Davis v. H. Molsen & Co.

545 S.W.2d 889, 1976 Tex. App. LEXIS 3514
CourtCourt of Appeals of Texas
DecidedDecember 30, 1976
DocketNo. 976
StatusPublished
Cited by3 cases

This text of 545 S.W.2d 889 (Davis v. H. Molsen & 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
Davis v. H. Molsen & Co., 545 S.W.2d 889, 1976 Tex. App. LEXIS 3514 (Tex. Ct. App. 1976).

Opinion

MOORE, Justice.

This suit involves the construction of a written contract. Appellants, J. W. Davis, W. T. Settle, E. J. Pope, Jr., and Kathryn Raymond, instituted suit against appellee, H. Molsen & Co., Inc. (Molsen), to recover the market value of cotton sold and delivered to Molsen under protest, alleging that contracts executed by them did not cover cotton having a micronaire1 reading of 3.6 and above. Appellants alleged that although they each executed identical written contracts2 agreeing to sell their entire 1973 [891]*891cotton crop, the contracts did not extend to, or cover cotton having a micronaire reading above 3.5 or the price to be paid therefor. They alleged that no contract existed as to any of the cotton with a micronaire higher than 3.5, and prayed judgment for the difference between a market value of all cotton delivered having a micronaire reading above 3.5, and the 30 cents per pound which was accepted by them upon delivery under protest. Appellee Molsen answered with a general denial and by the way of an affirmative defense alleged that each of the appellants contracted to sell their entire 1973 cotton crop at certain specified prices up to 30 cents per pound without specifying that higher prices were to be paid for cotton having a micronaire above 3.5. Therefore, Molsen alleged that since the parties failed to stipulate that a higher price would be paid for cotton having a micronaire above 3.5, the contract must be interpreted to mean that the parties agreed that all cotton with a micronaire reading above 3.5 would bring the same price (30 cents per pound) as that agreed to be paid for 3.5 micronaire cotton. In the alternative, Molsen alleged that in the event the court found the contract to be ambiguous the agreement of the parties should be construed to mean that the parties mutually intended that all cotton above 3.5 would bring the same price as 3.5 micronaire cotton and that no premium price would be due and payable on any of the cotton having a micronaire above 3.5. Trial was before a jury. The trial court submitted two identical special issues on behalf of each of the appellants. Special issues 1, 3, 5 and 7, together with the jury’s verdict, may be summarized as follows: Do you find from a preponderance of the evidence that at the time the contract was signed, it was the mutual intent of the parties to contract only for cotton which had a micronaire of 3.5 or below? Answer: “It was not their intent.” Special issues 2, 4, 6 and 8, together with the jury’s verdict, may be summarized as follows: Do you find from a preponderance of the evidence that the parties to the contract failed to fix or agree upon a price for the cotton with a micronaire above 3.5? Answer: “They did not fail to agree.” Judgment was entered on the verdict decreeing that the appellants take nothing. After their motion for new trial had been overruled, appellants perfected this appeal.

We affirm.

Appellants seek a reversal by twelve points of error. In replying to the points, appellee contends that points 1 through 3, point 5 and points 7 through 9 were waived by appellants because the rulings of the trial court of which they complain were not assigned as error in appellants’ motion for a new trial. As we view the record, appel-lee’s contention must be sustained.

In substance, points 1 through 3 complain of the court’s refusing to enter judgment for appellants on the ground that Molsen waived its defense by failing to request and secure findings that because of trade usage appellants agreed to sell all cotton with a micronaire of 3.5 and above at the same price agreed to be paid for 3.5 cotton, and [892]*892by failing to request and secure findings that the parties mutually intended that all cotton with a micronaire above 3.5 was sold at the same price as 3.5 micronaire cotton. By their fifth point appellants contend that the contract is clear and unambiguous and shows that although the appellants agreed to sell their entire cotton crop, the parties failed to stipulate in the agreement the price to be paid for cotton above 3.5 micro-naires; therefore, they argue that they are entitled to judgment for the reasonable market price for all cotton above 3.5 micro-naires, as a matter of law. In the seventh point appellants assert that there is no evidence to support the jury’s findings that the parties did not intend to contract only for cotton which had a micronaire of 3.5 or below, and in the eighth and ninth points, appellants urge that the trial court erred in failing to disregard the jury’s findings and in failing and refusing to render judgment in their favor notwithstanding such findings.

While the record reveals that appellants filed a motion for judgment non ob-stante veredicto under Rule 301, Texas Rules of Civil Procedure, the record does not show that the motion was ever presented or acted on by the trial court. The transcript contains no order overruling the motion and, therefore, any complaint of the judgment set forth in the motion is waived. Hardy v. C.P.I. Sales, Inc., 511 S.W.2d 89 (Tex.Civ.App.-Houston [1st Dist.] 1974, no writ); Barnett v. Woodland, 310 S.W.2d 644 (Tex.Civ.App.-Austin 1958, writ ref’d n. r. e.).

After a careful examination of appellants’ motion for new trial, we fail to find any assignments of error relating to any of the matters complained of in points 1, 2, 3, 5, 7, 8 and 9.

The cases are legion holding that a ground of error not distinctly set forth in a motion for new trial, where such motion is required, is waived. See 3 Tex.Jur.2d, App. and Err. Civil Cases, See. 175 p. 571 and the cases cited therein; see Rules 320, 321 and 324, Tex.R.Civ.P. Points 1, 2, 3, 5, 7, 8 and 9 are therefore overruled.

Under the third point, appellants assert that the trial court erred in rendering judgment for appellee on the verdict because they contend that the jury’s verdict on special issues 2, 4, 6 and 8 is against the great weight and preponderance of the evidence, and by the sixth point appellants make the same contention with regard to the jury’s verdict on special issues 1, 3, 5 and 7.

In making the contracts in question appellants negotiated with U. 0. Hobgood, a commission buyer for Texana Cotton Company. Texana, in turn, was acting as the agent of Molsen. The evidence shows that Molsen is a world wide cotton merchant, selling to cotton mills in this country and abroad. Heinz Molsen testified that his purpose in making the contracts was to fulfill contracts the company had made for 3.0 micronaire cotton for export. The evidence shows that most lower mike cotton is exported and the price is usually established at 3.0 micronaires. Cotton with a “mike” above 3.0 may be shipped, but no premium is received for that above 3.5.

The micronaire content of cotton is controlled by the weather. Normally, very little cotton was produced by the appellants containing a micronaire reading above 3.5. The normal mike range for cotton produced by appellant Settle is 3.0 to 3.5; by Davis it is 3.0; by Pope the normal mike below 3.5; and by Raymond 3.0 to 3.2. There is no way to know in advance what the micro-naire will be. Each appellant testified that at the time they signed the contract they knew it was possible that some of their cotton would be above 3.5. The 1973-74 crop year was unusual in that on the average approximately 95% of the cotton produced by the appellants turned out to be above 3.5.

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Bluebook (online)
545 S.W.2d 889, 1976 Tex. App. LEXIS 3514, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/davis-v-h-molsen-co-texapp-1976.