Farmers' & Merchants' State Bank v. Falvey

175 S.W. 833, 1915 Tex. App. LEXIS 446
CourtCourt of Appeals of Texas
DecidedMarch 17, 1915
DocketNo. 6779.
StatusPublished
Cited by21 cases

This text of 175 S.W. 833 (Farmers' & Merchants' State Bank v. Falvey) 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
Farmers' & Merchants' State Bank v. Falvey, 175 S.W. 833, 1915 Tex. App. LEXIS 446 (Tex. Ct. App. 1915).

Opinion

McMEANS, J.

The Farmers’ & Merchants’ State Bank brought this suit against Thomas S. Falvey, as maker, and the Tri-State Construction Company and George W. Cavin, as indorsers, of a promissory note, which will be copied further on in this opinion, and for interest due thereon, and for attorney’s fees stipulated for therein, and for $4.50 protest fees.

Plaintiff alleged that on April 10, 1912, defendant Falvey for a valuable consideration made, executed, and delivered to the defendant Tri-State Construction Company, a corporation duly incorporated under the laws of West Virginia, his promissory note for $2,500, due one year after date, hearing 8 per cent, per annum interest from date, and providing for the payment of 10 per cent, attorney’s fees in case suit should he brought thereon after maturity; that the defendant Tri-State Construction Company indorsed the note by writing its name across the hack of same, thereby making it negotiable; and that thereafter, before the maturity of said note and for a “valuable consideration, and by a special contract made and entered into, the defendant Geo. W. Gavin indorsed said note by writing his name across the back of same, and verbally and in writing personally bound himself and promised to pay said note according to its reading and effect, with all interest and attorney’s fees as therein expressed.” Plaintiff further alleged that it purchased said note before its maturity, and after it bad been indorsed as above stated, for a valuable consideration, without notice of any infirmity in tbe note or defense thereto by its maker and the indorsers, the failure of the maker and indorsers to pay the same at maturity, the presentment of same for payment and protest, and the payment by it of the protest fees, and the necessary facts to entitle it to a recovery of attorney’s fees.

It does not appear that the defendant TriState Construction Company filed an answer. The defendant Falvey answered by general denial, and specially pleaded that on April 10, 1913, he entered into a contract with the defendant Tri-State Construction Company, a corporation doing business in Texas, with its office in the city of Houston, by which said corporation sold to him 125 shares of its capital stock for the sum of $2,500, the stock being of the par value of $20 per share, and in consideration therefor he executed and delivered to said corporation the note sued on, which is set out in hasc verba in the answer. He further pleaded that, at the time he purchased said stock, it was agreed by and between himself and the corporation that said 125 shares of stock was to he issued by tbe corporation and attached to said note as collateral security for the payment thereof, and that thereafter said stock was so issued and attached to the note; that said note was executed for the stock, and that *834 no other thing of value was paid therefor, all of which plaintiff knew when it purchased said note, wherefore said transaction was, under the Constitution and laws of Texas, unenforceable and the note void. He further alleged that his codefendant Cavin was familiar with all the facts and circumstances of the transaction, and knew, at the time he indorsed the note, that the note was executed in payment for the stock, and that nothing had been paid therefor.

Defendant Cavin denied all the allegations of plaintiff’s petition which sought to hold him liable, other than the fact that he indorsed the note, and denied that, at the time he indorsed tlje note, he knew of any fact that rendered it invalid. He specially pleaded that he had no interest in or connection with the note further than he was trying to collect from the defendant Tri-State Construction Company a debt that said company owed him, and was informed by said company that it owned the note herein sued on, and that, if same could be negotiated or sold, it would pay him $1,250 on its indebtedness to him out of the proceeds; that said construction company had placed said note with a bank at Alvin, Tex.; that said construction company instructed the Alvin bank to forward said note to plaintiff bank, and that the latter was instructed to pay to him $1,-250 from the proceeds of the note, remitting the balance to the Alvin bank; that in pursuance of such instruction the plaintiff bank did pay to him $1,250, and remitted the balance to the bank at Alvin. .He further alleged that the plaintiff knew, at the time it purchased the note, that it was invalid, because it carried notice upon its face that the same had been executed by defendant Fal-vey in payment of stock, and that plaintiff had full notice of the illegality of the consideration for the execution of said note. He further alleged that his- indorsement of the note was -without consideration. He prayed that in the event the note should be held to be a valid obligation, and that judgment should be rendered thereon in favor of plaintiff, he have judgment over against defendant Falvey.

Plaintiff, by a supplemental petition in reply to the allegations of defendant Falvey’s answer, denied that the note in question was given in payment for the stock, and alleged, in effect, that defendant Falvey had subscribed for the stock, and that his subscription was evidenced by the note sued upon, and that the stock had never been delivered to him but was attached to the note as collateral security. It denied any knowledge of the invalidity of the note, or that the note on its face disclosed that it was unenforceable. It alleged in the alternative that the Tri-State Construction Company was chartered under the laws of West Virginia; that it never secured a permit to do business in Texas; and that, under the Constitution and laws of West Virginia, it had the right to accept notes in payment for its stock, and that for this reason, if the transaction here-inbefore detailed should be held to be a sale of stock for a note, the note herein sued on is a valid and binding obligation upon the maker and indorser.

By its supplemental petition in reply to the answer of the defendant Cavin, the plaintiff pleaded that said defendant was interested in the sale of the note, in that he was to receive $1,250 out of the proceeds of sale in payment of a debt owing to him by the construction company, which was then insolvent, and, to induce plaintiff to purchase the note, represented to plaintiff that the note was good, and that he would promptly pay it at maturity, and that he verbally contacted and promised to pay said note to plaintiff at maturity, and, independently of his written indorsement, guaranteed plaintiff against any loss in any event, upon which guaranty, as well as his written indorsement, plaintiff relied and was induced thereby to purchase the note, and that the defendant Cavin received a part of the proceeds of the purchase.

The pleadings are quite voluminous, and many allegations contained in them are omitted; but we have stated the substance of such allegations as we think present the issues that will control in the disposition of the case under the law applicable to the material facts proved.

The case was tried before a jury; but, when the introduction of the testimony was concluded, the court peremptorily instructed the jury to return a verdict in favor of the defendants Falvey and Cavin, and in favor of plaintiff against the Tri-State Construct tion Company, for the amount of the note, interest, attorney’s fees, and protest fees, and, this having been done, a judgment was accordingly entered, From the judgment against it in favor of Falvey and Cavin, the plaintiff has appealed.

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175 S.W. 833, 1915 Tex. App. LEXIS 446, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/farmers-merchants-state-bank-v-falvey-texapp-1915.