Lander Lumber Co. v. Williams

250 S.W.2d 317, 1952 Tex. App. LEXIS 1599
CourtCourt of Appeals of Texas
DecidedMarch 26, 1952
Docket4856
StatusPublished
Cited by4 cases

This text of 250 S.W.2d 317 (Lander Lumber Co. v. Williams) 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
Lander Lumber Co. v. Williams, 250 S.W.2d 317, 1952 Tex. App. LEXIS 1599 (Tex. Ct. App. 1952).

Opinion

McGILL, Justice.

This was a suit to reform a deed of trust executed by C. E. Williams which purported to convey to George S. Staten, Trustee, for Lander Lumber Company, to secure an indebtedness of $4,487.06 owing by Williams to Lander Lumber Company, the property described as the East one-fourth of Lot Twenty-three (E. ¾ of Lot 23) all of Lot Twenty-four (24) in Block Four (4) of the Terry Allen Addition to the City of El Paso, in El Paso County, Texas, being also known as 5123 Timber Wolf Drive, El Paso, Texas.

Appellant was plaintiff in the trial court, and appellees C. E. Williams and El Paso Building Material Company, a corporation, *318 were defendants. Plaintiff alleged that it was the intention of all the parties to the deed of trust to describe the property as

“Lot 25 and the west one-fourth- of Lot 26 in Block 4 of the Terry Allen Addition to the City of El Paso”;

that by error and mistake the deed of trust was drawn so as to describe the property as therein specified; that the proper street number of the property intended to be described is 5123 Timber Wolf Drive. Plaintiff sought to reform the deed of trust and establish a lien -on Lot 25 and the West ¼ of Lot 26 in Block 4 of the Terry Allen Addition to the City of El Paso. On June 29, 1951, Williams by warranty deed conveyed this property to appellee, El Paso Building Material Company. Trial to the court without a jury resulted in a judgment that defendant C. E. Williams owns no interest in Lot 25 and the West one-fourth of Lot 26 in Block 4, Terry Allen Addition to the City of El Paso, and that plaintiff recover nothing from defendant, El Paso Building Material Company, or C. E. Williams on its prayer for reformation of the deed of trust, and that Lot 25 and the West one-fourth of Lot 26, .Block 4, of the Terry Allen Addition to the City of El Paso be released of any claim of lien asserted by plaintiff, and assessing all costs against plaintiff.

Appellant has presented numerous points by which it contends that appellee El Paso Building Material Company, was not a bo-na fide purchaser of the property, having paid no consideration for it and being charged with notice of appellant’s lien thereon. In the view we take of the case these points become immaterial since the court did not err in refusing to reform the deed of trust.

The court filed elaborate Findings and Conclusions. Those deemed material are:

“I. Prior to May 16th, 1951, the Defendant C. E. Williams, was the owner of four separate building sites in Block 4, Terry Allen Addition to the City of El Paso, El Paso County, Texas, which sites are described as follows:
“(a) The E. ½ of Lot 22, and the W. ¾ of Lot 23; (b) The East ¼ of Lot 23, and all of Lot 24; (c) Lot 25, and the W. ¼ of Lot 26; and (d) The East ¾ of Lot 26, and the W. ½ of Lot 27.
“II. That the Defendant, C. E. Williams, planned to build on each of said building sites a house, and had arranged the financing for each house and given separate Deeds of Trust to the Mortgage Investment Company of El Paso, Texas for the purpose of securing it in the loans it was making to the Defendant, C. E. Williams.
“HI. That on May 16th, 1951, C. E. Williams executed a Deed of Trust covering the East ¼ of Lot 23, and all of Lot 24, Block 4, Terry Allen Addition to the City of El Paso, El Paso County, Texas, to secure the Lander Lumber Company in the payment of one note in the principal sum of $4,-487.06, signed by C. E. Williams and payable ninety days after date. That in said Deed of Trust the property above described was, also, described as '5123 Timber Wolf Drive.
“IV. That there was considerable confusion among the builders, the City and the City Water Department about the numbers on Timber Wolf Drive in this vicinity, and that the Water Department was using different numbers from those used by the City of El Paso.
“V. That prior to May 16th, 1951, C. E. Williams had become indebted to the Lander Lumber Company in the sum of approximately $14,487.06, and that the Lander Lumber Company was pressing Williams for payment. That on May 16th, 1951 Williams gave to the Lander Lumber Company three Deeds of Trust, .which Deeds of Trust covered the property described in Paragraph 1(a), (b) and (d) thereof. That these Deeds of Trust were filed for record on the 17th day of May, 1951. As stated above the Deed of Trust covering the East ¾, of Lot 23, *319 and all of Lot 24, Block 4, Terry Allen, contained the addition ‘also known as 5123 Timber Wolf’.
“VI. That George Staten, Vice-President of Lander Lumber Company, thought when he took the three Deeds of Trust that he was getting Deeds of Trust on the property described in Paragraph 1(a), (c) and (d) hereof. That the defendant, C. E. Williams, intended to give the Lander Lumber Company Deeds of trust on the property described in Paragraph 1(a), (b) and (d). That as a matter of fact, if there was a mistake, it was not a .mutual mistake.
“VII. That at the time of the execution of the Deeds of Trust only the footings were laid on Lot 25 and the West ¼ of Lot 26, and that the difference in value of the two tracts was less than $200.00.
* * * * * *
“X. I find that on June 29th, 1951, the Defendant, C. E. Williams, conveyed tracts described in Paragraph I as (a) and (c) to El Paso Building Material Company pursuant to and in compliance with its agreement to assume the obligations against such houses.”

and additional finding:

“I. I find that a building had been commenced on the E. ½ of Lot 22 and the West ¾ of Lots 23, Block 4, Terry Allen Addition, and that the footings had been laid for a building on Lot 25 and the W. ¼ of Lot 26, Block 4, Terry Allen Addition, at the time that the Deeds of Trust were given by C. E. Williams to Mortgage Investment Company of El Paso, Texas. I further find that at that time no building had been commenced on the E. ¾. of Lot 23 and all of Lot 24, Block 4, Terry Allen Addition.”

And Conclusions of Law:

“I. I conclude, as a matter of law, that there was no mutual mistake as between C. E. Williams and Lander Lumber Company with reference to the Deed of Trust of May 16th, 1951, covering Tract (c), and that actually there was no meeting of the minds of the parties.
“III.

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Related

Wagner v. Christiana Bank & Trust Co. (In Re Wagner)
353 B.R. 106 (W.D. Pennsylvania, 2006)
Abilene National Bank v. Fina Supply, Inc.
706 S.W.2d 737 (Court of Appeals of Texas, 1986)
Zurich Insurance Company v. Bass
443 S.W.2d 371 (Court of Appeals of Texas, 1969)
Continental Casualty Company v. Bock
340 S.W.2d 527 (Court of Appeals of Texas, 1960)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
250 S.W.2d 317, 1952 Tex. App. LEXIS 1599, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/lander-lumber-co-v-williams-texapp-1952.