Dallas Joint Stock Land Bank of Dallas v. Lancaster

100 S.W.2d 1029
CourtCourt of Appeals of Texas
DecidedDecember 24, 1936
DocketNo. 1803
StatusPublished
Cited by10 cases

This text of 100 S.W.2d 1029 (Dallas Joint Stock Land Bank of Dallas v. Lancaster) 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
Dallas Joint Stock Land Bank of Dallas v. Lancaster, 100 S.W.2d 1029 (Tex. Ct. App. 1936).

Opinion

ALEXANDER, Justice.

In September, 1929, the Dallas Joint Stock Land Bank sold and conveyed to C. M: Lancaster 360 acres of land near the city of Waco and retained a vendor’s lien to secure the payment of a note in the sum of $29,000, payable in stipulated annual installments. Some of these installments were paid as they matured, but as the depression came on Lancaster was unable to meet his payments. In April, 1934, the Land Bank, claiming that Lancaster had failed to meet his payments as per his agreement, filed suit in the district court of Dallas county for its debt and for foreclosure of its lien. At the same time it sued out writ of sequestration and dispossessed Lancaster. On July 17, 1934, the bank took judgment for the sum of $31,602.08, the amount of its debt, with interest and attorney’s fees and for foreclosure of its lien. Later, the land was sold under said foreclosure proceedings and bought in by the bank for approximately the amount of its judgment. Thereafter, Lancaster filed this suit in the district court of McLennan county to recover the damages. alleged to have been suffered by him as the result of the alleged unlawful suing out and enforcement of said writ of sequestration. The pleadings and evidence show that Lancaster was a dairy man engaged in producing and selling milk to customers in the city of Waco, and owned and maintained on said farm a large dairy herd for that purpose. As a part of the consideration for the purchase of the farm in question, he was required to place permanent improvements on the land to a value of $5,000. The evidence showed that he actually placed permanent improvements thereon of the value of approximately $11,000. These improvements consisted of a large dairy barn, gravel roads, wells, and other accessories. At the time the writ of sequestration was levied and Lancaster dispossessed, he had on said farm boilers, motors, compressors, a brine tank, an electrical generator, and [1031]*1031other equipment necessary in milking the cows and cooling the milk. The sheriff, in levying the writ of sequestration, with the approval of the Land Bank’s agent, took possession of a large part of this equipment. As a result of being so dispossessed, Lancaster was unable to immediately secure suitable quarters for operating his dairy, and as a consequence he suffered considerable loss in his dairy business. The jury, in answer to special issues, found that the facts stated in the affidavit for the writ of sequestration were untrue, and that the writ of sequestration was sued out with malice and without probable cause, and that the following articles of equipment belonging to Lancaster and taken possession of under the writ of sequestration were not attached to the building in which they were situated with the intention that they should remain a part thereof, to wit: Compressor valued at $80; motor valued at $280; brine tank valued at $75; galvanized pipe valued at $12.50; boiler valued at $75; generator and switchboard valued at $200; three horsepower engine valued at $50; pump valued at $40; and a cypress tank valued at $10, making a total of $822.50. It was further found that Lancaster sustained actual damage to his business in the sum of $660 as the result of the issuance and levy of the writ, and that he was entitled to recover exemplary damages in the sum of $2,127.50. Based on the verdict, the court rendered judgment for plaintiff for the sum of $3,610. The defendant appealed.

Appellant’s first contention is that since it held a vendor’s lien on the land, it had a superior title thereto, and upon default by the purchaser it was entitled to the possession of the land, and since it was entitled to possession of the land, it was not liable in damages for the taking thereof under writ of sequestration, even though said writ was unlawfully sued out. If appellant had elected to disaffirm the sale and to sue for possession of the land, it might have had rights such as are contended for by it; but when it brought suit for its debt and to foreclose its lien, it thereby elected to affirm the sale and waived its right to demand possession of the property. Under such circumstances, the appellant occupied the position of mortgagee, and the appellee, as mortgagor, had the right to retain possession and use of the land until sale took place under the foreclosure proceedings. Hill v. Preston, 119 Tex. 522, 34 S.W.(2d) 780, par. 4; Dallas Joint Stock Land Bank v. Lancaster (Tex.Civ.App.) 91 S.W.(2d) 890, par. 3; 43 Tex.Jur. 342. If appellant obtained possession of the property in the meantime by the unlawful use of a writ of sequestration, it is liable in damages for the consequences.

Appellant’s second contention is that the dairy equipment, for the conversion of which it was held liable, was of such character and was so attached to the permanent improvements on the farm as to constitute it a part of the realty so that the title thereto passed to appellant under foreclosure proceedings. The evidence shows that most of the machinery in question was situated in a small building on the premises adjoining the main dairy barn. Appellee testified that the building was intended only as a temporary structure and that he had intended to erect a more substantial building for housing the machinery as soon as he was able. The Waukesha motor, valued by the jury at $280, was used to pull the generator for the lighting system and the machine for milking the cows and for operating the cooling system for the milk. It was described as being fifty-six horsepower, four or five feet long by four feet wide and was set on skids or angle irons so that it could be moved about from place to place in the building. The brine tank had a capacity of 500 gallons of water and was supported by four legs setting on top of the ground outside of the building and was used to keep the motor cool The boiler had a capacity of six horsepower and was used to manufacture steam for cleansing the vessels used about the dairy. It was set on the concrete in the building but was not fastened thereto. The generator and switchboard had a capacity of ten horsepower and was operated by the motor above referred to. It was fastened by screws to boards that were bolted to the concrete. The compressor was used in creating the vacuum necessary to the operation of the milking machine. Its size is not shown. It was fastened to boards that were bolted to the concrete. The. galvanized pipe referred to was the connecting link between the compressor and. the cows that were milked with the machine. This pipe was laid around the side of the building and fastened to it by small clamps. There is no contention that the three horsepower engine and the pump used in connection [1032]*1032therewith constituted any part of the realty. As before stated, the jury found that none of the above equipment was attached to the building' with the intention that it should remain a part thereof. We do not think the evidence shows the contrary with such certainty that reasonable minds could not differ as to the effect thereof. In other words, we think the evidence raised a question for the jury and that the finding of the jury is binding on the court. In this connection, it should be noted that appellant does not stand in the position of a good-faith purchaser of the land who purchased the same in the belief that the equipment constituted a part of the property being bought, as was the case before the court in Citizens’ National Bank v. Elk Manufacturing Co. (Tex.Com.App.) 29 S.W.(2d) 1062, relied on by appellant. Here, the equipment was not on the premises at the time appellant’s lien was retained: Therefore, it will suffer no injury if it is denied a lien thereon.

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Bluebook (online)
100 S.W.2d 1029, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/dallas-joint-stock-land-bank-of-dallas-v-lancaster-texapp-1936.