Detroit Fidelity & Surety Co. v. State

76 S.W.2d 492
CourtTexas Commission of Appeals
DecidedNovember 28, 1934
DocketNo. 1799-6377
StatusPublished

This text of 76 S.W.2d 492 (Detroit Fidelity & Surety Co. v. State) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Texas Commission of Appeals primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Detroit Fidelity & Surety Co. v. State, 76 S.W.2d 492 (Tex. Super. Ct. 1934).

Opinion

CRITZ, Commissioner.

This suit was instituted in the district corrrt of Dallas county, Tex., by Mrs. E. L. Moberly against G. A. and Ernest Eproson and Detroit Fidelity & Surety Company. The litigation grew out of a road construction contract between the state of Texas, acting through the Highway Commission, and E. Eproson & Co., a firm composed of Ernest and G. A. Eproson and one R. B. Truett. Truett is dead and his estate insolvent. ITe is therefore not sued. The Fidelity Company is sued as surety on the Eproson & Company bond.

After the filing of the suit by Mrs. Moberly, notice was given as required by applicable statutes, and numerous other parties intervened against the Eprosons and their bondsman, the Fidelity Company, claiming to have furnished labor and material to the contractor. Also the state of Texas intervened, and sought recovery on account of an alleged loss sustained by reason of the default of the contractor.

The case was finally tried in the district court. The opinion of the. Court of Civil Appeals makes a sufficient statement of the disposition of the case in the trial court, and the facts and issues there involved. We refer to and adopt the statement in that opinion. 52 S.W.(2d) 298. Three of the parties, Detroit Fidelity & Surety Company, Mrs. Moberly, and R. L. Adams applied for writs of error. All three were granted.

We will first dispose of Mrs. Moberly’s application.

As already shown, Mrs. Moberly sued the Eprosons as principals, and the Fidelity Company as surety, on a road contract bond. Also Mrs. Moberly claimed the right to foreclose a statutory lien on certain impounded funds retained in the hands of the Highway Commission under the terms of the original construction contract with Eproson & Co. .The trial court awarded Mrs. Moberly a judgment against the Eprosons, but denied her any recovery against the Fidelity Company, and further refused her any foreclosure of her asserted lien against the above-mentioned retained fund. The trial court also awarded the state a judgment against the Eprosons and the Fidelity Company, and also disposed of all the other parties and issues. ■

When the above judgment was rendered by the district court, Mrs. Moberly, the Fidelity Company, and another party excepted and gave notice of appeal. Later Mrs. Moberly filed motion for new trial. This motion was duly heard and overruled, and notice of appeal again given. After the above events Mrs. Moberly duly filed in the trial court what she terms “cross-assignments of error,” and such cross-assignments were included in the transcript filed in the Court of Civil Appeals. Mrs. Moberly also filed a brief containing such cross-assignments. Mrs. Mo-berly did not file an appeal bond or affidavit in lieu thereof. It further appears from the record that the Fidelity Company duly filed a supersedeas bond. This bond seems to have been made payable to 'all the other parties to the suit; at any rate, it named Mrs. Moberly as an. obligee therein. Of course the Fidelity Company did not in any way attack the judgment of the lower court pertaining to Mrs. Moberly. Also no other party to the appeal attempted in any way to attack such judgment as pertaining to Mrs. Moberly. The Court of Civil Appeals held that it could not consider Mrs. Moberly⅛ cross-assignments.We quote the following from that opinion: ‘‘Mrs. E. L. Moberly, the original plaintiff, has filed a brief in the cause containing several cross-assignments attacking the action of the trial court insofar as it affects the judgment sought by her. Appellant has not questioned the judgment in her favor and she, not having perfected an appeal, cannot have her said cross-assignments considered. 3 Tex. Jur. § 609, and authorities cited.”

Under the above record we think the above-quoted ruling of the Court of Civil Appeals was correct. It is true that the rules promulgated for the government of district and county courts provide for the filing of cross-assignments of error, but such cross-assignments must be confined to the subject-matter and relevant to the questions involved in the appeal. 3 .Tex. Jur. p. 873, § 609, and authorities cited; Hunt v. Garrett (Tex. Civ. App.) 275 S. W. 96. The ruling in the case just cited is expressly approved in the same case by this section of the Commission. 283 S. W. 489. In the case at bar the Fidelity Company in all things prevailed in the district court in so far as the suit of Mrs. Mo-berly against it was concerned, and, on appeal, it directed no assignment of error against any ruling of the trial court pertaining to her. Under such a record there was nothing for Mrs. Moberly to cross-assign.

Erven if Mrs. Moberly’s cross-assignments against the Fidelity Company could be considered they would have to be overruled. The undisputed record shows that her alleged [494]*494claim was filed with the county clerk more than 00 days after the delivery of the things she claims to have furnished Eproson & Co. Article 5100, R. C. S. of Texas 1925,1 as amended by Acts 1929, 41st Leg., p. 481, c. 226 (Vernon’s Ann. Civ. St. art. 5160). No right of action is fixed against a bondsman by filing a claim for labor or material furnished a contractor after the 90-day limit fixed by the above statute. Employers’ Liability, etc., v. Young County Lumber Co. et al., 122 Tex. 647, 64 S.W.(2d) 339 (Tex. Com. App. opinion adopted), and authorities there cited.

We now come to consider the application filed by the Fidelity Company.

The record in this case shows that Eproson & Co. quit and abandoned their contract on or about October 22, 1929. Work was resumed by the subsequent contractor, who took over the work by authority of the state, about February 5, 1930. The subsequent contractor completed the project with due dispatch. Mrs. Moberly filed this suit after Eproson & Co. quit and abandoned their contract, and within one year after such abandonment. The otñer parties intervened in due time. The case was not actually tried until more than one year after the completion-of the work. Under such a record the Fidelity Company contends that all judgments against it are erroneous because no cause of action against it had accrued at the time Mrs. Moberly filed the suit. The Court of Civil Appeals overruled this contention on the ground that the Fidelity Company had not filed, in due order of pleadings, a plea in. abatement. We are of the opinion that the Court of Civil Appeals was in error in holding that the question could only be raised by plea in abatement. Austin Bros. Bridge Co. v. Love (Tex. Com. App.) 34 S.W.(2d) 574 (opinion approved). It will be noted that the Court of Civil Appeals, among other authorities, cites Love v. Austin Bridge Co. (Tex. Civ. App.) 5 S.W.(2d) 570, in support of its ruling. The Commission opinion just cited is the same case in the Supreme Court and' overrules the holding of the Court of Civil Appeals in this particular.

In spite of the above the correct result was reached by the Court of Civil Appeals. Article 5162, Revised Civil Statutes of Texas 1925; Employers’ Liability, etc., v. Young County Lumber Co., 122 Tex. 647, 64 S.W.(2d) 339 (Tex. Com. App. opinion adopted).

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Related

McDaniel v. National Steam Laundry Co.
244 S.W. 135 (Texas Supreme Court, 1922)
Hunt v. Garrett
275 S.W. 96 (Court of Appeals of Texas, 1925)
Love v. Austin Bridge Co.
5 S.W.2d 570 (Court of Appeals of Texas, 1928)
Detroit Fidelity & Surety Co. v. Moberly
52 S.W.2d 298 (Court of Appeals of Texas, 1932)
McCamant v. Batsell
59 Tex. 363 (Texas Supreme Court, 1883)
Employers' Liability Assur. Corp. v. Young County Lumber Co.
64 S.W.2d 339 (Texas Commission of Appeals, 1933)

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76 S.W.2d 492, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/detroit-fidelity-surety-co-v-state-texcommnapp-1934.