Lindsey v. Panhandle Const. Co.

46 S.W.2d 339
CourtCourt of Appeals of Texas
DecidedJanuary 20, 1932
DocketNo. 3719
StatusPublished
Cited by4 cases

This text of 46 S.W.2d 339 (Lindsey v. Panhandle Const. 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
Lindsey v. Panhandle Const. Co., 46 S.W.2d 339 (Tex. Ct. App. 1932).

Opinion

HALL, C. J.

The appellee construction company sued Mrs. Lindsey seeking to recover against her individually and as administratrix of the estate of W. W. Lindsey, deceased. Mts. M. J. Ricketts and her husband, J. P. Ricketts, and the Wichita Palls Building & Loan Association were made parties defendant.

The substance of plaintiff’s allegations is that it was the owner of a paving lien on lot No. 1 in block 86 of Overton’s addition to the city of Lubbock, executed by W. W. Lindsey, now deceased, and-his wife, laura Lee Lindsey, the amount of said lien being $285.-05; that after the execution of said lien Lindsey and wife conveyed the property to Mrs. M. J. Ricketts by a deed warranting the title as against the lien of the Panhandle Construction Company. In exchange for said property Ricketts and wife, upon request of W. W. Lindsey, conveyed block 82 of the Markowitz subdivision of block 79 of the Roberts-McWhorter addition to the city of Lubbock to Mrs. Laura Lee Lindsey, as her separate property. That thereafter, about February 1, 1931, Mrs. Lindsey conveyed said property to J. A. Rix. That in exchange the said Rix conveyed to Mrs. Lindsey lot 23, block 57, of the Overton addition to the city of Lubbock. That thereby the said property last described became impressed with a trust and lien in favor of the plaintiff construction company; and it prayed for the foreclosure of its paving lien against said lot 23, block 57, for the amount due and $150 additional as attorney’s fees.

It is alleged that W. W. Lindsey died December 21, 1930; that Laura Lee Lindsey duly qualified as administratrix; that the various transfers set out operated to the benefit of her separate estate; that if they did not do so, then that W. W. Lindsey had represented to Ricketts and wife that there was no lien upon said lot 1, block 86, except a balance of $7,000 due a loan association. That the Lindseys executed and delivered their warranty deed to the Ricketts, and the latter believed the representations and relied thereon, but were deceived thereby and that they are entitled to recover of Mrs. Lindsey the amount of the indebtedness sued on by plaintiff, and that plaintiff is entitled to be subrogated to the right of recovery against Mrs. Lindsey to the extent that said Ricketts and wife should recover.

The prayer is for the establishment of the lien against lot 23, block 57, in the Overton addition, now held by Mrs. Lindsey as her separate property and homestead and that the lien be foreclosed.

Ricketts and wife answered by general demurrer and general denial and by cross-action against'Mrs. Lindsey and the estate of W. W. Lindsey, ■ deceased, alleged that Mrs. Lindsey and her husband had, in consideration of $16,000, conveyed to M. J. Ricketts lot 1 in block 80 of the Overton addition, and had warranted the title thereto as against all claims not named in the deed; that the claim of the Panhandle Construction Company was not mentioned therein; and that the plaintiff’s paving lien was an incum-brance upon the land. That Lindsey and wife had not warranted and defended the title, and they- prayed that in the event plaintiff should recover against them, that they be entitled to recover against Mrs. Lindsey their damages occasioned by the breach of the covenant of title, and that they have a lien decreed upon lot 23 in block 57 in the Over-ton addition.

The Wichita Palls Building & Loan Association was dismissed from the suit.

