Grogan v. Henderson

313 S.W.2d 315, 1958 Tex. App. LEXIS 1991
CourtCourt of Appeals of Texas
DecidedMarch 18, 1958
Docket7028
StatusPublished
Cited by4 cases

This text of 313 S.W.2d 315 (Grogan v. Henderson) 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
Grogan v. Henderson, 313 S.W.2d 315, 1958 Tex. App. LEXIS 1991 (Tex. Ct. App. 1958).

Opinions

DAVIS, Justice.

This is a suit by the surviving heirs of Lucy Killingsworth Henderson, deceased, against their father, E. H. Henderson, and Gertrude Grogan, a widow, to set aside certain deeds executed by E. H. Henderson to said heirs, and certain deeds from E. H. Henderson to Gertrude Grogan; also against E. H. Henderson for an accounting and settlement of the estate of Lucy Killingsworth Henderson, deceased. Trial was to a jury and judgment was rendered in favor of the heirs from which Gertrude Grogan has perfected her appeal.

History.

E. H. Henderson married Lucy Killings-worth on December 19, 1902. At the time of such marriage he owned a 70-acre tract of land situated in Gregg County. Prior to November 24, 1906, E. H. Henderson sold the 70-acre tract of land for $700. He then purchased from Mary Williams a tract of land purportedly containing 200 acres, which was discovered by a subsequent survey to contain 213.808 acres, and he applied the $700 received for the 70-acre tract of land on the purchase of the Williams tract and executed a note to his father for the balance of the purchase money. There is some discrepancy in the evidence as to the amount of the note. A consideration of $950 is recited in the Williams deed, yet E. H. Henderson testified that the total purchase price was $1,000. According to the undisputed and uncon-tradicted testimony, the note was subsequently given to E. H. Henderson by his father as a gift. This tract of land was used as a homestead by him and his wife.

On June 23, 1922, E. H. Henderson and his brother, Charles IT. Henderson purchased from their father a 120.4-acre tract of land for a total consideration of $3,300. E. H. Henderson paid $650 in cash as down payment for his half interest in the property, and executed a note for $1,000 payable to his father for the balance. No lien was retained against the land to secure the payment of the note. Subsequently, his father died, and he received as part of his share of his father’s estate the $1,000 note.

Mrs. Lucy Henderson died, intestate, in March of 1943. No administration was had upon her estate, and her husband continued to occupy and use the 213-acre tract until about 1954. At the time of the death of Mrs. Henderson, there was less than $100 in community funds on hand. There was approximately 25 head of cattle, some 10 or 12 sheep, a horse, a mule, a wagon and some plow tools. After the death of Mrs. Henderson, E. H. Henderson sold all the personal property. The evidence is extremely vague as to what he received for the cattle. There is some evidence in the case that some of the cows were worth as much as $150 each, but there is no evidence as to how many of such cattle were worth that much. The only actual proof as to how much was paid to him for cattle was about $400. The uncontradicted testimony shows that he sold all the sheep for $100. The wagon and farm tools brought $110. If there is any direct testimony as to how much was received from the sale of the horse and mule, we have overlooked it. The plaintiffs alleged in their petition that E. H. Henderson had [317]*317sold some $7,000 worth of timber from the two tracts of land subsequent to the death of Mrs. Henderson, but there is barely enough proof to show the sale of approximately $1,900 worth of timber after the death of Mrs. Henderson and prior to the filing of this suit.

In 1949, one Ed Barnett of Longview, Texas, executed a note to E. H. Henderson for $2,500. On September 1, 1953, the $2,500 note was renewed in the sum of $3,368, which represented the unpaid balance of both principal and interest. Subsequently, Ed Barnett paid to E. H. Henderson $1,500 on the note, and on December 11, 1954, E. H. Henderson sold the balance of the note to Mrs. Gertrude Grogan for the sum of $1,800. This represented a discount of about $93 on the principal and accrued interest on the note.

On May 22, 1953, E. H. Henderson purchased three fire insurance policies in the total sum of $11,000 upon a house and furniture situated on the 213-acre tract of land. E. H. Henderson was named as sole beneficiary in the policy. On June 9, 1953, the house and furnishings were destroyed by fire. A claim was filed on the policies and a settlement was made. Henderson was paid the sum of $8,300, which sum included a settlement for the loss plus a refund of the unearned insurance premiums. The total amount of premiums was $329.60. There is no pleading or evidence that the premiums paid for the policies were paid out of community funds.

In the spring of 1954, E. H. Henderson caused a survey to be made of the 213.808-acre tract of land for the purpose of partitioning the same between himself and his children. On June 30, 1954, E. H. Henderson conveyed by warranty deeds to Lloid Henderson 49.89 acres; to Edith Lucille Henderson 49.88 acres; and to Della D. Melton 49.90 acres in separate tracts out of said 213-acre tract, leaving 63.63 acres. These deeds were mailed or delivered to the respective children, but were not recorded.

On July 28, 1954, E. H. Henderson executed similar deeds to his children which he contends was for the purpose of correcting the description of the land, but for the same amount of acreage, filed them for record in the Deed Records of Gregg County and had them mailed to the respective grantees.

On September 2, 1954, E. H. Henderson conveyed to Gertrude Grogan the remaining 63.63 acres of land out of the 213-acre tract for a consideration of $4,000. On December 3, 1954, he conveyed to Gertrude Grogan an undivided one-half interest in the 120.4-acre tract of land for a consideration of $3,000.

On March 9, 1954, E. H. Henderson conveyed to Gertrude Grogan a 50-acre tract of land that he inherited from his father for a total consideration of $4,000. There were no contentions that this was-community property, but the sale was shown in an apparent attempt to show fraud on the part of Gertrude Grogan in acquiring the property.

On March 12, 1955, plaintiffs filed their' suit in the District Court of Gregg County in which they alleged that after the death of Mrs. Henderson, the timber was sold from the property by defendant for $7,000; defendant received $8,300 insurance on the dwelling and furniture; the cattle and other livestock was sold for $2,000; the collection of the Ed Barnett note in the sum of $3,300; and, they alleged that the partition deeds to them were executed “voluntarily”, then they alleged that they were executed under duress of Mrs. Grogan for the purpose of defrauding them of their interest in said property, and also that the defendant Gertrude Grogan had received or taken from the defendant Henderson all the proceeds of the sale of the timber, livestock, insurance, and all the money from the sale of the land defendant had conveyed to the defendant Grogan. They alleged that this was all done by defendant Grogan with full knowledge that: the defendant Henderson had not account[318]*318ed to the plaintiffs for their share of the community property.

They prayed that the defendants account to them for all money and property received by them from the community estate of E. H. Henderson so that the equities could be adjusted; for partition of the community estate; that all the deeds herein-above set out that were executed by E. H. Henderson be cancelled and declared void; and for judgment against the defendants, jointly and severally, for any balance that might be due plaintiffs in said accounting after setting aside to them their community real estate.

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Related

Bahr v. Kohr
980 S.W.2d 723 (Court of Appeals of Texas, 1998)
Doss v. Roberts
487 S.W.2d 839 (Court of Appeals of Texas, 1972)
Grogan v. Henderson
313 S.W.2d 315 (Court of Appeals of Texas, 1958)

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Bluebook (online)
313 S.W.2d 315, 1958 Tex. App. LEXIS 1991, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/grogan-v-henderson-texapp-1958.