Edwards v. Gilbreath

201 S.W.2d 261, 1947 Tex. App. LEXIS 887
CourtCourt of Appeals of Texas
DecidedMarch 13, 1947
DocketNo. 11855
StatusPublished

This text of 201 S.W.2d 261 (Edwards v. Gilbreath) 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
Edwards v. Gilbreath, 201 S.W.2d 261, 1947 Tex. App. LEXIS 887 (Tex. Ct. App. 1947).

Opinion

GRAVES, Justice.

This suit was filed in the District Court of Colorado County, Texas, July 6, 1946, for a temporary restraining order and temporary injunction to prevent the defendants, Edwards Brothers, residents of San Patricio County, Texas, and Texas and New Orleans Railroad Company, from moving three cars of grain from Colorado County and for judgment for title and possession of the grain. The temporary restraining order therefor expired, and plaintiff having failed to file an injunction bond, the carrier moved the grain from Colorado County. Before hearing on the plea of privilege, plaintiff filed his Second Amended Original Petition, which was attached to his controverting affidavit, the allegations of which will appear later herein.

Transit Grain Company intervened, asserting it was the owner of the grain and [262]*262holder of bills of lading therefor; that the allegations that the defendants, Edwards Brothers, “are not good under a money judgment” are untrue, and denied that Edwards Brothers had or breached any contract for sale of the three cars of grain. Attached to the answer was the affidavit of B. R. Smith, President of First State Bank, Aransas Pass, that Edwards Brothers had property of the probable value of a quarter of a million dollars and that he verily believed them possessed of prdperty subject to execution sufficient to satisfy any judgment plaintiff might recover herein. Also attached was affidavit of J. G. Richards, an employee of Edwards Brothers, of facts showing that plaintiff had no valid contract for the purchase of the three cars of grain and that it had been sold on July 2, 1946, to Transit Grain Company, who had paid therefor, and that Edwards Brothers claim no title to the grain.

The trial pleading of plaintiff made Transit Grain Company a party defendant, and pleaded a contract made June 28, 1946, for purchase of the three cars of grain; that defendants, Edwards Brothers, instructed the defendant Railroad to ship the grain to themselves, without the consent of plaintiff, to exact an additional price from plaintiff for the grain; that after this suit was filed the three cars of grain were moved out of Colorado County; that petition alleges that title thereto passed to plaintiff at Ingleside, Texas, and all of the defendants converted the grain by its removal from Colorado. County; that íransit Grain Company purchased the grain with knowledge of plaintiff’s rights “after this suit had been filed.”

Plaintiff alleges damage of $2,103.01, and avers in the alternative that the value of the grain is $12,000, which plaintiff seeks to recover, and, as a second alternative, plaintiff seeks to recover his lost profits, $3,322.95, as damages from Edwards Brothers. Plaintiff prays for title and possession; alternatively, for damages against all defendants, and in the second alternative, against Edwards Brothers only for damages.

The defendant Railroad Company denied any conversion of the grain; alleged that it issued the bills of lading to Edwards Brothers and accepted diversion order for shipment of the grain to Fort Worth, Texas, and alleges it complied .therewith after plaintiff defaulted in giving bond required by the court’s restraining order.

The defendants, Edwards Brothers, filed their pleas of privilege to be sued in San Patricio County, Texas, their residence.

Plaintiff controverted the plea on the grounds (1) that the suit is for the recovery of three cars of grain, which he alleged were at the time of the filing of such suit in Colorado County; (2) that the defendants, Edwards Brothers, committed a trespass in Colorado County; (3) that the suit may be maintained against defendant Transit Grain Company in Colorado County, and the defendants, Edwards Brothers, “are necessary parties thereto”; and (4) that defendants, Edwards Brothers, contracted in writing to deliver the grain to plaintiff in Colorado County.

Appellee offered in evidence a telegram from appellants to appellee dated July 1, 1946, and three bills of lading dated July 1, 1946, covering the three cars of grain involved in this suit, which he claimed showed that the agreed place of performance was in Colorado County, Texas.

Appellants replied with special exceptions and an answer denying that they claimed the property and alleging that they had sold it to Transit Grain Company before it reached Colorado County.

The court overruled the pleas of privilege, and Edwards Brothers have appealed from that order.

No requests were made below for the filing of findings of fact or law, nor were any of either sort stated or filed by the court.

Appellants, after first contending that the appellee had abandoned his claim that appellants contracted in writing to deliver the grain to him in Colorado County, now, “since no proof was offered that a contract in writing was made between plaintiff and these defendants”, predicate their appeal upon these four points of claimed error:

[263]*263“First Point.
“The error of the trial court in overruling these defendants’ plea of privilege, thereby depriving these defendants of their right to be sued in the county of their domicile on an action essentially for breach of contract.”
“Second Point.
“The error of the trial court in overruling these defendants’ plea of privilege, thereby holding that this is a suit for recovery of personal property situated in Colorado County, Texas.”
“Third Point.
“The error of the trial court in overruling the^e defendants’ plea of privilege, thereby holding that they committed a trespass in Colorado County.”
“Fourth Point.
“The error of the trial court in overruling these defendants’ plea of privilege, thereby holding that this is a suit against defendant Transit Grain Company in Colorado County, and ‘the defendants, Edwards Brothers are necessary parties thereto.’ ”
The appellee’s counterpoints, based upon his controverting plea below to the appellants’ pleas of privilege, in substance, are:
(1) The three cars of grain were in Colorado County at the time the suit was filed, hence venue lay in that county, even though the cars were moved out of it after the filing of the suit;
(2) Appellants, having acted with their codefendants in moving the grain out of Colorado County, were guilty of conversion thereof in that county, hence committed a trespass against the appellee therein;
(3) The suit having been maintainable in Colorado County against appellants’ codefendants, Transit Grain Company and Railroad Company, appellants being necessary parties thereto, were so suable therein in Colorado County;
(4) Appellants, having contracted in writing to deliver the three carloads at Weimer, in Colorado County, were suable there.

The record brought here, inclusive of the statement of facts, original exhibits, etc., from both parties, in this court’s opinion, conclusively shows that appellants’ quoted points of error in all material respects are sound, and that none of the venue facts — necessary to the support of any one of the appellee’s counterclaims —were proven.

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Bluebook (online)
201 S.W.2d 261, 1947 Tex. App. LEXIS 887, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/edwards-v-gilbreath-texapp-1947.