Harveson v. Youngblood

38 S.W.2d 781
CourtTexas Commission of Appeals
DecidedMay 16, 1931
DocketNo. 1443-5665
StatusPublished
Cited by5 cases

This text of 38 S.W.2d 781 (Harveson v. Youngblood) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Texas Commission of Appeals primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Harveson v. Youngblood, 38 S.W.2d 781 (Tex. Super. Ct. 1931).

Opinion

CRITZ, J.

This suit was filed in the district court of Tarrant county, Tex., by T. H. Youngblood against F. V. Sprowls et ah, to establish and foreclose a mechanic’s lien on lot No. 10 in block No. 8, Berkeley addition to the city of Fort Worth, in Tarrant county, Tex., and to recover judgment against Sprowls for $794. Judgment in the district court was for Young-blood, granting him the relief prayed for. This judgment was affirmed by the Court of Civil Appeals. 23 S.W.(2d) 879. The opinion on rehearing does not seem to be published.1

It seems from the record that Sprowls made an oral contract with Youngblood to do certain plumbing and install certain plumbing fixtures in a house he (Sprowls) was erecting on the above lot for an agreed price of $794. Youngblood completed the contract according to its terms, and on failure of Sprowls to pay therefor Youngblood took the necessary steps to establish and fix a mechanic’s lien by filing the affidavit required by law with the county clerk of Tarrant county, Tex. Youngblood sues Sprowls as the original owner of the lot and maker of the contract, and alleges that the other defendants are claiming some character of right in the property. He then alleges that any claims held by any of the defendants are inferior to his lien.

It seems from the record that Rogers et al., the then owners, by deed' dated February 8, 1927, conveyed the lot in question to Sprowls for a recited cash consideration of $2,500. Prior thereto Sprowls signed a contract dated September 20, 1926,- with one E. F. Gunn, for the erection of certain improvements on lot No. 11 in block No. 8 of the above addition, and in this contract executed a note and lien on lot 11 to Gunn for $12,000. It seems that the description of the lot was a mistake, and that it was intended to describe lot 10. On September 22,1926, Gunn transferred and.assigned this lien and note to John Quarles Company, a corporation; and same was filed for record on the same day. By deed dated February 10, 1927, and filed for record February 26,1927, Sprowls and wife conveyed lot 10 [782]*782to Q. A, Harveson for a recited consideration of $7,000 casli and a $6,500 note, secured by a vendor’s lien and deed of trust. The $6,500 note was transferred to the Lincoln National Life Insurance Company.

On February 14, .1927, Harveson and wife, for tbe purpose of extending tbis note, executed tbeir note to tbe life insurance company in the same amount, and at tbe same time executed a deed of trust on lot 10 to secure the payment thereof. Tbis instrument was filed for record February 26, 1927. It is shown that tbe sale from Rogers et al. to Sprowls, tbe sale from Sprowls and wife to Harveson, and tbe loan .by the life insurance company were all closed simultaneously on February 26,1927, and that part of tbe money paid by tbe insurance company was used to pay Rogers et al. tbe $2,500 cash consideration recited in their deed to Sprowls, and that substantially all of tbe balance of tbe $6,500 advanced by tbe insurance company was paid to John Quarles Company on tbe note given by Sprowls to Gunn and transferred by Gunn to Quarles Company. We refer to tbe opinion of the Court of Civil ’Appeals for further statement of tbe case. The pleadings of the several parties are sufficient to raise tbe questions we shall discuss.

By their first assignment of error the plaintiffs in error contend that the Court of Civil Appeals erred in not reversing the judgment of tbe district court, and in not bolding that Harveson and tbe life insurance company were subrogated to tbe rights of tbe holder on a vendor’s lien on account of having paid the consideration for the sale from Rogers et al. to Sprowls, and also in not bolding that they were subrogated to the mechanic’s lien executed to Gunn by Sprowls, which lien was also paid out of tbe proceeds of the insurance company’s loan to Harveson, and in not holding that these liens were at least equal to Youngblood’s lien.

The Court of Civil Appeals declined to pass on tbe above assignment bolding the same not properly presented by tbe brief, and in so holding said:

“As to tbis contention insofar as not disposed of in our original opinion, we have to say that upon a re-examination of' the assignments of error and propositions presented, we find only one assignment of error, to-wit, the 33rd, on page 13 of appellants’ original brief, which in direct terms present tbe contention above indicated. But tbe proposition following thi¡3 assignment, to-wit, the 23rd, to be found on page’19 of appellants’ original brief, complains of an entirely different matter, viz: Tbe introduction of certain testimony complained of as inadmissible, as will be seen by the following quotation of tbe proposition:
“ ‘23rd Proposition. Tbe contract inquired about being in writing, properly executed by the parties, filed for record in the office of the County Clerk of Tarrant County, the testimony of said witness, was incompetent to vary, change or modify tbe terms thereof, in tbe absence of proper pleading of fraud, accident or mistake. (Under 33rd Assignment of Error-, Transcript 49).’ ”
“From tbe statement of tbe assignment and proposition thereunder, it is apparent that tbe proposition is not germane to tbe assignment as required by Rule 30, promulgated for observance by the Courts of Civil Appeals, and under the rules, assignments of error must be followed by propositions, and to entitle a complainant to a review of tbe question, thé proposition must be germane to tbe assignment. See Rule 30, and Randals v. Pecos Valley State Bank [Tex. Civ. App.] 162 S. W. 1190; Columbia [Columbian] Nat. Fire Ins. Co. v. Dixie Co-op. M. O. House [Tex. Com. App.] 276 S. W. 220.”

Tbe plaintiffs in error contend that tbe Court of Civil Appeals erred in holding that tbe only proposition contained in tbe brief based on tbe assignment mentioned is tbe twenty-third proposition, but that tbe twenty-seventh and twenty-eighth propositions, to be found on page 20 of the brief, present the issue. Tbe two propositions are as follows:

27. “Since defendant Lincoln Life Insurance Company and Foster and Son purchased 'said Sprowls note for $6500.00 and tbe vendor’s and deed of trust lien reserved and retained by Sprowls to secure the payment of same for a valuable consideration paid, without notice of plaintiff’s said claim or lien, they were subrogated to all rights, liens and remedies of defendant Sprowls, and were entitled to a judgment in tbeir favor against tbe plaihtiff Youngblood. (Under thirty-ninth Assignment of Error, Tr. page 50).”

28. “Since Harveson purchased said property for valuable consideration paid and Lincoln National Life Insurance Company and Foster ■& Son advanced their money to take up, renew and extend a valid and subsisting prior lien'thereon, without notice of Young-blood’s claim or lien, they were subrogated to such original purchase money and building .liens, and were not affected by any claim or lien of Youngblood, and tbe judgment adverse to them is erroneous. (Under Thirty-ninth Assignment of Error, Tr. page 50.)”

Tbe thirty-ninth assignment of- error reads as follows: “The Court erred in rendering any judgment whatever against these defendants in that tbe defendant Q. A. Harveson in purchasing the property in controversy, and the Lincoln National Life Insurance Company and J. E.

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Bluebook (online)
38 S.W.2d 781, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/harveson-v-youngblood-texcommnapp-1931.