Frankfurt v. Wilson

353 S.W.2d 490, 1961 Tex. App. LEXIS 2471
CourtCourt of Appeals of Texas
DecidedDecember 29, 1961
Docket15942
StatusPublished
Cited by14 cases

This text of 353 S.W.2d 490 (Frankfurt v. Wilson) 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
Frankfurt v. Wilson, 353 S.W.2d 490, 1961 Tex. App. LEXIS 2471 (Tex. Ct. App. 1961).

Opinion

WILLIAMS, Justice.

Action on promissory note and for fraud. In his original petition Jimmie W. Wilson, as plaintiff, sued Victor Frankfurt, Martin Benno, and N. L. Reader, defendants, seeking a judgment, jointly and severally, based solely upon actionable fraud. In this petition plaintiff alleged that he was the owner of certain property located at 4032 Centenary Drive, University Park, Texas, hereinafter referred to as the Centenary property, and that on October 20th, 1958 he entered into a contract of sale with Benno, for a total purchase price of $36,000. He alleged that part of the consideration to be applied to the total purchase price, was a certain Vendor’s Lien note payable to Benno, and executed by the defendant, Reader, as maker, in the sum of $12,000, said note being secured by collateral on Lots 5 and 6, Block 2, of the Stillmeadow addition, Dallas, Texas, hereinafter referred to as the Stillmeadow property. Plaintiff alleged that he accepted the $12,000 note upon the representations of the defendants Benno, Reader and Frankfurt, that Reader was solvent; that the property was worth in excess of $20,000; and that the defendant Reader had borrowed the sum of $12,000 on said property from Ben-no and was borrowing the sum of $4,000 from the Republic Bank in Dallas. Plaintiff alleged that such representations were false; that the defendants knew that such representations were not true and that but for said representations he would not have accepted the $12,000 note as part of the consideration for the sale of the Centenary-property.

In his First Amended Original petition, plaintiff Wilson enlarged his cause of action by re-asserting his allegations of fraud and, in addition thereto, for the first time sued upon the $4,000 promissory note which had been executed by Reader as a part of the agreement to discount the $12,000 note in consideration for $4,000 cash borrowed from the Republic National Bank and a $4,000 second lien note, being inferior to *492 the $4,000 note and first lien given by transfer to the Republic National Bank by the defendant Reader in order to pay Wilson the $4,000 in cash. Wilson also pleaded, in the alternative, recovery based upon a certain bond executed by Frankfurt which had been given to secure the release of Lis Pendens notice filed by Wilson on the Centenary property. In this amended petition plaintiff sought judgment, jointly and severally, against all of the defendants, based upon the promissory note and also upon fraud as well as upon the bond.

. Following a non-jury trial the court entered judgment for Wilson against Reader on the $4,000 second lien note, and also judgment against Frankfurt on the note in the amount of $4,000, but allowed no recovery against Frankfurt on the bond. Judgment was rendered that plaintiff should take nothing against the defendant Benno, and no complaint is made here of that action. It had been stipulated and agreed by the defendant Reader that the $4,000 second lien note was past due and unpaid and that Wilson was entitled to a judgment thereon. Reader has not appealed from that portion of the judgment. Frankfurt appealed, contending that, as a matter of law, he is not liable on the note, and that there is no evidence to support the allegations of fraud which would make him responsible on that theory. Wilson, by a cross-point, contends that the court should have held Frankfurt liable on the bond.

By his first and second points of error appellant Frankfurt contends that the trial court erred in its conclusions of law No. 7 to the effect that an agency relationship existed between Reader and Frankfurt, because there is no evidence to support such conclusion, and further that the trial court erred in its conclusions of law No. 7, and in rendering judgment indicated thereon in favor of Wilson against Frankfurt in the amount of $4,000 on the second lien note signed by Reader, because the same is an erroneous conclusion of law. The facts are undisputed in this record that Frankfurt did not sign this note nor did he endorse the same or guarantee payment of the same.

We have carefully reviewed all of the testimony in this case and find no evidence to support appellee’s contention that there was an agency relationship existing between Frankfurt and Reader insofar as the execution of this note is concerned. Even so, there could be no recovery under our law upon a promissory note against an undisclosed principal, said note being executed by the alleged agent. Our Supreme Court in Sanger v. Warren, Tex.Civ.App., 44 S.W. 477 and Burnett v. Atteberry, 105 Tex. 119, 145 S.W. 582 has held that where the agent for an undisclosed principal executes or endorses a negotiable instrument without naming his principal no liability on the instrument is imposed upon the principal. See also Texas Land and Cattle Co. v. Carroll & Iler, 63 Tex. 48; Moody-Seagraves Ranch v. Brown, Tex.Civ.App., 69 S.W.2d 840, err. ref., and Farrier v. Hopkins, Tex.Com.App., 131 Tex. 75, 112 S.W.2d 182.

Appellee, in his brief, frankly admits that the trial court committed error in basing the judgment against Frankfurt on the promissory note. Appellant’s first and second points are, therefore, sustained.

Appellee contends, however, that even though the court committed error in basing his judgment against Frankfurt upon an erroneous theory, yet it is the duty of this Court to affirm the judgment of the trial court if there is any theory upon which the pleadings and evidence will support the judgment against Frankfurt. Purnell v. Gulihur, Tex.Civ.App., 339 S.W.2d 86; Golden State Mutual Life Insurance Co. v. Adams, Tex.Civ.App., 340 S.W.2d 77; Moore v. Ham, Tex.Civ.App., 342 S.W.2d 825. We agree with appellee that this is the law and that, pursuant to Rule 434, Texas Rules of Civil Procedure, the error of the court in rendering judgment against Frankfurt on the note would become harmless if there is any possible theory of recovery against Frankfurt demonstrated by the *493 pleadings and evidence in this case. Appel-lee insists that judgment against Frankfurt is justified upon the theory of conspiracy and fraud practiced upon Wilson by Frankfurt and his alleged agents, Benno and Reader.

We find nothing in this record to substantiate appellee’s contention of conspiracy. Conspiracy has been defined as an agreement, manifesting itself in words and deeds, by which two or more persons confederate to do an unlawful act, or to use unlawful means to do an act that is lawful. 12 Tex.Jur.2d, p. 327, § 1. The evidence in this case wholly fails to support appellee’s contention of a conspiracy, as such.

We turn now to the theory of fraud as a possible basis of recovery against Frankfurt. Appellant by his third through •tenth points of error contends that there is no evidence of probative force in this record to support the trial court’s findings ■of fact and conclusions of law having to do with representations that might amount to fraud.

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Bluebook (online)
353 S.W.2d 490, 1961 Tex. App. LEXIS 2471, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/frankfurt-v-wilson-texapp-1961.