Dale v. Akin

27 S.W.2d 327
CourtCourt of Appeals of Texas
DecidedMarch 28, 1930
DocketNo. 3384.
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 27 S.W.2d 327 (Dale v. Akin) 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
Dale v. Akin, 27 S.W.2d 327 (Tex. Ct. App. 1930).

Opinion

RANDOLPH, J.

The plaintiff, J. W. Akin, brought this suit against Mrs. M. V. Howell, J. W. Howell, Mrs. Mamie Dale, W. P. Smith, J. A. Wise, J. S. Mills, Adah Burge Mills, and Oates Nay-lor, alleging that on the 14th of January, 1927, .the defendants Mrs. M. V. Howell and J. W. Howell executed and delivered to .plaintiff their promissory note in the sum of $6,300, payable to the order of plaintiff, and maturing as follows: “$250.00 on April 1,1928 (of which the receipt is duly acknowledged), $250.00 on October 1,1928, and $400.00 on the 1st day of' each April, and $400.00 on" the 1st day of each October, thereafter, until said note is fully paid, and bearing interest at the rate of 8% per annum until paid, the interest being payable monthly on the first day of each month, and stipulating for 10% on the amount of principal and interest unpaid, as attorneys fees, in case suit is brought on same or if placed in the hands of an attorney for collection.”

That the $250 due October 1, 1928, and interest since the first day of April, 1928, have not been paid, and this said note provides that failure to pay any installment or any interest installment may, at the option of the holder of said note, mature the same, and plaintiff exercises such option and declares all of said notes due; that, in the deed from plaintiff to MrS. M. V. Howell and J. W. Howell, the said grantees assumed and agreed to pay an indebtedness secured by deed of trust on the property conveyed therein, to the Mortgage and Bond Company, of New York, in the sum of $6,000, and all interest, thereon, which amounts, together with unpaid interest, bear interest from maturity at the rate of 10 per cent, per -annum; that on the *328 said $6,000 indebtedness there was due and payable on the first of January, 1928, the sum of $350, which said amount bears interest from January 1, 1928, at .the rate of 10 per cent, per annum, and which said amount the plaintiff, as second lienholder, was compelled to pay, and did pay, to protect his own interests.

That on the 24th of January, 1927, defendants Mrs. Howell and her husband, J. W. Howell, executed to defendant Mrs. Mamie Dale a deed conveyipg the property which the plaintiff ha'd deeded to them, and, as a part of the consideration therefor, the said Mrs. Dale assumed the payment of the said $6,000 note, and also assumed the payment of the $6,300 vendor’s lien note above mentioned, alleging that the defendants Howells and Mrs. Dale thereby became liable and bound to pay to the plaintiff the sums of money in said notes specified, together with all interest and attorneys fees due thereon; that said notes were given for part of the purchase money of the property here in controversy, which had been conveyed by the plaintiff to the defendant Mrs. Howell on January 14, 1927, and in which deed a vendor’s lien was reserved to secure the payment of said notes.

Plaintiff further alleges due conveyance of the property in controversy to W. P. Smith, and Mrs. Alice Naylor, and that Mrs. Alice Naylor conveyed an undivided two-thirds interest therein to Oates Naylor, said deeds being made subject to the indebtedness above mentioned.

That on or about the 14th of January, 1927, and after the deed had been made and delivered by plaintiff to defendant Mrs. Howell, she, joined by her husband, J. W. Howell, executed and delivered to J. A. Wise, a deed of trust to secure the payment of a note for $750, payable in monthly installments, which deed of trust is second to and inferior to the lien held by the plaintiff.

Plaintiff prays for judgment against Mrs. M. V. Howell, J. W. Howell, and Mrs. Mamie Dale, for his debt, interest, attorney’s fees, and costs of suit, and against all defendants for a foreclosure of his lien.

Defendant Mrs. Dale filed her third amended original answer, consisting of general and special exceptions, general denial, and special plea, denying that she assumed the payment of the $6,000 and the $6,300 indebtedness, and that the deed reciting such assumption does not speak the truth; further pleading mutual mistake in the recital in said deed; that the said defendant did not assume the payment of said indebtedness, but only bought the property subject to the indebtedness against ■it, and that defendant Mrs. Dale was in nowise bound for the payment of same; further pleading that she is a widow, not accustomed to dealing in real estate and not accustomed to the language, terms, and conditions in a deed, and not versed in business affairs; that the representatives of defendants Howell were shrewd business, men, accustomed to trading in real estate, and such representatives represented and stated to the defendant Mrs. Dale that the deed made by the defendants Howell did not obligate her to pay the notes described in plaintiff’s petition; that, after same were drawn, she could, at any time she saw fit, while she owned said premises, re-conyey same, and would not be obligated for the payment of any of the indebtedness described in plaintiff’s petition, but that the premises alone stood good for the indebtedness; that said statements were relied on and believed by her, and the same were falsely and fraudulently made for the purpose of inducing and did induce her to accept the deed alleged in plaintiff’s petition, to the premises in controversy; that, had she knowrf that said. deed, by its terms, as alleged by' the plaintiff, obligated her to pay said indebtedness, she would not have made said deal and accepted the deed, but that, she implicitly relied upon said representations; that, relying upon said representations, she neter read the deed until' many months after the deal was closed, and then was not aware of, and did not understand that she had obligated herself to pay said indebtedness.

She then alleges that thereafter she had conveyed the premises to H. Enyart, who assumed the payment of the indebtedness due plaintiff and the mortgage company, and, thereafter, Enyart conveyed the same to one Scott, and that Scott assumed the payment of said notes.

Defendant Mrs. Dale further alleges that the plaintiff has taken possession of the property and is now collecting the rents and revenues ot same, and he is thereby estopped from asserting any claim on said notes against said defendant.

Defendant Scott filed his answer, denying that he ever purchased the property from Enyart; and defendant Wise filed his answer and cross-action, setting up his deed of trust .and praying for a foreclosure of same, and also alleging the execution of the note for $750 executed by the Howells and Mrs. Dale to him, and alleging that same was for money paid to the plaintiff on the purchase price of the property in controversy.

Defendant Mrs. Dale filed her answer to Wise’s cross-action, in which she pleaded that the note sued on by Wise was executed long after the execution of the deed of trust, and that she signed said note at that time and same was without consideration, passing from J. A. Wise to her.

Other pleadings by the various parties herein are not necessary to be set out here.

The case was submitted to a jury upon special issues, as follows:

*329 “Special Issue No. 1. Did the defendant Mrs. Dale understand when she accepted the deed from Mrs. Howell and her husband, that she was not assuming the indebtedness against, the property?” which was not answered by the jury.
“Special Issue No. 2.

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Related

Stailey v. Hoffman
57 S.W.2d 270 (Court of Appeals of Texas, 1933)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
27 S.W.2d 327, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/dale-v-akin-texapp-1930.