Lanford v. Parsons

237 S.W.2d 425, 1951 Tex. App. LEXIS 1534
CourtCourt of Appeals of Texas
DecidedJanuary 17, 1951
DocketNo. 9908
StatusPublished
Cited by3 cases

This text of 237 S.W.2d 425 (Lanford v. Parsons) 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
Lanford v. Parsons, 237 S.W.2d 425, 1951 Tex. App. LEXIS 1534 (Tex. Ct. App. 1951).

Opinions

GRAY, Justice.

This appeal is from a judgment denying appellant any recovery in his suit on a promissory note, dated November 1, 1948, due January 5, 1949, executed by appellee and payable to appellant, or order.

[426]*426Appellee’s answer was that the note sued on was without consideration; failure of consideration; that a part of the consideration for the note was the transfer of six shares of stock in Equipment Sales Company, a corporation, and that as a part of the consideration for the note sued on, and simultaneously with its execution, the parties entered into the following written contract:

“The State of Texas,
“County of Travis.
“Whereas, Don L. Lanford and H. R. Lanford have sold to S. B. Parso», and Betty L. Parsons all of their stock in Equipment Sales Company, a Texas corporation, and a part of the consideration for such sale was the agreement hereinafter set out:
“Now, Therefore, Know All Men By These Presents: That this instrument is executed for the purpose of evidencing the agreement of Don L. Lanford and H. R. Lanford with S. B. Parsons, Betty L. Parson, and Equipment Sales Company, and each of them, that neither Don L. Lanford nor H. R. Lanford will, either directly or indirectly, for a period of ten years from the date hereof, represent any persons, firms, or corporations on sales of equipment to the State of Texas, or any of its hoards, departments, bureaus, or schools, that the Equipment Sales Company now represents in such sales, or that the said Don L. Lanford, H. R. Lanford, and S. B. Parson, have discussed representing in any such sales.
“Witness our hands in duplicate this the 1st day of November, 1948.”

Appellee further alleged a breach of the contract, and by trial amendment (filed on the day of trial and made a part of the answer) tendered the six shares of stock in the corporation to appellant.

Appellee also filed a -cross-action for damages for breach of the above contract.

Upon a non-jury trial the court denied appellant any recovery on the note, rescinded the contract, vested title to the six shares of stock in appellant, and- denied appellee recovery on his cross-action.

The trial court filed findings of fact and conclusions of law and, among other findings, found that the contract was a material part of the consideration for the purchase and sale of the six shares of stock; that the contract was violated by appellant both before and after January 5, 1949, and that the parties could be placed in status quo by the cancellation of the note and the contract and the return of the six shares of stock to appellant, which were of the same value as on November 1, 1948, except in so far as their value had decreased because of the conduct of appellant.

The trial court concluded that the consideration for the note failed; that there was such a substantial and material breach of the contract by appellant that appellee is entitled to rescission, and, that in order to do justice between the parties, the contract should be rescinded, the shares of stock returned to appellant and the parties placed in status quo. The court also concluded the contract is non-severable.

The record before us shows that ap-pellee, appellant and Don Lanford (appellant’s brother) incorporated Equipment Sales Company for the purpose of representing manufacturers of equipment in sales of equipment to the State and its different agencies, and that, for some time prior to the execution of the note and contract in question, they had worked together for the benefit of the corporation. Prior to November 1, 1948, appellee, appellant and Don Lanford orally agreed that ap-pellee would purchase the stock of appellant and Don Lanford in the corporation; that appellant and Don Lanford would not compete in the business of the corporation as such business was evidenced by existing contracts with manufacturers and other firms then discussed by them. They then agreed upon attorneys to reduce the agreement to writing. Don Lanford went by the attorney’s office, approved the draft of the agreement, so notified appellee and appellee then mailed him a check for $1,000 in payment for his stock. After-wards, on November 1, 1948, appellant and Don Lanford brought the note and [427]*427contract to appellee, at which time the note was signed and handed to appellant, who took the note and then told appellee, “* * * we decided we can’t sign that agreement.” Thereupon, appellee demanded the return to him of the note and $1,000, and said they would go' on with the business as they had in the past. The contract was then signed.

This evidence was sufficient to show that by the action of the parties, which is evidence of their intention, they made the purchase of the stock and the giving of the note by appellee dependent on the contract, and that the covenants thereof must be held to have gone to the consideration of the entire transaction, there being no allotment of such consideration to the purchase of stock and the making of the contract. It shows appellee would not have purchased the stock without the signed contract and that he relied on appellant to carry out the obligations imposed on him thereby.

Appellant’s original petition was filed February 3, 1949. After November 1, 1948, appellee was sick, at least during a portion of the time, from that date until January 4, 1949. In December 1948, while appellee was in a hospital, he told appellant he had heard rumors, “ * * * that you boys are not being fair in this matter.” Afterwards, he made an investigation of the conduct of appellant relative to the contract, and on January 4, 1949, wrote appellant a letter wherein he advised appellant .that he had learned appellant 'had broken his contract; stated that he wanted to pay the $1,500 note -but that he wanted appellant to abide by the contract. , This letter was mailed to appellant at his Austin address and had appellee’s return address-on it. Appellant said he did not receive the letter, and appellee said it did not come back to him. On January 6, 1949, appellant wrote appellee that he would expect payment of the note by January 8th or that he would have to do “something about this •debt that has been due since last August.”

After November 1, 1948, appellant and his brother Don engaged in business similar to that of Equipment Sales Company. Appellant testified that he considered that appellee repudiated his contract on January 5, 1949, when he failed to pay his note, and that “We abided by this instrument (contract) until he failed to pay the note.” Sometime in the spring of 1949, appellant made a sale of equipment admittedly representing one of the firms discussed prior to making the contract. Referring to his letter of January 6, 1949, supra, appellant said he considered that appellee repudiated his contract on January 5th; that he could not get an answer from him, and explained his intent in writing the letter by saying, “I at least expected a letter or an answer or something, or some reason for not paying me.” And that after January 5th he felt justified in doing what he had contracted not to do.

This evidence was admissible under ap-pellee’s pleadings. Appellee’s amended answer (on which the trial was had) was filed February 20, 1950, and there appellee alleged: “Defendant further alleges that notwithstanding the agreement entered into by and between H. R. Lanford and defendant, that H. R. Lanford and Don L.

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Bluebook (online)
237 S.W.2d 425, 1951 Tex. App. LEXIS 1534, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/lanford-v-parsons-texapp-1951.