Dyer v. Hauser

100 S.W.2d 787
CourtCourt of Appeals of Texas
DecidedDecember 10, 1936
DocketNo. 3451
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 100 S.W.2d 787 (Dyer v. Hauser) 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
Dyer v. Hauser, 100 S.W.2d 787 (Tex. Ct. App. 1936).

Opinion

WALTFI ALL, Justice.

This case presents an appeal from an order of the district court of Winkler county overruling appellant’s plea of privilege to have this ca^e transferred to Ward county and to be sued in Ward county, the county of his domicile.

The record in this case shows substantially the following: In a cause in the district court of Eastland county, Tex., entitled Kinnaird, receiver of Murray Tool Company v. J. E. Hauser and Westex Machine & Tool Co., a writ of sequestration was issued on the 7th day of June, 1934, in favor of Kinnaird, receiver, and against J. E. Hauser and Westex Machine & Tool Company, and addressed to the sheriff of Ward county, Tex., commanding the sheriff to take into his possession certain personal property itemized and fully described in the record and situated at Monahans, Ward county, and then in the possession of plaintiff Kinnaird, receiver, in the above Eastland county suit.

On June 9, 1934, appellant, as sheriff of Ward county, and acting under said writ of sequestration, took possession of said personal property consisting of certain pipe, fittings, machinery, tools, equipment, material, and supplies, placed it in a machine shop in Monahans, and in the possession of a 'watchman. ’

Thereafter on July 23, 1934, Sam Weiner tendered his claimant’s oath and bond to appellant, Sheriff Dyer, and demanded -the possession of said property, and which oath and bond was approved by appellant and the property was released to claimant, Sam Weiner. ■

Appellee Hauser brought this suit against Sam Weiner and the sureties on Weiner’s claimant’s bond to the September term, 1935, of the Ward county district court. In his petition plaintiff Hauser alleged that he was the owner of the property involved in the controversy, and as to Weiner and his sureties he alleged the facts substantially as above stated; alleged that Sheriff Dyer accepted a claimant’s bond from Weiner in an amount much less than the market value of the property claimed, stating the value of the. property claimed, and amount as to the value of the property stated in the claimant’s bond and the amount of the bond approved and accepted by Sheriff Dyer, and prayed for judgment, jointly and severally, for the value of the property, and for the value of the use, hire, wear, increase, and fruits of the property and interest as provided in the statute. In the Ward county district court claimant Weiner and his sureties, by their written agreement -and permission of the court, changed the venue of the suit from Ward county to Winkler county, for trial, and the cause of action as to said parties was, by order of the court, changed to Winkler county.

On January 31, 1936, in the Winkler county district court, plaintiff Hauser filed his first amended original petition in which he made F. I. Dyer, in his official capacity as sheriff of Ward county, a party defendant, and Dyer’s surety on his official bond as sheriff.

In his amended petition plaintiff Hauser pleaded substantially as in his original petition as to its legal effect and further pleaded that Weiner at the same time and place, by means of the oath and bond secured from the possession oí the sheriff the personal property in the oath and bond and described in an exhibit attached, and also secured certain other personal property described in an exhibit, with the value, all of which property Weiner converted to his use and benefit and for the value of which plaintiff sues; plaintiff alleges that Dyer, as sheriff, did not safely keep, preserve, and protect said property during his possession, but that he and his agent in possession negligently and carelessly permitted and allow[789]*789•ed Weiner to take from said building that part and portion of said property not set out in the claimant’s oath and bond, and that Dyer thereby committed, in connection and conjunction with Weiner, a trespass and offense against plaintiff and his property, to plaintiff’s damage as stated. Plaintiff prayed that Dyer and his official •surety be cited and that plaintiff have judgment jointly and severally against all defendants for the amounts as stated. Defendant Weiner answered claiming title and •ownership to the property described and levied upon by Dyer under the sequestration writ; that he is not a party to the sequestration suit, that his claim was made in good faith and that the total value of said property is as set forth in his oath and bond.

The record shows service upon Dyer’s •official surety, Republic Underwriters.

Defendant F. I. Dyer answered in his official capacity as sheriff of Ward county, in which he filed his plea of privilege, formal in all respects, denied that at any time was he a resident of Winkler county, that at all times mentioned he was and is a resident of Ward county, that no exception to ■exclusive venue in one’s- residence provided by law exists in said cause, and prays that the court sustain his plea of privilege.

Plaintiff filed a controverting affidavit to Dyer’s plea of privilege setting out substantially the matters stated in his amended petition; that all of the allegations in his petition are true and refers to and adopts •such amendment as a part of his control-verting plea; alleges the residence of Weiner and his sureties to be in Winkler county; alleges that Weiner and his sureties on claimant’s oath and bond are jointly liable with Dyer and are necessary and proper parties with Dyer in the suit; that his asserted cause of action in his amended petition is a part of and grows out of the same transaction, the illegal taking by Weiner of plaintiff’s property, and that because of the residence of Weiner and his sureties being in Winkler county and the cause of action with the other defendants being joint, the venue of the suit as to Dyer is properly in Winkler county, under subdivisions 4 and 29a, of article 1995, of the Statutes which plaintiff pleads, and prays that the plea of privilege be overruled.

The court overruled the plea of privilege; and Dyer appeals.

Opinion.

The proper venue of this suit as to appellant Sheriff Dyer under his plea of privilege to be sued in Ward county, the county of his residence, is the only issue presented for the consideration of this court.

Appellee made Dyer a party to the suit in his amended petition, filed after the venue of the suit had been changed from Ward county to Winkler county.

The facts alleged, stating plaintiff’s cause of action against Weiner and Sheriff Dyer, are substantially as stated above.

As to Weiner, it is alleged, in substance, that while Sheriff Dyer had possession of said property under the writ of sequestration, Weiner secured the possession of the property described in the two exhibits under his claimant’s oath and bond and “appropriated and converted it to his own use and benefit,” to his damage, as alleged.

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Bluebook (online)
100 S.W.2d 787, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/dyer-v-hauser-texapp-1936.