First State Bank, Morton v. Chesshir

634 S.W.2d 742, 1982 Tex. App. LEXIS 4203
CourtCourt of Appeals of Texas
DecidedMarch 31, 1982
Docket9267
StatusPublished
Cited by38 cases

This text of 634 S.W.2d 742 (First State Bank, Morton v. Chesshir) 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
First State Bank, Morton v. Chesshir, 634 S.W.2d 742, 1982 Tex. App. LEXIS 4203 (Tex. Ct. App. 1982).

Opinions

[744]*744REYNOLDS, Chief Justice.

In the litigation on a certificate of deposit transaction, O. D. Chesshir and his wife, Donletti Chesshir, recovered a monetary judgment against the First State Bank, Morton, Texas, upon a jury verdict convicting the bank of an act declared unlawful by the Deceptive Trade Practices-Consumer Protection Act (DTPA). Tex.Bus. & Comm. Code Ann. § 17.41 et seq. (Vernon Supp. 1982). Holding that the Chesshirs were not “consumers” who could bring an action on the transaction under the DTPA, we reversed the trial court’s judgment and rendered judgment that the Chesshirs take nothing by their DTPA action. First State Bank, Morton v. Chesshir, 613 S.W.2d 61, 62-63 (Tex.Civ.App.—Amarillo 1981, writ granted).

Following our judgment, the Chesshirs moved for a rehearing, contending for the first time that they were entitled to a modification and rendition of judgment, or alternatively a remand for a new trial, on the causes of action for fraud and wrongful conversion alleged in their trial pleadings. As we then viewed the appellate record, the cause was tried as a DTPA action and, thereby, the parties were restricted to that theory on appeal. Davis v. Campbell, 572 S.W.2d 660, 662 (Tex.1978). We, therefore, overruled the motion for rehearing without writing further.

The Supreme Court, holding that our failure to consider the Chesshirs’ arguments on conversion is in conflict with the rule of McKelvy v. Barber, 381 S.W.2d 59 (Tex.1964), reversed our judgment and remanded the cause for our consideration of the conversion cause of action. Chesshir v. First State Bank of Morton, Tex., 620 S.W.2d 101 (Tex.1981). We now, on the rationale expressed below, reform and affirm the trial court’s judgment.

The trial court’s judgment contains a finding from the verdict of the jury and the law applicable thereto that the Chesshirs’ actual damages were “Ten Thousand And No/100 Dollars ($10,000.00), together with interest thereon at the legal rate of seven and one-quarter (7¼%) percent per annum from April 1, 1976, until date of entry of judgment [27 May 1980], for a total of Thirteen Thousand Twenty and 84/100 Dollars ($13,020.84).” After further finding from the verdict that the actual damages should be trebled, the court decreed that the Chesshirs recover from the bank $39,-062.52, plus interest thereon at the legal rate of nine (9%) percent per annum from 27 May 1980 until paid, together with attorney’s fees stipulated in the judgment and costs.

In our original opinion, we described the background of the litigation leading to the judgment in these words:

The bank issued to the Chesshirs its Time Certificate of Deposit No. A 1938, dated 1 April 1975, which recited, in part, that “O. D. or Donilita (sic) Chesshir HAS DEPOSITED IN THIS BANK” $10,-163.80 “Payable 4-1-79, with interest at 7¼ percent per annum upon surrender of this certificate.” Previous thereto on 12 December 1974, O. D. Chesshir had executed an assignment of savings account, identified by the entry of “C.D. # A-1938, as security for “$10,000.00.” By the assignment, the Chesshirs understood they were guaranteeing $4,000 of $40,000 the bank would, and later did, loan their son, Donald Rhea Chesshir, pursuant to a Small Business Administration guaranty.
Thereafter on 29 June 1976, the bank notified O. D. Chesshir that “your Certificate of Deposit No. A-1938 has been cashed in and applied to the [delinquent] loan of Donald Rhea as per the assignment and instructions from the Small Business Administration.” The bank returned to the Chesshirs $163.80, the excess of the amount which the bank maintained was assigned. This litigation ensued.

613 S.W.2d at 62.

In their live trial pleadings, the Chesshirs also included allegations that on or about 20 January 1976, the bank wrongfully converted their certificate of deposit to the bank’s use and benefit, and that, because the bank refused to return the certificate or pay its fair market value after demand, they were [745]*745entitled to its fair market value of $10,-163.80, plus interest at the rate of seven and one-fourth percent per annum since the date of conversion. The bank lodged a special exception to the allegations “for the reason that conversion is not a proper cause of action in this case,” but the record does not show that the exception ever was presented to or acted upon by the court.

