Henninger v. Pickren

295 S.W. 264, 1927 Tex. App. LEXIS 377
CourtCourt of Appeals of Texas
DecidedApril 27, 1927
DocketNo. 7764. [fn*]
StatusPublished
Cited by5 cases

This text of 295 S.W. 264 (Henninger v. Pickren) 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
Henninger v. Pickren, 295 S.W. 264, 1927 Tex. App. LEXIS 377 (Tex. Ct. App. 1927).

Opinion

, FLY, C. J.

This is an action of trespass to try title to lot No. 3, in block No. 48, in the town of North McAllen, instituted by Cuthbert Pickren and Edna Pickren against J. J. Baker, Mrs. J. J. Baker, and A. h). Hen-ninger. Appellees alleged that C. M. Rich was the common source; that he sold the land to Baker and wife; that she executed a deed, with the knowledge and consent of her husband, but without his joining in the conveyance to G. C. Hastings, who paid the consideration to the Bakers; and that Hastings and wife conveyed the land to Cuthbert Pickren, who paid the consideration and was placed by the Hastings in possession of the lot and Henninger was employed.as his tenant, but that said Henninger had fraudulently obtained from the Bakers a quitclaim deed to said lot and was claiming it as his own. Appellant filed a number of exceptions to the petition, pleaded not guilty, and alleged that he • purchased the property from the Bakers and was the owner of the same. The Bakers filed a disclaimer as to interest in the land. A jury was waived and upon a hearing by the court judgment was rendered that Cuthbert Pickren and Edna Pickren recover of A. E. Henning *265 er the land in controversy; that the quitclaim deed made by X X Baker and wife be canceled and annulled; that the Pickrens also recover of Henninger the sum of $90' for rent due by him; and that he pay all costs of suit. No disposition was made of the Bakers.

The facts are that; J. X Baker bought the lot in controversy from Charles Rich, .for $150, cash, and $50 per month until the sum of $1,000 was paid; and the deed was executed to Mrs. X X Baker, whose Christian name is nowhere disclosed in the record. J. J. Baker paid for the land out of a salary earned by him. He sold the lot to G. O. Hastings, but only Mrs. J. J. Baker signed the deed. The reason given by the Bakers for this was that they thought, as the deed was executed by Rich to Mrs. Baker, she alone should .sign the deed when they sold the property. They placed Hastings in possession of the lpt and he sold it to appellees. The Bakers made a quitclaim deed to Hen-ninger, believing that they were clearing up the title to the parties who claimed through the deed of Mrs. Baker. When Mrs. Baker executed the deed to Hastings, he went into possession of the lot and made valuable improvements thereon. The Bakers intended to part with the lot and have never claimed to have any interest in it since the deed was executed by Mrs. Baker. The facts show that the lot was the community estate of the Bakers. Henninger was the tenant of ap-pellees on the lot for two years, and was such tenant on April 16, 1926, when he obtained the quitclaim deed from the Bakers, who thought he was obtaining it for Hastings or his vendees. Hastings paid the Bakers the agreed consideration and was placed in possession of the lot by J. J. Baker and his wife. The deed by Mrs Baker was executed with the knowledge and consent and active co-operation of J. J. Baker and he obtained and received the consideration for the lot.

The five assignments of error* are based on the assumption that the lot In question was the separate property of Mrs. J. X Baker, while the uncontroverted facts under the law show that the lot was the community estate of the Bakers. None of the deeds placed in evidence are copied into the record, only statements that a deed from one party to another was offered in evidence, which conveyed the land in controversy. It, is not stated that the deed from Rich to Mrs. Baker conveyed the lot to her as her separate estate and no such claim is made. Neither did Mrs. Baker in her deed to Hastings describe the lot as her separate estate. The presumption would be that the property conveyed to either spouse during the marital relation, without indicating its character as separate estate, was the community estate of the couple. Property acquired by purchase, during the marital relation, whether the conveyance be in the name of the husband or the wife, or in both names, is presumed to belong to the community estate, in the absence of a recital that it is intended as the separate property of the spouse to whom it is executed. McKinney v. Nunn, 82 Tex. 44, 17 S. W. 516; Cummins v. Cummins, (Tex. Civ. App.) 224 S. W. 903. The evidence shows that the lot was paid for out of money earned by the husband and not the separate money of the wife. Both the Bakers testified that the land was conveyed to Mrs. Baker so that she could have full control in the event of Baker’s death. According to their testimony it was intended that the property should become the separate estate of Mrs. Baker after the. death of Baker. There was no present intention to vest the title in Mrs. Baker. The trial judge was justified, therefore, in finding that the property belonged to the community estate. In order for a verbal gift to change the property into the separate estate of Mrs. Baker, there should haVe been a positive gift at the time to Mrs. Baker. That was not the status of the gift in this instance, if one was made. Baker testified:

“This deed was executed to my wife so that in case of my death it would be her property, without probate; both of us having been married and having children by previous marriages. This was done so that in case of my death she would get this property to take care of her the rest of her days. There was no reason for the deed speaking an untruth. I did consider the property as belonging to my wife. The property was" purchased with my earnings, but I put in my wife’s name to protect her interests in case of my death.”

Mrs. Baker swore:

“The consideration was paid from my husband’s salary. * * * This property was conveyed to me in my name so that in case of my husband’s death I could have full use of the property. There was no reason for making the deed speak an untruth. It was considered as my property for the reason stated. He gave .the property to me so that I could have clear title in case of his death.”

She swore that all the arrangements were made by Baker to sell the property to Hastings, and the sale was perfectly satisfactory to him. The testimony failed to show a present oral gift of the property to Mrs. Baker, but it .was contingent on Baker dying first. It was in the nature of a testamentary gift. It was so considered by the Bakers, for when the land was sold the consideration was a business into which Baker entered, and it was managed by him. He arranged the whole matter.

Henninger was a tenant of appellees when he concocted the scheme to obtain a lot worth at least $1,000 for $50. He wrote a letter to Baker, who was in McCook, Neb., in which he said:

*266 “I inclose a quitclaim which would like to have you folks sign, and, if you will send it back promptly to the First National Bank with draft '(sign draft) attached for $50, will pay same. You would incur no liability from any other deed you may have made, as it is merely a quitclaim.”

The Bakers swore th¿t they claimed no interest in the land and signed the quitclaim-deed in order to settle the title in the persons to whom they had sold. Mrs Baker testified:

“Prior to this quitclaim deed business we had gotten a letter from Mr. Hastings saying he had sold the property. We didn’t remember who he had sold to.”

They thought they were removing a cloud from the title of the person to whom Hastings had sold. She said:

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295 S.W. 264, 1927 Tex. App. LEXIS 377, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/henninger-v-pickren-texapp-1927.