Mrs. Lindsey answered 'by plea in' abatement, alleging that she was the surviving wife of W. W. Lindsey; that he died December 21, 1930; that she was his wife for a number of years prior to the date of the trans-' actions set out in plaintiff’s petition; that upon his death she was appointed adminis-tratrix; that the administration had not •been closed; that the obligations, if valid, are the obligations of W. W. Lindsey, deceased, and in no wise binding upon her. She pleaded her coverture and prayed that both plaintiff’s action and the cross-action of the Ricketts be abated. •

On June 11, 1931, the court entered two orders which recite that Mrs. Lindsey’s pleas in abatement of the action and of the Rick-etts’ cross-action against her came 'on to be heard before announcement of ready for trial on the merits, and that after having heard the pleas and the evidence and argument of counsel, it was the opinion of the court that they should be sustained. Each order then decreed that the plaintiff’s cause of action [341]*341and cross-action “against tlie defendant Latir a Lee Lindsey and the estate of W. W. Lindsey, deceased, be and the same is hereby in all things dismissed.”

The case then proceeded to trial, and on June 12, 1931, a third judgment was entered reciting that all parties, appeared in person and by counsel and announced ready for trial, “and the plea in abatement of Laura Lee Lindsey, administratrix, to the plaintiff’s cause of action against said estate is sustained, as well as the special exception that no recovery could be had personally against the defendant Laura Lee Lindsey.” The judgment shows that the court directed the jury to return the following verdict: “We the jury find for the defendants Ricketts that they are entitled to recover of and out of Lot 23, Block 57, Overton Addition to the City of Lubbock, the amount of principal and interest of the plaintiff’s paving lien of $285.05 and 7% interest from Nov. 29, 1929, plus attorneys fees of $150.00 and that plaintiff is entitled to be subrogated to such judgment in favor of the Ricketts and for foreclosure by the plaintiff on Lot 1, Block 86, Overton Addition to Lubbock.”

The judgment further forecloses the lien claimed by Ricketts and wife against Mrs. Lindsey’s lot No. 23, block No. 57, to the extent of the amount which plaintiff has recovered against the Ricketts and for which the lien was foreclosed against their lot No. 1. It is further decreed that Mrs. Lindsey’s lot 23 in block 57 be sold and the proceeds applied to the payment of the judgment of plaintiff and of the defendants Ricketts.

A supplemental transcript has been filed which shows that at the November term, 1931, of the district court, the Panhandle, Construction Company filed what is denominated “Motion to Amend Judgment,” which recites that at the May, 1931, term of the court the cause was tried, a verdict returned, and judgment entered. That such judgment is “erroneous and not clear in this particular: In that such judgment recites ‘and the plea in abatement of Laura Lee Lindsey, Adminis-tratrix, to plaintiff’s cause of action against said estate is sustained as well as a special exception that no recovery could be bad personally against the defendant Laura Lee Lindsey’ when in truth and in fact the plea in abatement of the estate of Laura Lee Lindsey was sustained by the-Court, but that the clause that no recovery could be had personally against the defendant Laura Lee Lindsey is not clear and is subject to misconstruction in that it was the order of the Court that no personal judgment for money be had against the said Laura Lee Lindsey, but that the Panhandle Construction Co. had a right to prosecute its suit to judgment and that such judgment will be a special lien upon Lot 23 in Block 57 Overton Addition to the City of Lubbock.” The plaintiff prays for notice and that the judgment be corrected so as to show that the ruling of the court was that no recovery be permitted against the said Laura Lee Lindsey save and except the same could be made out of lot 23 in block 57.

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Related

McCann v. Ward County
423 S.W.2d 339 (Court of Appeals of Texas, 1967)
Panhandle Construction Co. v. Lindsey
123 Tex. 613 (Texas Supreme Court, 1934)
Panhandle Const. Co. v. Lindsey
72 S.W.2d 1068 (Texas Commission of Appeals, 1934)
Wiggins v. Standard Acc. Ins. Co.
61 S.W.2d 579 (Court of Appeals of Texas, 1933)

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Bluebook (online)
46 S.W.2d 339, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/lindsey-v-panhandle-const-co-texapp-1932.