Dickson v. Day

275 S.W. 307, 1925 Tex. App. LEXIS 737
CourtCourt of Appeals of Texas
DecidedJune 18, 1925
DocketNo. 3024. [fn*]
StatusPublished
Cited by8 cases

This text of 275 S.W. 307 (Dickson v. Day) 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
Dickson v. Day, 275 S.W. 307, 1925 Tex. App. LEXIS 737 (Tex. Ct. App. 1925).

Opinion

WILLSON, C. J.

(after stating the facts as above). The contention presented by the first, second, sixth, tenth, and eleventh assignments in appellants’ brief is that, to be entitled to the relief awarded him, Day must have alleged and proved that' he offered to rescind, his contract with Baker before Dickson “accepted” his assumption of the payment of the notes specified. We do not understand that to be the law. On the contrary, as we understand it, the law warrants the statement that, if Baker practiced fraud upon Day and thereby induced him to enter into the contract, whereby he assumed the payment of the notes, Day had a right to rescind the contract without respect to whether Dickson had accepted such assumption or not, and without respect to whether Dickson knew or was chargeable with knowledge of such fraud or not. In support of his contention Dickson argues that—

. “The acceptance of the contract of indebtedness by the holder of the indebtedness creates a separate and independent contract between the holder of the indebtedness and the party assuming same, and may only be set aside by mutual consent * * * or for fraud committed either by the holder or the party assuming •the indebtedness.”

We do not think the argument is sound, or that it has support in the cases Dickson cited, to wit, Hill v. Hoeldtke, 104 Tex. 594, 142 S. W. 871, 40 L. R. A. (N. S.) 672, and Maddox v. Clark, 107 Tex. 212, 175 S. W. 1053. In fact, there is a strong intimation in the Hill-Hoeldtke 'Case that the Supreme Court was of the opinion that a promisor induced by fraud of the promisee to assume indebtedness of the latter was not liable to the owner of the indebtedness merely because the latter had “accepted” such assumption. The authorities are to the effect that the right of the holder of the indebtedness so assumed is a derivative one, and not referable to a “separate and independent contract” between him and the promisor. That being the nature of the holder’s right, if the promise, because of fraud or for lack of a consideration, is not enforceable by the promisee, it is not enforceable by the holder of the indebtedness assumed. Hanover Fire Ins. Co. v. Bank (Tex. Civ. App.) 34 S. W. 333; Hill v. Hoeldtke, 54 Tex. Civ. App. 201, 117 S. W. 217; Heath v. Coreth, 11 Tex. Civ. App. 91, 32 S. W. 56; Malanaphy v. Mfg. Co., 125 Iowa, 719, 101 N. W. 640, 106 Am. St. Rep. 332; Dunning v. Leavitt, 85 N. Y. 30, 39 Am. Rep. 617; 6 R. C. L. 886; 13 C. J. 712. In the case first cited, the court said:

“The doctrine is well established in this state that A.,' for a consideration paid by him, may make a contract with B., for the benefit of C., and the latter will have a right of action to enforce it. Spann v. Cochran, 63 Tex. 242; McCown v. Schrimpf, 21 Tex. 27 [73 Am. Dec. 221]; Story, Cont. § 451b. But, if the contract was'obtained by a fraudulent device of A., the person for whose benefit he fraudulently obtained it can gain no higher right than A. held, and, if the contract is void as to him, it is void as to his beneficiary.”'

In the case next cited (Hill v. Hoeldtke), the court said:

“We think it is also clear that plaintiff in error is entitled to defend against personal liability on the notes by tendering back the land and showing that he was induced to accept the conveyance and assume the notes through *309 the fraud of MeLeary, Ms vendor, in falsely representing that the land was free of other Kens, if upon discovering the fraud he acts promptly in rescission, and before he induces defendants in error to rely upon the assumption to their injury. Heath v. Coreth, 11 Tex. Civ. App. 91, 32 S. W. 56; Loeb v. Willis, 100 N. Y. 231, 3 N. E. 177; Drury v. Hayden, 111 U. S. 223, 4 S. Ct. 405, 28 L. Ed. 408; Dry Goods Co. v. Swofford, 65 Kan. 572, 70 P. 582. To same effect: Keller v. Ashford, 133 U. S. 610, 10 S. Ct. 494, 33 L. Ed. 667; Clay v. Woodrum, 45 Kan 116, 25 P. 619; Green v. McDonald, 75 Vt. 93, 53 A. 332.”

And in another one of the cases cited, to wit, Dunning v. Leavitt, Andrews, J., speaking for the New York Court of Appeals, said:

“I know of no authority to support the proposition that a person not a party to the promise, but for whose benefit the promise is made, can maintain an action, to enforce the promise, where the promise is void as between the prom-isor and promisee for fraud, or want of consideration, or failure of' consideration. It1 would be strange, I think, if such an adjudication should be found.”

On the theory, it seems, that it conclusively appeared from the testimony that Day “ratified and confirmed” the contract between him and Baker after he discovered that Baker had misrepresented the value of the 40 acres of land, appellant Dickson asked the court to instruct the jury to return a verdict in his favor, and complains because the court refused the request. There was testimony, and it was undisputed, that after Day saw and examined the land and discovered that Baker had misrepresented its value he authorized one Eowler to represent him in renting or selling it, and accepted •and used $171 paid him by Eowler as rent of the land. AYe think there is no escape from the conclusion that such conduct on the part of Day operated to deprive him of the right he had to rescind the contract, and that his remedy thereafter for the wrong done him was by a suit against Baker for damages. 2 Black on Rescission and Cancellation, par. 595 ; 9 C. J. 1199; 4 R. C. L. 514; Shappirio v. Goldberg, 192 U. S. 232, 24 S. Ct. 259, 48 L. Ed. 419; Minter v. Hawkins, 54 Tex. Civ. App. 228, 117 S. W. 172; Burke v. Ellis, 44 Tex. Civ. App. 21, 97 S. W. 321; Refining Co. v. Swope (Tex. Civ, App.) 241 S. W. 597. On the page •cited of Ruling Case Law, the rulé is stated to be:

■ “That where a party has been induced to •enter into a contract by false and fraudulent representations, he may upon discovering the fraud rescind the contract; but [the writer of ’the article adds] the great weight of authority holds that if the party defrauded continues to ■receive the benefits under the contract after he has become aware of the fraud, or if he other--wiss conducts himself with respect to it as •tho'dgh it were a subsisting and binding en-gagemeñt, he will be deemed to have affirmed the contract and waived his right to rescind.”

The rule, it seems ,(5 Pomeroy’s Equity Jurisprudence, § 2109), rests—

“upon a distinct principle of public policy, that all that justice or equity requires for the relief of a party having such cause to impeach a contract is that he should have but one fair opportunity, after full knowledge of the rights, to decide whether he will affirm and take the benefits of the contract, or disaffirm it and demand the consequent redress.”

Day cites G., H. & S. A. R. Co. v. Cade (Tex. Civ. App.) 93 S. W. 124, as a case holding to the contrary of the conclusion reached by us. But when the facts of that case are kept in mind, it is plain, we think, it is like this one only in respects referred •to by the Supreme Court and disapproved when it denied the railway company’s application for a writ of error. G., H. & S. A. R. Co. v. Cade, 100 Tex. 37, 94 S. W. 219.

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275 S.W. 307, 1925 Tex. App. LEXIS 737, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/dickson-v-day-texapp-1925.