Easton v. Coleman

236 S.W. 1001, 1921 Tex. App. LEXIS 1320
CourtCourt of Appeals of Texas
DecidedDecember 17, 1921
DocketNo. 8607. [fn*]
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 236 S.W. 1001 (Easton v. Coleman) 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
Easton v. Coleman, 236 S.W. 1001, 1921 Tex. App. LEXIS 1320 (Tex. Ct. App. 1921).

Opinion

VAUGHAN, J.

The suit on which this appeal is based was originally filed by appellee F. G. Coleman, as plaintiff in the trial court, against appellant, Mrs. Kate Easton, to recover the title and possession of 40 acres of land situated in Grayson county, and to remove a cloud from his title cast thereon by written instrument in the form of a deed in which Michael Hanna, one of the appellees, is grantor, and appellant is grantee. Appellant impleaded one Louie Gossen and appel-lee Hanna. Gossen answered that he occupied the land as Coleman’s tenant, and disclaimed any other interest therein. After Hanna and Gossen were impleaded, Coleman, by his second amended original petition, proceeded against appellant and appellee Hanna, alleging the formal statutory action in trespass to try title, and that he had acquired and held title through deed made to him by the sheriff of Grayson county under an order of sale issued out of the district court of the Fifty-Ninth judicial district to enforce a certain judgment rendered in the case of R. D. Bierne v. Michael Hanna, foreclosing a deed of trust lien upon the land to secure indebtedness due by Hanna to Bierne. He averred, further, that appellant and Hanna were married about March 16,1918, and divorced about the 9th day of October, 1919, and appellee’s former name, Kate Easton, restored; that about March 28, 1918, appellee Hanna executed a written instrument in the form of a deed to his then wife (appellant) to the land in controversy; that said instrument * was without effect because not delivered to appellant nor intended to operate as a conveyance of title, and was without consideration; that appellant and appellee Hanna contemplated improving and using the land as a home for themselves during their declining years; that Hanna had a wayward and extravagant son, and desired to protect his wife, appellant, against the demands of said son; that to effect those purposes, and because of his confidence in his wife, appellee Hanna executed said instrument and intrusted it to the appellant’s care and custody, with the understanding and agreement that it should not be placed of record during appellee Hanna’s lifetime, and that the instrument should at all times during his lifetime remain subject to revocation and cancellation by appellee Hanna at his option, and that the same should be surrendered to appellee Hanna whenever demanded by him; that it .was understood between appellant and said Hanna that, in case Hanna should fail to revoke the instrument, then, after his death, appellant should have the right to have the instrument recorded, and not otherwise; that thereafter appellant mistreated Hanna, and that Hanna was forced thereby to leave her for his happiness and safety; that after said separation Hanna squght to obtain the instrument to cancel and destroy it, but that appellant declined to deliver it, and, in fraud of Hanna’s rights, attempted to have the instrument recorded as a deed; that the county clerk refused to file and record the instrument because it was not stamped as required by the federal law, and that appellant, wrongfully and without right, caused the said deed to be materially altered by having written therein the words in the consideration thereof “which total consideration of this deed does not exceed two thousand dollars,” and afterward recorded; that the said written instrument was void by reason of the facts above stated; that the same cast a cloud upon his (Coleman’s) title to the property — and he sought, in addition to' the ordinary judgment in trespass to. try title, the cancellation of said instrument, the removal of said cloud, and damages.

After being impleaded, appellee Hanna substantially pleaded the same facts in reference to the execution and delivery of said deed as pleaded by appellee Coleman, and, in addition thereto, that in December, 1918, he entered into a written contract with Coleman to sell and convey the land in question by warranty deed to Coleman, free of liens, for a consideration of $5,000 and in conformity with that contract on December 28, 1918, he executed to Coleman a deed to the land which was recorded; that said deed recites a cash consideration of $5,000, but that only a part of the consideration had been paid; that he is still willing to perforin said contract; that at the time the contract was made he was indebted to R. D. Bierne to the amount of about $1,279, evidenced by promis *1002 sory notes and secured by a deed of trust on the land; that the cash consideration of $5,-000 was to be paid by Coleman discharging the Bierne indebtedness and paying the balance in cash; that the filing of said instrument by appellant rendered it impossible for him to complete his trade with Coleman or satisfy the Bierne indebtedness; that Bierne recovered judgment for his indebtedness foreclosing the lien; that Coleman at sheriff’s sale purchased the land and paid $1,450 to the sheriff for said sheriff's deed; that in ease Coleman failed to carry out the terms of his contract he is entitled to have the title to the land vested in him charged with a lien thereon equal to the amount so expended by Coleman. He sought judgment against Coleman for the balance due on the agreed price of the land, for the .cancellation of the instrument given by him to appellant, and in the event Coleman should fail to carry out the terms of the contract between them, he have judgment against all the parties other than himself for title and possession of the land and removing said clouds.

' The appellant tried the cause on her fourth amended original answer, containing a plea of coverture, a general denial, a plea of not guilty, a plea of.common source of title, a cross-action alleging that the instrument of .writing executed by Hanna to her, dated March 20, 1918, was in fact a deed of gift from Hanna to her, which she accepted and under which she acquired title and went into possession of the land, a formal statutory action in trespass to try title against all ap-pellees, a demand for rent, and allegations that the indebtedness claimed by Bieme was not in fact owing; that she was not a party to the Bierne foreclosure suit, and was not bound by the judgment entered therein, and that the áttempted sale thereunder by the sheriff under the order of sale was without effect as to her; that the sheriff’s deed cast a cloud upon her title; that Coleman knew that Hanna had no title to the property at the time he executed deed to Coleman; that Coleman had not paid any part of the consideration to Hanna for said deed; that the deed from Hanna to Coleman cast a cloud upon her title; that, if she be mistaken as to the Bierne indebtedness being valid, and if Coleman was entitled to be repaid the amount he had paid to the sheriff, she was ready, able, and willing to pay same; that if she is indebted to Hanna she is ready, able and willing to pay him, and that she desired all the rights of all the parties to be adjudged and declared — and prayed for judgment for title and possession, the adjudication of all the rights of all the parties, that she be permitted to do complete equity, for judgment for rents, and that the clouds cast upon her title be removed.

Coleman, on October 16, 1920, filed his supplemental petition, consisting of general ex-' ception, general denial, and admitted that he entered into the contract with Hanna alleged by Hanna.

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Related

Coleman v. Easton
249 S.W. 200 (Texas Commission of Appeals, 1923)

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Bluebook (online)
236 S.W. 1001, 1921 Tex. App. LEXIS 1320, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/easton-v-coleman-texapp-1921.