Dickens v. Dickens

262 S.W.2d 795, 1953 Tex. App. LEXIS 2097
CourtCourt of Appeals of Texas
DecidedOctober 14, 1953
DocketNo. 4995
StatusPublished

This text of 262 S.W.2d 795 (Dickens v. Dickens) 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
Dickens v. Dickens, 262 S.W.2d 795, 1953 Tex. App. LEXIS 2097 (Tex. Ct. App. 1953).

Opinion

McGILL, Justice.

This is an action in trespass to try title, brought by appellant as plaintiff against ap-pellees and others as defendants, to recover an undivided one-half interest in the east one-half of Section 8, Block 31-C, Public School Lands, Gaines County, containing 320 acres. She also sought to recover certain alleged damages and an accounting as to certain oil and gas alleged to have been removed from the property by appellees. Trial was to a jury, and on their answers to special issues the court rendered judgment that plaintiff take nothing.

This is the second appeal in this case. This court’s opinion on the first appeal is reported in 241 S.W.2d 658. A majority of the court there held that the evidence was sufficient to raise issues of fact as to whether defendants held possession of the property as trustee, co-tenant or tenant of plaintiff, whether their possession was adverse, as adverse possession is defined by Art. 5515 V.A.C.S., and that therefore the trial court erred in directing a verdict against plaintiff. Chief Justice Price dissented on the grounds that the evidence was insufficient to raise the issue of an express, resulting or constructive trust, and showed as a matter of law a repudiation and such notice thereof to appellant as to set in motion the statute of limitations if appellant ever had any interest in the land, and therefore as a matter of law such interest was barred by the applicable statute of limitations. See 241 S.W.2d loc. cit. 664—665.

A detailed statement of the evidence appears in the opinion on the former appeal. As pointed out by appellees, the facts, developed on the second trial are substantially the same as those developed on the first trial and outlined in the opinion, with the exception that on the second trial there was evidence that appellant was claiming the north one-half of the property only, rather than an undivided interest in the entire half section.

In view of the nature of appellant’s nineteen points, which are quite lengthy, we think it will aid in an understanding of the material questions involved to reproduce here the jury’s verdict in full. The issues which were submitted and answered, and the answers thereto, and one issue on which the jury failed to agree and answer thereto was waived by the parties, were:

“Special Issue No. 1.
“Do you find from a preponderance of the evidence that at or shortly prior to the execution of the deed dated September 18, 1923, conveying the land in controversy to the defendant, A. E. Dickens, the plaintiff, Mrs. Laura Dickens, and said defendant orally agreed that said plaintiff would pay the down payment required on the purchase of said land, and that the plaintiff and said defendant would each own an equal undivided interest in said land, and that the balance of the purchase price was to be paid from the proceeds from the crops to be produced from said land ?
“Answer: No.
“Special Issue No. 6.
“Do you find from a preponderance of the evidence that in 1927, the plaintiff, Laura Dickens, and the defendant, A. E. Dickens, entered into an oral agreement whereby the plaintiff, Laura Dickens, was to acquire title to the north half of the property in controversy? Answer ‘yes’ or ‘no’.
“Answer: Yes.
[797]*797“Special Issue No. 7.
"Do you find from a preponderance of the evidence that the payments to be made by Laura Dickens for the north half were to come from the rentals accruing to her from the crops raised thereon by A. E. Dickens subsequent to 1927? Answer ‘yes’ or ‘no’.
“Answer: Yes.
“Special Issue No. 8.
“Do you find from a preponderance of the evidence that the rents and revenues from the crops accruing to the plaintiff, Laura Dickens, after 1927 and before January 16, 1950, from the north half of said land in controversy, were sufficient to pay one-half of the entire purchase price of the 320 acre tract? Answer ‘yes’ or ‘no’.
“Answer: Yes.
“Special Issue No. 9A.
“Do you find from a preponderance of the evidence that at or prior to the time the land was purchased in 1923 it was agreed between the plaintiff, Mrs. Laura Dickens, and the defendant A. E. Dickens, that A. E. Dickens was to purchase and receive a deed to an undivided one-half interest in the land in controversy, and that Mrs. Laura Dickens was to purchase and receive a deed to an undivided one-half interest in the said land ? Answer ‘yes’ or ‘no’.
“Answer: No.
“Special Issue No. 10.
“Do you find from a preponderance of the evidence that at or before the time the land was purchased in 1923 it was agreed between Mrs. Laura Dickens and the defendant, A. E. Dickens, that Mrs. Laura Dickens was to have the north one-half of the tract of land in controversy and A. E. Dickens was to have the south one-half of the land in controversy? Answer ‘yes’ or ‘no’.
“Answer: No.
“Special Issue No. 11.
“Do you find from a preponderance of the evidence that at or prior to the time the land was purchased in 1923 it was agreed between the plaintiff, Mrs. Laura Dickens, and the defendant, A. E. Dickens, that Mrs. Laura Dickens was to receive a deed to the north one-half of the tract of land and that A. E. Dickens was to receive a deed to the south one-half of the tract of land? Answer ‘yes’ or ‘no’.
“Answer: No.
“Special Issue 12-A.
“Do you find from a preponderance ■of the evidence that the plaintiff, Mrs. Laura Dickens, ever unqualifiedly obligated herself to pay one-half of the vendor’s lien notes payable to J. O. Jones and J. J. Lane, and one-half of the State debt? Answer ‘yes’ or ‘no’.
“Answer: No.
“Special Issue No. 13.
“Do you find from a preponderance of the evidence that the $320 representing the initial payment on the land was paid from the sole funds of A. E. Dickens? Answer ‘yes’ or ‘no’.
“Answer: No.
“Special Issue No. 14.
“Do you find from a preponderance of the evidence that the only interest, if any, in the property which the defendant, A. E. Dickens, ever promised to convey to the plaintiff, Mrs. Laura Dickens, was the north one-half of the 320 acre tract ? Answer ‘yes’ or ‘no’.
“Answer: Yes.
“Special Issue No. 15.
“Do you find from a preponderance of the evidence that the plaintiff, Mrs. Laura Dickens, failed to use reasonable diligence by not filing this suit until January 16, 1950? Answer She failed or She did not fail.
“Answer: She failed.
[798]*798“Special Issue No. 16.
“Do you find from a preponderance of the evidence that the defendant, A. E.

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Related

Dickens v. Dickens
241 S.W.2d 658 (Court of Appeals of Texas, 1951)
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280 S.W. 158 (Texas Supreme Court, 1926)
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132 S.W.2d 256 (Texas Supreme Court, 1939)
White v. Haynes
60 S.W.2d 275 (Court of Appeals of Texas, 1933)

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Bluebook (online)
262 S.W.2d 795, 1953 Tex. App. LEXIS 2097, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/dickens-v-dickens-texapp-1953.