Gonzalez v. Burns

406 S.W.2d 527, 1966 Tex. App. LEXIS 2115
CourtCourt of Appeals of Texas
DecidedJuly 27, 1966
Docket14492
StatusPublished
Cited by6 cases

This text of 406 S.W.2d 527 (Gonzalez v. Burns) 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
Gonzalez v. Burns, 406 S.W.2d 527, 1966 Tex. App. LEXIS 2115 (Tex. Ct. App. 1966).

Opinion

BARROW, Justice.

This is a venue action involving Subdivisions 3 and 29a of Article 1995, Vernon’s Ann.Civ.St. William G. Burns, a resident of Bexar County, brought this suit in Bexar County against Arturo C. Gonzalez and Ramon D. Bosquez, residents of Val Verde County, individually and as partners, d/b/a Inter-American Advertising Agency; Com-pañía Radiodifusora de Coahuila, S.A., a legal entity established under the laws of Mexico; Lester L. Roloff and Roloff Evangelistic Enterprises, a corporation, both domiciled in Nueces County; and Lawrence Brandon, a resident of Caddo Parish, Louisiana, individually and as a partner in Brandon-Smith Advertising. Brandon was never served and entered no appearance. All other defendants filed pleas of privilege which were overruled after a non-jury trial. Gonzalez, Bosquez and Compañía Radiodifusora de Coahuila, S.A. (hereinafter referred to as Radiodifusora) have perfected this appeal.

Appellants complain of the sufficiency of the controverting affidavits to their pleas of privilege. Appellee replead verbatim those allegations of his petition covering the essential venue facts, setting them forth in the body of the controverting affidavits and affirmatively alleged their truth, both in the body and the verification of each plea. Appellee’s controverting pleas were sufficient. Leonard v. Maxwell, 365 S.W.2d 340 (Tex.1963); McCarty v. Hinman, Tex.Civ.App., 342 S.W.2d 29, no wr. hist.

Appellants urge appellee’s cause of action is based upon the same subject matter as previously asserted by appellee in a cross-action filed against these appellants in Cause No. F-148,181, and that venue against them is in Val Verde County under the doctrine of res judicata. By other points appellants urge the failure of appellee to plead and prove a cause of action against an out-of-state defendant to which each of appellants is a necessary party.

To pass upon these points it is necessary to examine the very complex procedural and factual background of this suit. Radio-difusora operates radio station XERF located in Villa Acuna, Mexico. Many of its programs are of a religious nature and are transmitted in English to the United States. On June 20, 1957, Bums and Rol-off, Inc., made a contract with Radiodi-fusora and Inter-American Advertising Agency whereby, for the sum of $100,000 paid by Roloff, Inc., through Burns, two fifteen-minute spots (6:45-7:00 a. m., and 9:00-9:15 p. m. CST) were sold to Burns and Roloff, Inc., for the life of the station. On June 16, 1958, Roloff, Inc., assigned to Burns its rights under this contract, effective June 16, 1962. The station was shut down at various times during the period in controversy, for reasons which are not fully disclosed by this record. In September, 1960, a shut-down occurred, and it is alleged that no other programs were broadcast under the 1957 contract, particularly none by Burns, under his assignment. On July 28, 1962, Burns made a contract with Christian Jew Hour, Inc., whereby these program periods were sold to it for a period *529 of four years at $20,000 a year. The sum of $20,000 was paid Burns by Christian Jew Hour, Inc., but the station refused to broadcast any of its programs.

Christian Jew Hour, Inc., filed Cause No. F-148,181 in Bexar County against Burns, Radiodifusora, Bosquez and Gonzalez, to recover the $20,000 paid by it, and other incidental expenses. Burns filed a cross-action against the other defendants and asserted that each of them had breached the June 20, 1957, contract, and sought to recover his damages for this breach. Pleas of privilege to this cross-action were filed by Radiodifusora, Bosquez and Gonzalez, to remove same to Val Verde County. The record reflects that a hearing was had on these pleas on February 7, 1963, and the rough minutes of the court show: “hearing was had, 6 witnesses heard, order sustaining plea of privilege to come.” This order was not actually signed by the trial judge until September 2, 1964. In the meantime a motion for dismissal without prejudice was presented by Burns on this cross-action and signed by the court on March 1, 1963.

On July 29, 1964, the present suit was filed by Burns wherein the foregoing contracts and factual background were alleged by him. In addition, he asserts that on May 24, 1963, a contract was entered into by him with Radiodifusora and Inter-American Advertising Agency, whereby in consideration of his agreement to divide the commissions realized from sale of these program times with the Agency, the contract of May 20, 1957, and the subsequent assignment of Roloff, Inc.’s rights to Burns were expressly recognized, and the parties agreed to carry out the contract terms. It is not claimed that any of the contracts are performable in Bexar County. Brandon and his partnership were sued because they had claimed to be the exclusive sales representative of all XERF program times. Roloff and Roloff, Inc., were sued because Roloff was allegedly using one of the program times assigned to Burns. Appellee sought a judgment for damages for past breach of contract and for future specific performance of the 1957 and 1963 contracts, together with injunctive relief restraining all defendants from interfering with his rights to control these broadcasting periods.

It is well settled that where a plaintiff takes a non-suit while defendant’s plea of privilege is pending, the venue in a subsequent action between the same parties on the same claim is thereby fixed in the county of defendant’s domicile, when the question of venue is raised. McDonald, Texas Civil Practice, § 4.62; Clark, Venue in Civil Actions, Chap. 36, § la; Southwestern Inv. Co. v. Gibson, Tex.Civ.App., 372 S.W.2d 754, no wr. hist.; Gathright v. Riggs, Tex. Civ.App., 344 S.W.2d 757, no wr. hist. Ap-pellee urges that this rule has no application in this case because this suit is based in part upon transactions occurring since the former action, in that it is for determination of all rights held by him under the contract dated May 23, 1964, as a novation of the contract of May 20, 1957.

Insofar as appellant Gonzalez is concerned, there is no proof to connect him to the contract dated May 24, 1963. It is undisputed that this contract was actually executed on September 24, 1963, but dated May 24, 1963. It was executed by Burns, individually, and Bosquez, purportedly on behalf of Inter-American Advertising Agency, and Radiodifusora. Burns admitted, however, that prior to September 1, 1963, he was notified of the dissolution of the agency partnership and Bosquez’s lack of authority to act for Gonzalez. In his plea of privilege, Gonzalez denied, under oath, the existence of his partnership with Bosquez at the time of the execution of the 1963 contract.

In Davis v. Hill, 371 S.W.2d 917, writ dismissed, this Court held that where the issue of existence of partnership is raised by denial under oath in the plea of privilege, the plaintiff must then connect the one so denying partnership with the partnership obligation. Burns failed to meet this burden of proof, insofar as ap *530

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Bluebook (online)
406 S.W.2d 527, 1966 Tex. App. LEXIS 2115, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/gonzalez-v-burns-texapp-1966.