Cushing v. Riddel

255 S.W. 479
CourtCourt of Appeals of Texas
DecidedOctober 25, 1923
DocketNo. 1498.
StatusPublished
Cited by3 cases

This text of 255 S.W. 479 (Cushing v. Riddel) 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
Cushing v. Riddel, 255 S.W. 479 (Tex. Ct. App. 1923).

Opinion

WALTHALL, J.

This suit was originally brought by the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas against appellee, George Riddel, on a promissory note for $15,000 and to foreclose on a chattel mortgage on certain cattle given to secure the note. The said note and mortgage were made in favor of the First National Bank of Ranger, and thereafter transferred to the Federal Reserve Bank.

Appellant, Cushing, acting receiver of the First National Bank of Ranger, intervened in behalf of the bank and alleged that there -had come into his hands as assets of the bank two certain , notes executed by appellee, George Riddel, in favor of the bank, one for $2,000 and- one for $5,000, each bearing interest and containing the usual attorney’s fee clause, and each secured by the same chattel mortgage declared on by the Federal Reserve Bank, and that in addition thereto the $5,000 note was secured by a deed of trust on certain lands described.

The Federal Reserve Bank and the receiver each sought judgment, for the several amounts sued for and foreclosure of the liens asserted.

George Riddel answered, alleging that his signature to the notes sued on had been secured through fraud upon the part of the officials of the First National Bank, in this, that his mother, Mrs. R. E. Riddel, and he were both indebted to the First National Bank in a sum. aggregating $25,000; that thereafter ha and his mother deposited in said bank something over $29,000; that at that time the bank “credited to themselves $2,775, $5,325.-24, and $7,492.50, and marked as paid the notes aggregating said amounts, and notes *480 having been executed by Mrs. R. E. Riddel, mother of the defendant, George Riddel, and charged said amounts to the account of Mrs. R. E. Riddel;” that afterwards, when the notes in suit were executed, the bank represented to him (George Riddel) that none of said notes had been paid, and the aggregate of the notes sued upon by the Federal Reserve Bank, together with the notes shown in the petition of the intervener bank were “carried forward in the notes sued uponthat by said fraudulent misrepresentations said bank obtained his signature to said notes to an amount in excess of $16,000 of the .amount that notes should have been executed by him at said time.

Appellant intervener joined issue on the above allegation of fraud and payment.

During the pendency o¡f the suit and. prior to the trial a settlement was had between the Federal Reserve Bank and appellee, Riddel, arid the trial was on the issue between the intervener and Riddel.

On special issues submitted and found by the jury, judgment was rendered in favor of Riddel, from which judgment intervener, receiver of the bank, prosecutes this appeal.-

On the conclusion of the evidence appellant submitted and requested the court to give a peremptory charge in his' favor for the amount of the two notes sued on and a foreclosure of the deed of trust on the undivided 400 acres of land referred to in the deed of trust out of the O. R. Riddel ranch. The court refused to give the requested peremptory charge.

On the special issues submitted the jury found: The item deposited to the credit of Mrs. R. E. Riddel on July 11, 1919, was not a deposit of cash; the amount claimed by the First National Bank of Ranger as being due by George Riddel to the bank, and for which he executed his note on July 13,1920, included the $8,240 (note) executed by Mrs. R. E. Riddel, mother of George Riddel, which (note) was paid by her on July 2, 1919; Mrs. R. E. Riddel did not deposit a note with the First National Bank of Ranger for which she received a credit of $10,000 on July 11, 1919; the amount claimed by the First National Bank of Ranger as being dué by George Rid-del to the bank,' for which he executed his note on July 13, 1920, included the $2,700 (note) executed by Mrs. R. E. Riddel, which (note) was paid by her on July 2, 1919.

Appellant's first proposition complains of the refusal of the court to instruct the verdict in his favor. By the second and third propositions appellant insists the court erred in submitting the above-stated issues inquiring about the notes of Mrs. R. E. Riddel, for $8,240 and $2,700, each of said notes paid by Mrs. Riddel on July 2,1919. The fourth proposition asserts error in not rendering judgment for. appellant, the jury having found that the $10,000 credit of July 11, 1919, was not a cash deposit. The fifth point of appellant has reference to the exclusion by the court from consideration by the jury certain bank ledgers and books kept by the bank, and having reference to the transactions between the parties in this suit.

Without stating the evidence in detail, as disclosed by the record, same being too voluminous to reproduce here, we have concluded that the court was not in error in not instructing the verdict in favor of appellant. True there was an apparent variance between the pleading of appellee and the proof offered as to the date and amount of the notes alleged to have been paid by Mrs. Riddel and brought forward as unpaid, but no timely objection having been made to the evidence offered as to the several amounts paid, the evidence was permitted to go to the jury, and it seems sufficient to justify the submission of the issue of payment as to said amounts. The point of variance between the pleading and the evidence offered is to the effect that the note paid by appellee’s mother, but brought forward as unpaid, was alleged to have been in the sum of $7,492.50, while the evidence offered showed that the note was for $8,240, and of a date different to that alleged. No objection as to variance was made at any time when the pleading could have been amended to meet the proof, and the variance thus avoided. The rule has too often been announced to require reference, but see D. R. A. 1916D, at page 843 et seq.

Again: Whilst appellee specifically named three notes and alleged their payment by his mother, and the evidence does not tend to identify them as described or of date of payment, but is concerning a note for $8,240, paid July 2, 1919, as submitted by the second issue, he is not confined to pro.of of specific notes in order to have his judgment under his answer, for, in addition to naming these notes, he alleges that he was “fraudulently, induced to sign the notes to an amount in excess of $16,000 of the amount that notes Should have been executed by him.” This seems to set up failure of consideration to that extent, and permit him to establish the fact by any competent evidence at his command; so if the evidence supports the finding of the jury that a note for $8,240 was paid prior to the execution of the notes sued on, and this-amount was included in them, he is entitled to recover upon the pleadings above noted. But the case will be reversed on another ground, and the error here complained of may not occur on another trial.

Appellant’s requested peremptory instruction also asked for a foreclosure of the deed of trust on the undivided 400 acres of land. In our opinion the court would not have been justified in ordering a foreclosure of the deed of trust had appellant secured a judgment for any amount. The deed does not describe the land conveyed, nor can the land be identified or made certain by any reference in the deed. The evidence shows *481

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Bluebook (online)
255 S.W. 479, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/cushing-v-riddel-texapp-1923.