Graham & Locke Investments, Inc. v. Madison

295 S.W.2d 234
CourtCourt of Appeals of Texas
DecidedOctober 5, 1956
Docket15042
StatusPublished
Cited by20 cases

This text of 295 S.W.2d 234 (Graham & Locke Investments, Inc. v. Madison) 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
Graham & Locke Investments, Inc. v. Madison, 295 S.W.2d 234 (Tex. Ct. App. 1956).

Opinions

YOUNG, Justice.

Original opinion herein of date March 9, 1956, is set aside and withdrawn; and the following substituted in its stead:

The suit was initially in trespass to try title by T. B. Madison against Graham & Locke Investments, Inc., B. A. Graham, and J. O. Talley, for recovery of two .tracts of land and improvements in vicinity of Central Expressway, Routh and Bryan Streets, Dallas; by amendment becoming an action by T. B. Madison, individually and as trustee, and nephew Thomas Mack Madison, to set aside a deed of B. A. Graham, substitute trustee, dated March 3, 1954; in other words, to vacate and 'hold for naught a March 2, 1954 proceeding of foreclosure; alleging usury in the $3,000 second lien note declared in default and basis of the public sale, gross inadequacy of sales price, irregularities incident to foreclosure, disqualification of substitute trustee by way of relationship to purchaser, etc. The only answer to plaintiffs’ trial pleading was a plea of not guilty.

On trial to the court, said trustee’s deed was voided and title to the property reinvested in Thomas Mack Madison as bene[237]*237ficial owner of said land, conditioned on adjustment of equities, i. e., cash deposit into court by Madison along with other decretals, from which judgment adverse to Graham & Locke this appeal is taken. The Madisons also excepted to certain rulings against them. Background of suit and sequence of events leading up to said District Court judgment must first be set forth in greater detail.

Prior to July 29, 1952, title to the property in controversy was in T. B. Madison, he conveying same on that date to his nephew and partner in the real estate.business, Thomas Mack Madison; the latter on July 31, 1952 executing a promissory note in principal sum of $20,000 to The Praetorians at 6% interest per annum, payable in monthly installments of $255.20 and secured by first lien deed of trust. On August 29, 1952 Thomas Mack Madison reconveyed the property to his uncle, T. B. Madison, trustee, with deed not recorded until May 7/1954. In June 1953, the Madi-sons, needing additional funds, consulted with J. O. Talley, a broker in real estate loans. A $3,000 second lien note against the property of date June 19, 1953 was then executed by Thos. Mack Madison, and T. B. Madison “Co-Signor”; with J. O. Talley, payee, interest at 5% per annum, payable in eleven monthly installments of $75 each, balance due in twelve months, the note being held by payors until negotiated by Talley. This broker at once interested one O. L. Nelms in the transaction, who agreed to pay $2,500 for the note, conditioned on furnishing of mortgage policy. The services of Texas Title & Abstract Company, whose attorney was Edgar W. Layton, were engaged for that purpose. The deal was closed by the Title Company on June 22, 1953, Nelms having delivered to it the sum of $2,500; disbursed on letter of Thomas Mack Madison to various parties; inclusive, according to Layton, of a $200 brokerage fee to J. O, Talley on oral instruction of said Madison. Assignment of lien to Nelms from Talley and the Thomas Mack Madison deed of trust securing the note to Edgar W. Layton,.Trus-tee, were dated June 19, 1953 (date of note).

On January 26, 1954 appellant Company purchased this note, paying full value ($2,851.52), with assignment of lien from Nelms, at which time the November, December, and January installments- of $75 each were past due. B. A. Graham then visited -T. B. Madison and requested him to catch up on these payments which the latter promised to do. About the same time appellant discovered that the Madisons were considerably in arrears on The Praetorian first lien note payments; Graham again going to Madison’s office, on the premises (1014 Routh Street) and inquiring for Mack Madison to no avail; asking for payments past due of T. B. Madison without success; then electing, as he testified, to declare the $3,000 note wholly due after notice to the elder Madison. Appellant Company immediately paid The Praetori-ans the sum of $1,176 past due on that note; then secured the resignation of Layton as trustee in second deed of trust and appointed B. A. Graham substitute trustee, who posted notices on January 30, 1954 for trustee’s sale on March 2. At the public sale conducted by the substitute trustee on said date, the property was knocked off to Graham & Locke Investments, Inc., on its bid of $1,000, with trustee’s deed- of March 3, in accordance. By later proceedings in forcible entry and detainer, T. B. Madison was evicted from the property, appellant thereby. gaining possession; on the trial duly accounting for rentals received therefrom by the Corporation. Beginning in 1952, Thomas Mack Madison was engaged as a student at Tuskegee Institute in Alabama; then in U. S. Air Force as a pilot; at time of trial, on assignment in Japan, his testimony being in form of deposition taken prior to departure.

In first amended petition plaintiffs had prayed for relief, viz.: Removal of cloud from title to the property by reason of said [238]*238trustee’s deed and for cancellation thereof; upon determination of true amount due on the $3,000 note, that plaintiffs be permitted to pay such sum into registry of court; for judgment against J. O. Talley of $400 as double the amount of $200, a usurious charge exacted by him; that $700 of the second lien note be declared a usurious interest charge; and said sum not having been received by Thomas Mack Madison, that it be applied as a credit on the $3,000 note; that defendant render an accounting of all rents received while in possession and applied toward payment of the note; for reasonable rental-value of the premises from and after March 3, 1954 and for $5,000 damages to personal property removed from 1014 Routh Street, consequent upon the alleged unlawful eviction.

The record includes a statement of facts. In addition, the court made lengthy findings of fact and conclusions of law in support of plaintiffs’ judgment, fixing $6,781.06 as the amount they should tender into court for benefit of defendant in adjustment of equities, which deposit was made April 20, 1955; finding the $3,000 note not to be tainted with usury at its inception; dismissing J. O. Talley as defendant and fixing $40,000 as reasonable market value of the property at time of foreclosure. Further conclusions were to effect that the bid of $1,000 for the property at public sale was grossly inadequate, considering its cash market value of $40,000, subject to encumbrances of about $21,000; also concluding “that said inadequate sale price, standing alone, might not be sufficient alone to vacate and set aside said substitute trustee’s deed and sale; but when coupled with other equitable considerations in the light of all facts and circumstances in evidence in this cause, the same should be set aside and vacated.”

Points of appeal may be summarized, viz.: The trial court’s error in finding that sales price of the property at the March 1954 foreclosure was grossly inadequate; that competent evidence was lacking or at least insufficient for the court’s, finding of $40,000 as reasonable market value of the property on date of the trustee’s sale; that the sales price to appellant was not $1,000, but in fact some, $21,000 (balance due on first lien plus moneys advanced thereon by defendant Company and in purchase of the $3,000 note). Further points will be numbered as in appellants’ brief: (5) No irregularity was involved as regards art.

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Graham & Locke Investments, Inc. v. Madison
295 S.W.2d 234 (Court of Appeals of Texas, 1956)

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295 S.W.2d 234, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/graham-locke-investments-inc-v-madison-texapp-1956.