Gillespie v. Gillespie

110 S.W.2d 89, 1937 Tex. App. LEXIS 1213
CourtCourt of Appeals of Texas
DecidedOctober 8, 1937
DocketNo. 1696.
StatusPublished
Cited by12 cases

This text of 110 S.W.2d 89 (Gillespie v. Gillespie) 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
Gillespie v. Gillespie, 110 S.W.2d 89, 1937 Tex. App. LEXIS 1213 (Tex. Ct. App. 1937).

Opinion

GRISSOM, Justice.

Boyd Gillespie sued his wife, Anna Gillespie, for divorce. She answered and filed a cross-action for divorce, for a judgment establishing her interest (alleged to be one half, because community) in 200 acres of land and in certain personal property, and as to the personal property a judgment for one-half the value of personal property sold by her husband, for partition, and for attorneys’ fees.

The parties will be referred to as in the trial court.

The verdict and judgment was for the plaintiff on the question of the divorce. Since the judgment in this respect is not complained of, it will not be further considered.

In addition to the divorce issue, the court submitted the following issues, which .the jury answered as shown:

“Special issue No. 2. Do you find from a preponderance of the evidence that at the time that the 200 acres of land was recon-veyed to plaintiff Boyd Gillespie, by deed dated August 16, 1932, it was the intention of the plaintiff,' Boyd Gillespie, and defendant, Anna Gillespie, that said 200 acres of land would be their community property; answer yes or no. Answer: Yes.
“Issue No. 3. Dp you find from a preponderance of the evidence thg.t on August 16, 1932, the date of the reconveyance by deed of the 200 acres to plaintiff, that such property was purchased,- in whole or in part, with the separate funds of the plaintiff, answer in whole or in part. Answer: In part. •'
“Issue No. 4. From a preponderance of the evidence, what' amount of the purchase money was plaintiff’s separate funds, answer as you find the facts to be. Answer: $2250.
“Issue No. 5. Do you find from a preponderance of the evidence that there is now on hand any personal property belonging to the plaintiff, Boyd Gillespie, and defendant Anna Gillespie, answer yes or no. Answer: Y es.
“Issue No. 6. From a preponderance of the evidence, what do you find to be the reasonable market value, if any, of such community personal property, answer in dollars and cents. Answer: $2000.
“Issue No. 7. Do you find from a preponderance of the evidence that there is now any community debts or obligations owing by the said Boyd Gillespie and Anna Gillespie, answer yes or no. Answer: Yes.
“Issue No. 8. What do you find from a preponderance of the evidence is the amount of such community debts or obligations, if any, so owing by the said Boyd Gillespie and Anna Gillespie, answer in dollars and*cents. Answer: $900.
“Issue No. 9. What do you find from a preponderance of the evidence would be a reasonable attorney’s fee, if any, for the defense of this suit on behalf of the defendant, Anna Gillespie? Answer as .you find the facts to be. Answer: $250.”

The court entered judgment that the community personal property consisted of certain property therein mentioned; that it was of the value of $2,000; that the community debts with which it was charged amounted to $900; that the 200 acres of land was community property; that the plaintiff and defendant each owned an undivided one-half interest therein; that the defendant was entitled .to $250 attorneys’ fees.

It was ordered that execution issue to the sheriff ordering him to seize and sell said personal property, and that the $900 in community debts owing by the community be paid out of the proceeds of sale and .the remainder divided equally between plaintiff and defendant.

From said judgment the plaintiff has appealed to this court.

The parties were married in 1926 and separated in March, 1935. At the time of the marriage plaintiff owned, among other things, 320 acres of land on which he lived; when the parties marhied they moved on this farm and continued to reside thereon until the defendant left in 1935. In October, 1931, the 320-acre tract was conveyed to Eck Gillespie, and in August, 1932, Eck reconveyed to 'Boyd Gillespie *91 200 acres thereof. In the deed from Eck to Boyd Gillespie to the 200 acres, the consideration was recited to be $500 cash paid by Boyd Gillespie and the “cancellation of the balance due on Note No. Two and Note No. Three, dated November 21, 1931, and due respectively June 1, 1933 and December 1, 1933, executed by the Grantor herein to Boyd Gillespie, and being vendor’s lien notes as part of the purchase money of the South, one half (S%) of Section 79, Block B, H. & T. C. Ry. Co. Lands situated in Knox County, Texas, the surrender and receipt of said two vendor’s lien notes, above described, is hereby acknowledged; the further consideration that the Grantee herein, Boyd Gillespie, assumes and promises to pay all taxes that are delinquent, as well as the taxes for the current year 1932; and the further consideration that the Grantee herein shall assume and pay the unpaid balance due the.Federal Farm Loan Bank of Houston, Texas, on the hereinafter described property.”

The vendor’s lien notes so canceled were the separate property of plaintiff; the taxes and debts assumed were those that he already owed prior to the conveyance to Eck, •except perhaps taxes' for the period during which Eck Gillespie held the equitable title to the 200 acres. The debt owing the Federal Land Bank was the same debt secured by a lien on said land that existed prior to plaintiff’s marriage. So, with possible minor exceptions as to said debts and taxes, plaintiff was in the same position as before the conveyance to Eck. What Eck paid, if anything, on debts and taxes mentioned is not shown. Plaintiff testified that at the date of the reconveyance of the 200 acres there were “about the Same” amount of taxes owing on the 200 acres as at the time it was conveyed to Eck. Plaintiff testified, in effect, that in taking the 200 acres back he assumed practically the same position relative to debts, taxes, etc., thereon as existed when he conveyed to Eck Gillespie.'

The 320 acres of land were unquestionably the separate property of plaintiff, having been acquired by him prior to marriage. It is true that some payments on the debt secured thereby had been made out of community funds prior to the conveyance to Eck; these aggregated $334.40; they were an equitable charge thereon in favor of the community estate. The 320 acres were sold to Eck, at least partly, on credit; plaintiff' retaining a vendor’s lien, the effect of which was that plaintiff retained the superior legal title to the land. Had there been a complete rescission of this contract, we do not think it would be contended that the property did not' belong to plaintiff’s separate estate. The details of the sale and repurchase of a part of the land, or conveyance and recon-veyance, are not shown. The evidence is meager in some important respects. But it. is undisputed that in less than a year after the conveyance to him, Eck Gillespie reconveyed or sold 200 acres of the 320-acre tract to Boyd Gillespie. In so far as the consideration for this conveyance is concerned, that evidenced by the cancellation of the balance owing on certain vendor’s lien notes constituted payment out of plaintiff’s separate estate. This amount is not definitely shown, but is sometimes treated as $2,000 and at other times, apparently, as $2,250.

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Bluebook (online)
110 S.W.2d 89, 1937 Tex. App. LEXIS 1213, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/gillespie-v-gillespie-texapp-1937.