff to the extent of funds it may have in its treasury or in the hands of the county treasurer, or county depository, at this time, that may be due said E. E. Churchill, as alleged in plaintiff’s petition, not to exceed, however, the amount sued for, to wit, $1,177.62. Therefore it is ordered, adjudged, and decreed by the court that the plaintiff, Groves Lumber Company, do have and recover of and from E. E. Churchill in the sum of $1,177.62, together with 6 per cent, interest per annum from this date, and that plaintiff do have and recover of and from Culberson county any and all moneys due said E. E. Churchill by it, or held in its treasury, or in the hands of its treasurer, or county depository, due *166 the said'E. E. ChurchilVát that time, if any there be, as per the agreement and contract set forth in plaintiff’s petition and credit the account 9! said E. E. Churchill with the amount of said judgment (if any there be) on this account with the county.”

On the 15th day of July, 1915, appellee filed its petition in this cause against E. E. Churchill, Culberson county, and the Van Horn State Bank, reciting its former judgment against said Churchill and Culberson county; that Churchill was still indebted to appellant in the full amount of the judgment, and that appellee was still indebted to Churchill in said amount; that the former judgment was never appealed from and was valid and final; that the county had and continuously has had money in its treasury sufficient to pay the amount of said judgment, but that, notwithstanding said decree, the county has at all times refused and still refuses to pay same; that Churchill is insolvent ; that the Van Horn State Bank claims to have acquired some right to said money due from the county to Churchill, and that the county is threatening to pay same to said bank; that, while said judgment is a mandatory decree within itself, the county has ignored same and refused to comply with its terms.

Appellee prayed for a writ of mandamus commanding Culberson county to pay said judgment to appellee. Culberson county, alone, answered. It presented a general demurrer, alleged that it was not informed as to the nature and amount of any indebtedness which Churchill might owe appellant, denied that it has or has had money in its treasury to meet appellant’s claim since the rendition of said judgment, denied that the said judgment decrees or orders appellant to pay to appellee any specific amount of money, denied its indebtedness to Churchill in any amount whatever, and repleaded its answer to the appellee’s original suit, alleged that the judgment upon which this suit is based is not a final judgment and imposes no duty upon it, as it does not determine the issue as to what amount, if any, it is indebted to Churchill or appellee. The case was tried without a jury.

The record discloses that the judgment rendered in the original suit was the only evidence offered on the trial by either party. At the request of counsel that the court make and file findings of fact, the court filed the following:

“(1) On October 7, 1914, when the suit of Groves Lumber Company against E. E. Churchill and Culberson county was tried, I found from the evidence introduced that E. E. Churchill was indebted to -the Groves Lumber Company in the sum of $1,177.62, for materials furnished in the erection of the Culberson county courthouse; the said Churchill being the contractor in charge of said work. The only evidence introduced was evidence tending to show the correctness of said account, and evidence showing that the defendant Culberson County had notice of the terms and conditions of the contract between the Groves Lumber Company and E. E. Churchill. No testimony was introduced to show what amount, if anything, Culberson county was at that time indebted to E. E. Churchill. Upon these facts, I concluded as a matter of law that the Groves Lumber Company had a just claim against E. E. Churchill for $1,177.62, and that, the defendant Culberson county having notice of said contract between the Groves Lumber Company and E. E. Churchill, said county was liable for whatever amount of money it owed E. E. Churchill, or had in its hands or its treasury belonging to said E. E.

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Bluebook (online)
191 S.W. 165, 1917 Tex. App. LEXIS 18, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/culberson-county-v-groves-lumber-co-texapp-1917.