Le Tulle v. McDonald

444 S.W.2d 794, 1969 Tex. App. LEXIS 2880
CourtCourt of Appeals of Texas
DecidedSeptember 4, 1969
Docket7078
StatusPublished
Cited by10 cases

This text of 444 S.W.2d 794 (Le Tulle v. McDonald) 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
Le Tulle v. McDonald, 444 S.W.2d 794, 1969 Tex. App. LEXIS 2880 (Tex. Ct. App. 1969).

Opinions

PARKER, Chief Justice.

On December 2, 1968, summary judgment was entered as follows:

“It is, therefore, ORDERED, ADJUDGED and DECREED by the Court that plaintiffs, John J. Le Tulle, Jr. and Kathryn Le Tulle McCoach, take nothing against defendants, E. L. McDonald, J. C. Lewis, Robert F. Pe-den, Jr., Burton B. Le Tulle and Elvin M. Landrum, in all capacities in which they are sued; that this case is dismissed with prejudice; and that all costs accrued herein are taxed against plaintiffs, for which let execution issue.” (Emphasis ours.)

[795]*795The parties will be designated by name or as in the trial court.

The Supreme Court in Great American Reserve Ins. Co. v. San Antonio Plumbing Supply Co., 391 S.W.2d 41, 47 (Tex.Sup., 1965) set forth the rules relating to summary judgments. Omitting the citation of authorities found in the opinion, we tabulate these rules:

“Rule 166-A, Texas Rules of Civil Procedure, provides that summary judgment shall be rendered if it is shown that there is no genuine issue as to any material fact and that the moving party is entitled to a judgment as a matter of law.
[a] “The burden of proof is on the movant, and all doubts as to the existence of a genuine issue as to a material fact are resolved against him. * * *
[b] “* * * the evidence must be viewed in the light most favorable to the party opposing the motion. * * *
[c] “If the motion involves the credibility of affiants or deponents, or the weight of the showings or a mere ground of inference, the motion should not be granted.
[d] “All conflicts in the evidence are disregarded, and the evidence which tends to support the position of the party opposing the motion is accepted as true. * *
[e] “Evidence which favors the mov-ant’s position is not considered unless it is uncontradicted.
[f] “If such uncontradicted evidence is from an interested witness, it cannot be considered as doing more than raising an issue of fact, unless it is clear, direct and positive and there are no circumstances in evidence tending to discredit or impeach such testimony. * * *
[g] “This exception [Subdiv. (f), supra] is especially true where the opposite party has the means and opportunity of disproving the testimony, if it is not true, and fails to do so. * * *
[h] “After all the evidence has been sifted in this manner, the Court must determine whether the mov-ant is entitled to a judgment as a matter of law.”

Tested by these rules, the summary judgment granted in this case cannot stand.

Defendants have points of error as follows :

“FIRST POINT
“The error of the court in granting summary judgment in favor of defendants in all of the capacities in which they were sued, when the releases relied on as evidence contained contingencies on which there is no evidence that these contingencies have been complied with, and when such releases only release defendants in their capacities as trustees.
“SECOND POINT
“The error of the court in granting summary judgment in favor of defendants, when defendants’ summary judgment affidavits were fatally defective.
“THIRD POINT
“The trial court erred in refusing to hear and consider plaintiffs’ motion for discovery when all motions had been previously set for hearing on a certain day designated.
“FOURTH POINT
“The trial court erred in rendering summary judgment for defendants, when plaintiffs’ pleadings, reply to motion for summary judgment, affidavits and summary judgment evidence, which must be taken as true, raised numerous disputed genuine material fact issues.”

In their original petition, plaintiffs sued E. L. McDonald, J. C. Lewis, Robert F. Peden, Jr., individually and as Trustees un[796]*796der that certain Trust agreement, of record in Vol. 172, page 108, of Matagorda County Deed Records, and that certain trust under the will of J. J. Le Tulle, Deceased, probated under Cause Number 1682, in the Court of Matagorda County; and Burton B. Le Tulle and Elvin M. Landrum, individually and as Trustees under the above mentioned trusts and as independent executors under the will of J. J. Le Tulle, Deceased. Plaintiffs alleged that they were two of the beneficiaries having “justiciable interests, under that certain Trust Agreement executed by John J. Le Tulle, dated July 29, 1946, recorded Vol. 172, pages 108-112, of Matagorda County Deed Records, known as, and hereinafter referred to as Trust No. 1; and under that certain trust created in the last will and testament and codicil of J. J. Le Tulle, Deceased, being the same person as John J. Le Tulle, admitted to probate in the County Court of Mata-gorda County, Texas, Cause Number 1682 on the Probate Docket, known as, and hereinafter referred to as Trust No. 2, in both of which said trusts defendants were named trustees, accepted such trusts and acted as such trustees; certified copies of which said Trust No. 1 and Trust No. 2 will be offered in evidence at the hearing hereof.”

In Paragraphs III and IV, plaintiffs alleged in substance that the trusts had terminated and that the defendants had failed to prepare and deliver to each beneficiary a final account showing all income and disbursements during the continuance of the trusts; that plaintiffs were the owners of an undivided ¾1⅛ each of all the real property on hand in each of the two trusts on their termination on July 29, 1966, “of which there is no dispute”; and that plaintiffs were also entitled “to an undivided one-eleventh (Vnth) interest each in all income of said Trust No. 1 after deducting properly chargeable expenses, together with an undivided one-eleventh (¾1⅛) interest each in other cash receipts properly chargeable as corpus in Trust No. 1; together with an undivided one-eleventh (½1⅛) interest each in all personal property of the corpus of said Trust No. 2 and the net income therefrom after the death of the life beneficiary, Lela Le Tulle, which occurred April 7, 1966; all of which may be shown by an accounting plaintiffs are entitled to be [sic] the terms of said Trusts Nos. 1 and 2, and by the provisions of Article 7425b-24, Section A of the Revised Civil Statutes of Texas.”

Plaintiffs prayed that they have an accounting and that upon final hearing here, “the Court, by such accounting, enter judgment fixing and determining plaintiffs’ interests in the personal property and the amounts of money due plaintiffs under said trusts, together with costs of suit and such other relief as plaintiffs may be entitled to receive at law or in equity.”

The defendants, in their original answer, admitted that the trusts formerly existed, that defendants were trustees, and that plaintiffs were among the beneficiaries of those trusts, but denied all other allegations made in the petition. The remainder of defendants’ original answer consists of:

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

Related

Gustafson v. National Insurance Underwriters
517 S.W.2d 414 (Court of Appeals of Texas, 1974)
Baebel v. RIVER OAKS BANK & TRUST COMPANY
498 S.W.2d 461 (Court of Appeals of Texas, 1973)
Gravis v. Abbott Laboratories
462 S.W.2d 410 (Court of Appeals of Texas, 1970)
Garcia v. H. E. Butt Grocery Co.
461 S.W.2d 439 (Court of Appeals of Texas, 1970)
Gloor v. United States Fire Insurance Company
457 S.W.2d 925 (Court of Appeals of Texas, 1970)
Houston Crane Rentals, Inc. v. City of Houston
454 S.W.2d 216 (Court of Appeals of Texas, 1970)
O'Byrne v. Oak Park Trust & Savings Bank, Oak Park, Illinois
450 S.W.2d 411 (Court of Appeals of Texas, 1970)
Le Tulle v. McDonald
444 S.W.2d 794 (Court of Appeals of Texas, 1969)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
444 S.W.2d 794, 1969 Tex. App. LEXIS 2880, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/le-tulle-v-mcdonald-texapp-1969.