Johnson v. Newberry

267 S.W. 476, 1924 Tex. App. LEXIS 1504
CourtTexas Supreme Court
DecidedDecember 20, 1924
DocketNo. 478-3951
StatusPublished
Cited by16 cases

This text of 267 S.W. 476 (Johnson v. Newberry) 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
Johnson v. Newberry, 267 S.W. 476, 1924 Tex. App. LEXIS 1504 (Tex. 1924).

Opinion

POWELL, P. J.

The Court of Civil Appeals, in an able opinion by Chief Justice-Conner, gives us an admirable statement of the nature and result of this suit in the-district court, as follows:

“The appellee', C. L. Johnson, sued the appellant, J. L. Newberry, in the district court of Taylor county on August 20, 1921, upon the two vendor’s lien notes described in the-petition, and for foreclosure of a vendor’s lien on certain premises situated in Abilene. It was alleged that Newberry gave the notes sued on as purchase price notes in part payment for the premises described in the petition, and that Johnson was still the owner of' ■the notes and the payee therein.
“The defendant Newberry admitted the execution and delivery of the notes to Johnson, and admitted that he bought the premises-from Johnson as alleged in the plaintiff’s petition, and alleged that he had paid $2,500 in> cash on the purchase price of the place, and executed the1 notes sued on at the same time in part payment. He further pleaded in his^ answer that, at the time of said transaction and at the time of the filing of the suit to-foreclose said notes, he was a minor under the age of 21 years. That he' became 21 years of age September 17, 1921, and he elected to disaffirm the contract of purchase aforesaid, and prayed for the cancellation of the-notes declared on by plaintiff and to recover from plaintiff the $2,509 in cash that had been, paid on the place. In connection with that pleading the defendant, Newberry, tendered the plaintiff a deed to the premises, duly executed and acknowledged by Newberry and his-[477]*477wife; the consideration expressed in the deed being the cancellation of the notes sued on.
“Plaintiff Johnson answered by a first supplemental petition, in which it was alleged that defendant Newberry was a married man at the time of the execution of the note's, and did not disclose the fact that he was a minor, but represented that he needed the property for a home for himself and wife. That plaintiff relied upon and believed said representations to be true, and believed defendant New-berry to be 21 years of age and a married man, and believed that he was purchasing the property for a home, and that the same was necessary for himself and wife, and that so believing and relying, he sold and conveyed the property described in plaintiff’s original petition, and as part payment therefor received the three notes sued on. That defendant moved into the said house, and occupied the same as a home, and continued to occupy the same until a date unknown to plaintiff. Plaintiff further alleged that Newberry is an able-bodied,-strong, young man, with a reasonable earning capacity of $100 to $150 per month, and that his status and condition in life makes it fit and proper for him to own and acquire a. homestead such as the one in question for himself and wife, and it is averred that the premises mentioned were in fact necessary for defendant. And it is further alleged that defendant committed a fraud on plaintiff by procuring said property without disclosing the fact that he was a minor.
“The case was tried before a jury, to which was submitted special issues. The answers of the jury to the special issues were to the effect that defendant, Newberry, at the time he purchased the property was under 21 years of age, but' that the deed had not been obtained by him through fraud, as the term ‘fraud’ had been defined in the court’s charge. The jury further found that the property was a ‘necessary,’ as that term had been defined in the charge. Upon this verdict the court rendered a judgment for the plaintiff, Johnson, against the defendant, Newberry, for the amount due upon the notes, and foreclosed the vendor’s lien against the premises, and also against Newberry on his cross action for the return of the $2,500, and defendant, New-berry, has appealed.”

The Court of Civil Appeals reversed the judgment of the district court and remanded the cause to that court for another trial not inconsistent with their opinion. See 248 S. W. 456. In doing so, the court stated:

“We conclude, therefore, as before indicated, that under the facts as presented in the record before us appellant is entitled to disaffirm the contract evidenced by his notes upon restoration of the premises in controversy to the plaintiff, and to recover the $2,500 in cash paid by him, less the reasonable value of the use and occupancy of the premises in controversy to the date when he tendered plaintiff possession and warranty deed from himself and wife.”

Upon proper application therefor, the Supreme Court granted a writ of error “on the importance of the question.” The case has been referred to us for consideration and recommendation.

As stated by the Court of Civil Appeals, the district court evidently tried this ease upon the theory that if the purchased dwelling and lot was a reasonable necessary for the use of himself and family, the contract could not be avoided, but would be absolutely binding. But the Court of Civil Appeals held that, under the facts in this case, the purchase could be set aside by the minor even though the jury found, as it did, under the charge of the court, that the property was a “necessary.”

The trial court charged the jury as follows in defining a “necessary”:

“The term ‘necessaries’ is not confined to merely such things as are required for a bare existence, but include those, things without which the individual cannot comfortably five, and which are useful and suitable and necessary and proper for his support, use, and comfort in life, taking into consideration the minor’s status and condition in life. And where the infant is a married man, he is permitted to furnish his wife with necessaries, and you will take into consideration those things which are necessary for husband and wife, as well as for the husband alone, and by the term ‘necessaries’ as applied to the husband is meant such things as the husband should supply to his family, and which are suited to their condition and station in life, their needs and wants, in so far as his ability will permit.”

Counsel for the minor urged many objections to that charge, but all were overruled. Proper exceptions were reserved. The controlling question in this case centers around the query as to whether or not the ownership of a home by a minor is a necessary, and, if so, then whether or not, under the very kind of a contract here presented, the same can be disaffirmed and set aside by the minor.

One objection urged by counsel to the trial court’s charge was that, as a matter of law, the ownership of a home is not a necessary. Therefore, that said issue should not have been submitted to the jury at all. Is the ownership of a home a necessary? In determining the question just propounded, it may be helpful to review a few leading decisions of our Supreme Court relating generally to contracts of minors and their legal effect. The Texas decisions we shall now refer to are in line with the great weight of authority in other jurisdictions.

In the case of Parsons v. Keys, 43- Tex. 559, the court says:

“Some confusion has arisen as to the liability of minors from the general doctrine that contracts of infants are either void or voidable. This expression is mainly true with reference to express contracts. While infants are liable for necessaries, they are not liable on their contract for a price certain, or on a bill or note for the amount.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
267 S.W. 476, 1924 Tex. App. LEXIS 1504, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/johnson-v-newberry-tex-1924.