To recover under their pleadings of conversion, the Chesshirs were required to establish (1) that property owned by them (2) was converted by the bank, and (3) the value of the property. Waisath v. Lack’s Stores, Inc., 474 S.W.2d 444, 445 (Tex.1971). A conversion occurs in law by one’s unauthorized and wrongful assumption and exercise of dominion and control over the personal property of another to the exclusion of or inconsistent with the owner’s rights. It is unnecessary to a conversion that there be a manual taking of the property. Id. at 447.

The first factual element of the pleaded conversion, the Chesshirs’ ownership of the certificate of deposit, was conclusively established by the undisputed evidence. Consequently, that element should not have been, and properly was not, submitted to the jury. Wright v. Vernon Compress Company, 156 Tex. 474, 296 S.W.2d 517, 523 (1957).

The second element, a conversion, was not conclusively established by the evidence. Without question, the bank assumed and exercised dominion and control over the certificate to the exclusion of the Chesshirs’ rights expressed in its provisions; however, the question whether the bank’s action was authorized or was wrongful remained a disputed fact under the evidence. To show that its action was authorized, the bank adduced evidence that Mr. Chesshir assigned the certificate as security for repayment, and to be applied upon nonpayment, of the bank’s loan made to the Ches-shirs’ son. To show that the bank’s action was wrongful, the Chesshirs presented evidence that the certificate was assigned only to guarantee Mr. Chesshir’s $4,000 note given to, and later nullified by, the bank as security for the son’s note. Hence, the question of the bank’s authorized or wrongful action was for submission to, and resolution by, the jury. Id.

The Chesshirs originally asserted in their motion for rehearing that conversion was submitted to the jury in special issue no. 1(a), and later asserted in the Supreme Court that conversion was submitted in special issues nos. 1(a) and 3(a). The issues and the jury’s answers thereto read:

1.
(a) Find from a preponderance of the evidence whether or not, at the time of O. D. Chesshir’s execution of the assignment of certificate of deposit in question, that it was the agreement of both O. D. Ches-shir and the Bank that the certificate was to be used as collateral security for the SBA-guaranteed loan of the Bank to Donald Rhea Chesshir?

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Related

Venkatraman v. BOA
Fifth Circuit, 2026
Country Village Homes, Inc. v. Patterson
236 S.W.3d 413 (Court of Appeals of Texas, 2007)
Triumph Trucking, Inc. v. Southern Corporate Insurance Managers, Inc.
226 S.W.3d 466 (Court of Appeals of Texas, 2006)
Smith v. Maximum Racing, Inc.
136 S.W.3d 337 (Court of Appeals of Texas, 2004)
Glen Smith v. Maximum Racing, Inc.
Court of Appeals of Texas, 2004
Gulf States Utilities Co. v. Low
79 S.W.3d 561 (Texas Supreme Court, 2002)
Rogers v. Ricane Enterprises, Inc.
930 S.W.2d 157 (Court of Appeals of Texas, 1996)
Tubb v. Bartlett
862 S.W.2d 740 (Court of Appeals of Texas, 1993)
Board of County Commissioners v. Amarillo Hospital District
835 S.W.2d 115 (Court of Appeals of Texas, 1992)
Lochabay v. Southwestern Bell Media, Inc.
828 S.W.2d 167 (Court of Appeals of Texas, 1992)
Sherrod v. Moore
819 S.W.2d 201 (Court of Appeals of Texas, 1991)
HIGH PLAINS WIRE LINE SERVICES, INC. v. Hysell Wire Line Service, Inc.
802 S.W.2d 406 (Court of Appeals of Texas, 1991)
Thomas C. Cook, Inc. v. Rowhanian
774 S.W.2d 679 (Court of Appeals of Texas, 1989)
Hall Construction Co. v. Texas Industries, Inc.
748 S.W.2d 533 (Court of Appeals of Texas, 1988)
Reese v. Parker
742 S.W.2d 793 (Court of Appeals of Texas, 1987)
Metro Ford Truck Sales, Inc. v. Davis
709 S.W.2d 785 (Court of Appeals of Texas, 1986)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
634 S.W.2d 742, 1982 Tex. App. LEXIS 4203, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/first-state-bank-morton-v-chesshir-texapp-1982.