Jordan v. Afton Engineering Co.

397 S.W.2d 512, 1965 Tex. App. LEXIS 2909
CourtCourt of Appeals of Texas
DecidedDecember 9, 1965
DocketNo. 14678
StatusPublished
Cited by2 cases

This text of 397 S.W.2d 512 (Jordan v. Afton Engineering Co.) 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
Jordan v. Afton Engineering Co., 397 S.W.2d 512, 1965 Tex. App. LEXIS 2909 (Tex. Ct. App. 1965).

Opinion

WERLEIN, Justice.

This is an appeal from a summary judgment.

Appellant, Howard B. Jordan, Jr., brought suit against Afton Engineering Company, Inc., hereinafter referred to as Afton, and Humble Oil & Refining Company, alleging in his unsworn petition that on or about August, 1964, appellant and ap-pellee Afton associated themselves together in a joint venture for the purchase of certain multi-stage centrifugal pumping units for the purpose of resale, lease and/or rental of such units to third parties; that appellant and appellee agreed that each would use his best efforts in purchasing and reselling or leasing three certain pumps owned by Brazos Engineering Company and also in the subsequent purchase, resale and/or lease of multi-stage centrifugal pumping units subsequently discovered by appellant or appellee; that appellant in January, 1965, discovered appellee had purchased in its name said three pumps and seven additional pumps and had entered into a lease agreement with Humble covering the ten pumping units.

Appellant also alleged that he advised appellee he was able and willing to carry out the agreement and he offered to pay his portion of the costs, which appellee refused. He alleged that an accounting should be had, and he sought a judgment impressing a trust upon the proceeds accruing under the lease to Humble to the extent of his interest.

Appellee Afton in its sworn answer denied all the allegations in appellant’s petition and specially denied that it and appellant had associated themselves together as alleged by appellant, and denied that there existed any joint venture or partnership agreement between them as to any of the pumping units described and referred to in appellant’s petition.

Humble prayed that the court direct it as to what disposition should be made of monies, if any, held in suspense by it, and that it recover its expense if an accounting was required, and reasonable attorney’s fees, costs of court, and general relief.

Appellee filed a motion for summary judgment supported by the pleadings, the deposition of appellant, Howard B. Jordan, Jr., and the affidavit of Ira Q. Mayhew, president of Afton, with copy of the Afton-Humble lease attached as an exhibit. Appellant filed a controverting affidavit made by him.

The court granted the motion for summary judgment, and decreed that appellant take nothing against appellee. The judgment further provides that Humble is entitled to act as a stakeholder or inter-pleader, and ordered Humble to pay Afton any and all rental payments due and to become due in its agreement with Afton, “less, however, the reasonable attorney’s fees and costs incurred by it,” and provides Humble shall withhold $1500.00 for attorney’s fees and costs in this proceeding. Appellant. perfected his appeal from the summary judgment and Afton perfected an appeal as to the portion of the judgment decreeing that Humble was entitled to act as a stakeholder and to recover attorney’s fees and costs. Afton later filed in this Court a motion to dismiss its appeal against Humble Oil & Refining Company, which [514]*514has been granted, so that such appeal need not be considered further.

Appellant contends that the trial court erred in granting appellee’s motion for summary judgment because there was a genuine issue of a material fact as to whether appellant and appellee associated themselves together in a joint venture, and also because there was a genuine issue of a material fact as to whether there existed a confidential relationship between appellant and appellee that would give rise to a constructive trust. The record of a summary judgment proceeding consists of the pleadings whose office it is to outline the claims and defenses of the respective parties, the depositions and admissions on file and the affidavits furnished either in support of or opposing the motion. Gaines v. Hamman, 1962, 163 Tex. 618, 358 S.W.2d 557. The burden of proof is on the movant, and all doubts as to the existence of a genuine issue as to a material fact must be resolved against him, and the pleadings, depositions and affidavits must be reviewed in the light most favorable to the party opposing the motion for summary judgment. Great American Reserve Insurance Co. v. San Antonio Plumbing Supply Co., Tex.Sup.1965, 391 S.W.2d 41. See also Gulbenkian v. Penn, 1952, 151 Tex. 412, 252 S.W.2d 929; Mecom v. Thompson, Tex.Civ.App., 239 S.W.2d 847, ref. n. r. e.

We have carefully considered the affidavits, the deposition of appellant, and the pleadings in order to determine whether any genuine issue of material fact exists. The evidence shows that appellant had formerly been employed by appellee as a salesman, and he had also worked for Brazos for some time in connection with large multi-stage centrifugal pumps; that Afton is a company engaged in manufacturing centrifugal pumps of all sizes, and engaged in handling and selling other manufacturers’ pumps, and dealing in used equipment.

Appellant in his deposition testified that he had a conversation with Mr. Mayhew when they were at a lunch together roughly between August and September, at which they discussed business in general, and talked also about the probable value of some pumping equipment that Brazos' Engineering and others had and about the possibilities of buying some pumps and selling or renting the same. Appellant testified that on this occasion Mayhew said: “When I get a little money ahead, I am going to think about going and talking to Paul [the manager of Brazos Engineering Company] * * * about buying the rest of these pumps”, after which appellant said: “That is fine, I would like to come in for half the money. We should buy them for stock or get busy and try to sell them or rent them to someone.”

According to appellant the luncheon discussion concluded by the parties agreeing that they would do this: “whenever the occasion arose; in other words, who got the first deal on these pumps, the chance to buy or sell them, the other would put in half the money for repairing and putting the pumps in shape for sale.” When asked whether there was any arrangement discussed as to how the matter would be financed, appellant testified that he was to put up one-half the money and Mr. May-hew’s company would put up one-half the money. He was then asked whether Mr. Mayhew had so stated, and he replied: “I so stated that he agreed that is what we would do, yes, sir.” When asked as to whether there was any discussion as to how any indebtedness or loss would be taken care of, he said he didn’t believe the matter was discussed, but it was understood the losses would be shared equally. He further testified that “back in August we agreed I would put up half the money cost, half of the money and my best efforts to sell or rent these pumps, any pumps we could own or find we put in the deal, because generally the high cost was in repairing them and getting them out on the job.”

[515]*515Appellant, when asked whether he had given any assistance to Afton in regard to the purchase of pumps, testified:

“I did that by trying to make sure any inquiries on any pump deals, to use that term, would be channeled through Afton Engineering.

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Bluebook (online)
397 S.W.2d 512, 1965 Tex. App. LEXIS 2909, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/jordan-v-afton-engineering-co-texapp-1965.