Houston Oil Co. of Texas v. McCarthy

245 S.W. 651, 1922 Tex. App. LEXIS 253
CourtTexas Commission of Appeals
DecidedDecember 6, 1922
DocketNo. 277-3513
StatusPublished
Cited by25 cases

This text of 245 S.W. 651 (Houston Oil Co. of Texas v. McCarthy) 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
Houston Oil Co. of Texas v. McCarthy, 245 S.W. 651, 1922 Tex. App. LEXIS 253 (Tex. Super. Ct. 1922).

Opinion

McCLENDON, P. J.

This was an action in trespass- to try title by which Edward McCarthy et al.,-who were plaintiffs below, sought to recover the E'duardo Arriola league of land in Hardin county from two sets of defendants, the Houston Oil Company et al., and W. A. Billingsley et al. The trial court rendered'judgment in favor of defendants upon a directed verdict, which judgment was reversed by the Court of Civil Appeals and the cause remanded for a new trial. 221 S. W. 307.

The land in controversy was granted to Eduardo Arriloa on November 6, 1835. Plaintiffs deraign their title under a deed executed by Henry Raguet, attorney in fact for Eduardo Arriola, and a regular chain of transfers thereunder. The power of attorney under which Raguet acted was executed October 25, 1835, which was prior to the extension of the grant. It is conceded that this power of attorney and deed thereunder were yoid under the authority of Brown v. Simpson’s Heirs, 67 Tex. 225, 2 S. W. 644. Plaintiffs nevertheless assert title or prima facie evidence of title in themselves, rendering erroneous the action of the trial court in directing a verdict against them, under each of the following showings:

(1) Judgment of the Seventy-Fifth judicial district court of Hardin county in favor of G. C. Clough against the unknown heirs of Eduardo Arriola et al.

(2) Limitation under the ten years’ statute by virtue of the possession of one Henry Coplin as tenant for A. C. Allen between the years 1846 and 1858.

■ (3) Presumption of a deed from Eduardo Arriola or his heirs vesting title in plaintiffs or those under whom they claim.

(4) Prior possession.

For the purposes of this case, as we view it, It is not necessary to set out the title of defendants further than to quote the following statement from the opinion of the Court of Ci#H Appeals:

“The defendant Houston Oil Company of Texas and those claiming under it deraign their title through a chain of transfers originating with the heirs of an Eduardo Arriola, who at one time lived in Grimes county, Tex., and Bil-lingsley and those associated with him deraign their title through Enrique Arriola, by deed dated the 12th day of December, 1908, wherein he recites that he is ‘Enrique Arriola of the state of Zacatéeos, republic of Mexico, son and sole heir at law of Eduardo Arriola, deceased.’ ”

The - judgment in the case of Clough v. Unknown Heirs of Eduardo Arriola et al. was rendered February 4, 191S. In that case B. M. Chester was appointed by the court; as attorney ad litem for the defendants served by publication. On April 17, 1919, after adjournment of the term of court at which this judgment was rendered, Chester filed an application or motion for new trial on behalf of the unknown heirs of Ar-riola. Subsequently he filed an amended and second amended application for new trial, the latter on January 30, 1919. These applications were verified and unquestionably asserted grounds for a new trial if Chester had authority to file them. On January 26, 1919, plaintiffs in said cause filed a motion in which they prayed that Chester be cited to show cause by what authority he prosecuted the application for new trial, and, upon failure to do so, that the proceedings be dismissed. This motion was overruled upon hearing. There is an agreement in the record to the effect that the motion for new trial filed by Chester was still pending when the present suit was tried.

The admissibility in evidence of this judgment was questioned by defendants upon the ground that, at the time it was offered, there was a motion for new trial pending, and therefore the judgment had not reached that stage of finality which would warrant its admission in evidence in support of any rights adjudicated by it. The Court of Civil Appeals held that-—

[653]*653“If Chester had the authority, to file this application, then the judgment against the unknown heirs was not a final judgment and was not admissible in evidence by the parties to it for any purpose.”

This .holding we think is unquestion-, ablyveorrect. While there is diversity of opinion among the courts of other states, it has been repeatedly held, and is now the settled law of this state, that a judgment is deprived of that finality necessary to make it admissible in evidence or the basis of a plea in bar in support of the right or defense declared by it so long as there is an appeal pending either upon a supersedeas or cost bond. Railway v. Jackson, 85 Tex. 605, 22 S. W. 1030; Faulk v. Sanderson, 89 Tex. 692, 36 S. W. 403; Grocery Co. v. Railway 95 Tex. 486, 68 S. W. 265, 59 L. R. A. 353; McDonald v. Ayres (Tex. Com. App.) 242 S. W. 192; Cunningham v. Holt, 12 Tex. Civ. App. 150, 33 S. W. 981 (writ of error refused); Slaughter v. Cooper (Tex. Civ. App.) 107 S. W. 897; Van Natta v. Van Natta (Tex. Civ. App.) 200 S. W. 907 (writ of error refused).

ÍThe above case of Railway v. Jackson ^opinion by Chief Justice Stayton) is probably the leading case in this state on this subject. The holding in that case seems to be rested upon the proppsition that a proceeding to review a judgment either by appeal or writ of error “is but the continuation of the action or suit brought in the trial court” It is equally settled by judicial decisions in this state that the application for new trial authorized in cases of this character under R. S. art. 2026, “is but a continuation of the original suit, and does not possess the character of an independent action in equity to review the judgment. \While the petition was styled, under thg^^rfatutory^ term, as a bill of review, it amounted to no more, than a motion for new trial, permitted in such cases by virtue of the statute, to be filed and heard after adjournment of the term.” Mussina v. Moore, 13 Tex. 7; Wiseman v. Cottingham, 107 Tex. 68, 174 S. W. 281; Miles v. Dana (Tex. Civ. App.) 136 S. W. 848; Glaze v. Johnson, 27 Tex. Civ. App. 116, 65 S. W. 662; Wolf v. Sahm, 55 Tex. Civ. App. 564, 120 S. W. 1115, 121 S. W. 561; Fred v. Fred, 58 Tex. Civ. App. 574, 126 S. W. 900.

The same process of reasoning which would deprive a judgment of the trial court, pending review by appeal or writ of error, of that finality which would authorize its admission in evidence in support of a right or defense declared by the-judgment, would apply with equal force to a judgment rendered upon service by publication, pending determination of a motion for rehearing authorized by statute.

The Court of Civil Appeals so held. But that court held the judgment admissible upon the ground that Chester had no authority in law to file the motion. This conclusion is rested upon the general proposition that, in the ordinary contractual relation of attorney and client, the latter’s authority ceases upon entry of final judgment; and upon the wording of our statute authorizing a new trial in .this class of cases, which reads:

“In cases in which judgment has been rendered on service of process by publication, where the defendant has not appeared in person or by an attorney of his own selection, a new trial may be granted by the court upon the application of the defendant for good cause shown, supported by affidavit filed within two years after the rendition of such judgment.” R. S. art. 2026.

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245 S.W. 651, 1922 Tex. App. LEXIS 253, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/houston-oil-co-of-texas-v-mccarthy-texcommnapp-1922.