Hubacek v. Ennis State Bank

317 S.W.2d 30, 159 Tex. 166, 2 Tex. Sup. Ct. J. 15, 1958 Tex. LEXIS 610
CourtTexas Supreme Court
DecidedOctober 8, 1958
DocketA-6679
StatusPublished
Cited by246 cases

This text of 317 S.W.2d 30 (Hubacek v. Ennis State Bank) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Texas Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Hubacek v. Ennis State Bank, 317 S.W.2d 30, 159 Tex. 166, 2 Tex. Sup. Ct. J. 15, 1958 Tex. LEXIS 610 (Tex. 1958).

Opinions

Mr. Justice Calvert

delivered the opinion of the Court.

. This is a suit by the Ennis State Bank against F. A. Hubacek for the principal, interest, and attorney’s fees on five promissory notes and for a foreclosure of chattel mortgages securing same. Three of the notes were executed by Hubacek and the other two were endorsed by him. All notes provide for interest at the rate of ten per cent per annum.

Hubacek admitted his liability to the bank for the entire amount claimed as -principal, interest and attorney’s fees on the notes, but by way of counter claim he sought to offset the sum of $912.43 alleged to be due him under a prior oral agreement between himself and the bank whereby he, a dealer in used automobiles, would sell cars,. and when cars were sold and notes acceptable to the bank were taken, they would be endorsed by him;- that an interest rate of ten per cent would be charged on all notes; and that when a note endorsed by him was paid in full two per cent (2%) thereof would be held by the bank in reserve and credited to his account to be applied to any loss on any of the notes, the difference to be placed to the account of Hubacek if and when the parties should terminate their- contract. Whether or not the alleged contract was ever made was a sharply disputed issue which was determined by the jury in favor of Hubacek. ■

The case was submitted to the jury on two special issues, which, together with the answers thereto; were as follows:

“SPECIAL ISSUE NO. 1
“Do you find from a preponderance of the evidence that the plaintiff, Ennis State Bank, through its' agents, servants or employees, and F. A. Hubacek made and entered into ah agreement that from notes endorsed to said bank by Hubacek, that said bank -would hold in reserve for Hubacek an amount equal [169]*169to two per cent of the amount of the principal of said notes, out of the interest, which said reserve, if any, could be used by Hubacek, and the bank, to pay any loss on any of the notes endorsed to the bank by Hubacek, and any excess over said losses, if any, would be paid to Hubacek?
Answer ‘Yes’ or-‘No.’
ANSWER: Yes.
If you have answered the preceding issue ‘Yes’ then answer the following issue; otherwise, do not answer it.
SPECIAL ISSUE NO. 2
From a preponderance of the evidence, what do you find was the amount created for such reserve, if any, under the terms of such agreement, if you have found there was such agreement?
Answer, stating the amount of dollars, if any, and cents, if any, in figures.
ANSWER: $912.43.” .

Upon that verdict the court rendered judgment in favor of the bank on the five notes in the aggregate amount of $1562.84, which included interest at the rate of ten per cent plus attorney’s fees .upon the principal and interest. The court further found that the bank was indebted to Hubacek in the amount of $912.43 which should be allowed as a credit against the notes, and subtracting that amount from $1562.84, rendered judgment in favor of the bank for $650.41 plus interest from date ox the filing of the suit and attorney’s fees, with foreclosure of the chattel mortgages. That judgment was reversed by the Court of Civil Appeals and judgment rendered in favor of the bank for $1562.84, the full amount sued for, with foreclosure of the chattel mortgages. 308 S.W. 2d 60..

Whether the trial court’s judgment or that of the Court of Civil Appeals is correct turns on a proper application of the parol evidence rule to the facts of the case. The general incidents and consequences of that rule are not open to question and are well understood.

The parol evidence rule is not a rule of evidence at all, but a .rule of substantive- law; McCormick and Ray, Texas Law of [170]*170Evidence, 2nd Ed., Sec. 1601; 20 Am. Jur., Evidence, Sec. 1100; 32 C.J.S., Evidence, Section 851.

When parties have concluded a valid integrated agreement with respect to a particular subject matter, the rule precludes the enforcement of inconsistent prior or contemporaneous agreements, 17 Texas Jur., Evidence, Sections 352, 353; McCormick and Ray, supra, Section 1601.

On the other hand, the rule does not preclude enforcement of prior or contemporaneous agreements which are collateral to an integrated agreement and which are not inconsistent with and do not vary or contradict the express or implied terms or obligations thereof. McCormick and Ray, supra, Section 1631; 17 Texas Jur., Evidence, Section 370; Williston on Contracts, Rev. Ed., Vol. 3, Section 642; Wigmore on Evidence, 3rd Ed., Vol. IX, Section 2430; Page on Contracts, 2nd Ed., Vol. 4, Section 2191; Corbin on Contracts, Vol. 3, Section 594.

In oral argument before this Court counsel for respondent indicated that the agreement found by the jury might be enforceable if it had been written rather than oral. The parol evidence rule countenances no such distinction; it precludes enforcement of inconsistent agreements, whether written or oral. Wigmore states: “Now, so far as the phrase ‘parol evidence rule’ conveys the impression that what is excluded is excluded because it is oral — because somebody spoke or acted other than in writing, or is now offering to testify orally — that impression is radically incorrect. * * * So that the term ‘parol’ not only affords no necessary clue to the material excluded, but is even positively misleading.” Wigmore on Evidence, 3rd Ed., Vol. IX, Section 2400.' Corbin refers to the Parol Evidence Rule as “a rule that is as truly applicable to written evidence as to parol evidence.” Corbin on Contracts, Vol. 3, Section 576, p. 230. From Page on Contracts, Vol. 4, Section 2139, p. 3717 we take this statement: “While the written contract usually acts substantially as a merger of prior or contemporaneous oral negotiations, it also operates as a merger of prior written negotiations, as where it merges prior letters between the parties, or a prior written instrument not made part of the subsequent contract * * *. The real objection to the evidence, therefore, is not that it is oral as distinguished from written, but that it is extrinsic — that is, that it tends to prove what is not a term of the contract.”

Petitioner tendered into court the full amount due, principal. [171]*171and interest, on all five notes in suit, less the sum of $912.43. The sum of $912.43 represents two per cent of $45,621.85 theretofore paid, or then due, the bank in discharge of notes endorsed by him and sold to the bank. He contends that the oral agreement which he seeks to enforce by counter claim is a collateral agreement which in no way varies or contradicts the terms or obligations of the notes or chattel mortgages made the basis of the bank’s suit or of those previously paid and discharged.

The oral agreement established by the testimony of the petitioner and the finding of the jury related to and affected only notes made by others and endorsed by petitioner. To put it another way, no part of the proceeds of any note made by petitioner was to be placed in the reserve account. If, therefore, the parol evidence rule precludes enforcement of the oral agreement, it is because the agreement varies or contradicts the terms or obligations of the endorsed notes. Whether it does so requires a more detailed statement of the testimony supporting the jury’s finding.

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Bluebook (online)
317 S.W.2d 30, 159 Tex. 166, 2 Tex. Sup. Ct. J. 15, 1958 Tex. LEXIS 610, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/hubacek-v-ennis-state-bank-tex-1958.