Guyer v. Chapman

227 S.W. 217, 1920 Tex. App. LEXIS 1223
CourtCourt of Appeals of Texas
DecidedDecember 4, 1920
DocketNo. 8408.
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 227 S.W. 217 (Guyer v. Chapman) 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
Guyer v. Chapman, 227 S.W. 217, 1920 Tex. App. LEXIS 1223 (Tex. Ct. App. 1920).

Opinion

RAINEY, C. J.

“This was a suit brought by appellant, as plaintiff, against P. A. Chapman, O. H. Chapman, R. M. McEarlin, and J. A. Chapman, ap-pellees, as defendants, in the court below, to recover judgment for personal services rendered defendants by plaintiff. The pleadings consisted of plaintiff’s fifth amended original petition and defendants’ second amended original answer and their first supplemental answer.
“Plaintiff’s said amended petition alleged, among other things, that he was a geologist and was acquainted with minerals, including gold, silver, etc., as well as with the character of rocks, soils, geological formations, and the type and character of the uplift and trend of formations where oil and gas are usually found.
“The petition alleged that a partnership was formed by and between plaintiff and defendants for the purpose of searching for, discovery of, locating, purchasing, developing or otherwise handling all kinds of minerals, gas, oil, and coal, wherever the same might be found, and that plaintiff should furnish his knowledge, information and services, as well as his judgment and opinion relative thereto; that defendants were to furnish all the capital in the enterprise, secure leases, and handle the lands, leases, etc., for the benefit of the partnership. It was alleged that plaintiff was to own and receive one-fifth and defendants four-fifths of all profits and net amounts realized by the undertaking; that plaintiff advised defendants that in his opinion oil and gas could be found and discovered in Electra and Wichita, Texas, as also in Oklahoma; that by reason of said judgment and opinion, the defendants purchased certain lands and leases that were of great value, and in which he was entitled to a one-fifth interest.
“That defendants realized several million dollars in profits in the purchase and sale of lands and leases, and to which he was entitled to a one-fifth interest. It was alleged that defendants breached their agreement, contract, and partnership undertaking with him, refused to make a settlement with Mm, and appropriated *218 his interest to their own benefit, and repudiated the partnership obligation, and that they became liable to him in the sum of $2,000,000.
“Plaintiff further alleged that, if mistaken in his construction of the agreement, yet that he performed the services set out in his petition, and did so at the special instance of defendants; that they accepted his services and thereby became liable to him for the reasonable value of his services, knowledge and labor, but that they have refused to pay him; and that such services were of the reasonable value of $2,000,000, for which amount he prayed judgment.
“The defendants answer by exceptions, general and special, general and special denial.
“When the case was called for trial at the September term, 1919, the plaintiff presented a motion for continuance on the ground that his presence and testimony were necessary to sustain the allegations of his petition, and that he was then sick and confined to his bed in Dallas, Texas, and unable to attend court, which motion was supported by his affidavit and the certificates of two attending physicians.
“Said motion was contested by defendants by a counter motion, with affidavits attached thereto.
“On the 11th day of September, 1919, the court, after hearing the motion for continuance and the affidavits attached, and the counter motion or contest of defendants, with attached affidavits, overruled the motion for continuance, to which plaintiff excepted.
“After overruling the motion for a continuance, the court entered judgment to the effect that defendants appeared in court, but that plaintiff failed to appear in person or by attorney, and that the court had overruled a motion to continue said cause, and that, as plaintiff failed to appear in the case, the court ordered the suit dismissed, adjudging the costs against plaintiff, and that defendants go hence without day. The judgment recites that plaintiff excepted to said order and judgment.
“Thereafter, and on 13th day of September, 1919, the plaintiff filed and presented his motion to reinstate said cause and continue same, .together with affidavits attached thereto.
“Defendants filed and presented a counter motion or contest, contesting plaintiff’s motion to reinstate, together with several affidavits attached.
“On 22d day of September, 1919, the court, after considering said motion to reinstate the contest, and the several certificates and affidavits attached to the motion to reinstate the contest, and plaintiff’s reply thereto, entered judgment overruling the motion to reinstate, to which plaintiff duly excepted.
“The appellant, having excepted to the orders, judgments, and decrees of the court, and having given notice of appeal and filed his appeal bond, and under the extensions of time granted by the court, having prepared and filed his bills of exception and the record of the cause, he now brings the cause before this court for revision and review.”

The trial court overruled the motion to continue the case. The motion was heard in the absence of appellant and of any attorney representing him, and the case was dismissed. Appellant filed a motion to reinstate the case, which motion was overruled, and the appellant brings the cause here for review.

On the hearing of the motion of appellant for a continuance, the appellee filed a contest on the ground that appellant was able to attend the trial and his sickness at that time was a pretense for delaying the trial. The motion was heard by the court, and on the evidence of both parties the court entered the following judgment:

“R. W. Guyer v. P. A. Chapman et! al.
“No. 8393.
“Thursday, September 11, 1919.
“On this the 11th day of September, 1919, came .on to be heard the motion of plaintiff, R. W. Guyer, for continuance filed herein, and also came on to be heard the contest of said motion, filed herein by defendants, and the court, after hearing the evidence, including affidavits and certificates attached to said motion and contest, is of opinion that said motion for continuance should be overruled.
“It is therefore ordered, adjudged, and decreed by the court that said motion for continuance be and the same is hereby overruled, to which action of the court in overruling said motion for continuance plaintiff then and there in open court excepted.
J¡« * Jj8 Sjc Jj< # *
“R. W. Guyer v. P. A. Chapman et al. “No. 8393.
“11th day of September, 1919.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
227 S.W. 217, 1920 Tex. App. LEXIS 1223, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/guyer-v-chapman-texapp-1920.