Lopez v. Naegelin

59 S.W.2d 844, 1933 Tex. App. LEXIS 607
CourtCourt of Appeals of Texas
DecidedApril 27, 1933
DocketNo. 2356
StatusPublished
Cited by9 cases

This text of 59 S.W.2d 844 (Lopez v. Naegelin) 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
Lopez v. Naegelin, 59 S.W.2d 844, 1933 Tex. App. LEXIS 607 (Tex. Ct. App. 1933).

Opinion

WALKER, Chief Justice.

This suit was instituted in county court at law No. 1, Bexar county, by appellees, Frank Naegelin and wife, against appellant, Mrs. Sarah N. Lopez, a widow, to recover $221 due by appellant to appellees as rent. After filing their suit appellees sued o.ut a distress warrant against appellant and seized the following described property as being subject to their landlord’s lien, to secure the payment of their debt: “1 Mixing machine; 1 wall table; 1 bread mixer; 1 steam box, 1 counter, 5 counter stools; 1 bread safe and counter, 1 oven top; 1 oven rack; 1 gas range; about 15 feet of pipe; 1 cake beater; all parts that belong to baking oven and dough mixer; 1 show case, 2 feet by 5 feet; 1 double deck, 2 feet by 3 feet show case; 1 screened show case for cookies; 2 large counters; 1 glassed-in show case 3 feet by 5 feet; 1 dish rack partition wall movable; 1 large top of baker’s oven; 1 show case about 3 feet by 9 feet; 2 sides of baking oven (porcelain) 1 front end of baking oven; 3 small tables 'about 3½ feet by 4 feet; 70 bread pans; 1 mixing bowl; 8 white stool chairs; 1 electric motor; 8,feet of 1 inch gas pipe; 1 large dough mixing bowl; and 1 large cake pan.” Appellant admitted the justness of the debt sued for, but claimed the seized property as exempt to her under articles 3832 and 3S35, R. S. 1925, exempting from execution for debt “all tools, apparatus and books belonging to any trade or profession.” The judgment was in favor of appellees upon an instructed verdict. The appeal was prosecuted to the San Antonio Court of Civil Appeals, transferred to the Austin Court, then to this court, by orders of the Supreme Court. The only point made by appellant is that, under the evidence, the court should have sent to the jury, under appropriate instructions, her claim that the property was exempt to her.

The facts of this claim are as follows: All this property was situated in the leased premises during the time it was held and occupied by appellant, under her contract with appel-lees. This contract was in writing, and among other provisions authorized appellees, in the event appellant defaulted in her rent payments, “to distrain for any rents that may be due thereon upon any property belonging to the party of the second part (appellant).” Appellant was the head of a family, with two-small children. She testified through an interpreter as follows:

“I rented the premises on South Flores [845]*845Street from Mr. & Mrs. Naegelin. I moved away from there in May 27, 1931. At the time I moved away from there I owed $221.-20. I had some property taken in charge by an officer right after X moved away. All this property belonged to me. I am a baker by trade. I have been in the bakery business going on two years. I am a single woman and have two children. I have household and kitchen furniture. All the equipment and property that was taken by the officer was pertaining to the business of the bakery, everything belonged to the bakery. I had no restaurant.
“I rented the south side of this building to a man named Gonzales in the months of February and March but he had no sink and he moved out. Everything that he brought in there he took away with him. All the equipment that was levied upon belonged to the bakery. Mr. Gonzales used the stools and counter in the restaurant business there, there were three tables. They were mine. I lived in the inside rooms, the bakery is in the front. I never had any restaurant but I had three little tables and some chairs. ■Five stools were attached to the floor. The long counter was left in its original position. I had twelve chairs.
“I never had a restaurant but I had three tables and the chairs. Mr. Wagner was there about a month.”
“It is agreed that the following is a description of the two main items of the property levied upon by the constable, to-wit:
• “An oven that stands on iron legs 9⅛ inches high. The oven is 61 inches high, and at its widest width it is 61 inches, and at its smallest width it is 39 inches. It is 82 inches in length. There is attached to the oven proper, about three inches above the oven, a metallic roof, which is a steam or heat holder. This roof is 12 inches in height, 82 inches in length, and 56 inches in width; and it is attached by metallic bands holding it above the oven. Tiie oven has a capacity of 96 ordinary square loaves of bread at one cooking. The oven has a revolving compartment inside, which is moved by electrical power, and the heat for the cooking is by gas.
“The mixer is 61 inches in height, including the motor on top, and is 42 inches in width, including the vessel in which things are mixed. The mixer has a capacity of 20 quarts.
“The oven and the mixer, besides other things, have been moved to different premises. They have been in use by the bakery for the last three years. The oven is capable of being operated by hand power.”
“There is a little piece missing from the motor for the oven and you have to move it by hand, and when there is no electric current, you turn it by hand. I have turned it by band many times. I did that Saturday and to-day, I made bread that way. I ran that business by myself, I got up about 2 o’clock every day, 2 or 3 o’clock in the morning, and at 9 o’clock at night I retired. I am selling about 20 or 25 loaves of bread. I have a very small plant and am selling very little now.
“I do not cook the full capacity of the oven. Sure, I need the oven in my business. I make pies and cakes, every kind.
“As to needing the mixer in my business, I worry myself by trying to use it by hand, we had the machine out of order and I had to operate it by hand, it was too much.
“The machinery was intended to be operated by electric power, but it is out of order and I am running it by hand until I can get some money in order to fix it up.”

There was other testimony to the effect that some of the property listed above was’ used in connection with a restaurant that occupied part of the leased premises.

Opinion.

That appellant, by the written contract, authorized appellees “to distrain for any rents” upon any property belonging to her did not authorize appellees to seize this property by virtue of the contract. In other words, this contract did not give appellees a contractual mortgage against appellant’s property.

There is no merit in appellees’ counter proposition that appellant had no right to a jury submission of her defense because she did not designate, among the articles seized, the specific articles claimed by her to be exempt. She claimed that all the 'articles seized were used by her as tools or apparatus belonging to her trade as a baker. Appellees raised the issue against this contention that all of the seized property, except the oven and mixer, constituted a part of the restaurant equipment which was operated in the leased premises. This statement presents an issue of fact. If the seized articles constituted part of the restaurant equipment, then they were not exempt. Simmang v. Penn. Fire Ins. Co., 102 Tex. 39, 112 S. W. 1044, 132 Am. St. Rep. 846. But there is a broad distinction between the trade of a “baker” and the business of operating a “restaurant.” No specific tools are required to operate a restaurant, nor is the keeper of a restaurant required to serve an apprenticeship, while.

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Bluebook (online)
59 S.W.2d 844, 1933 Tex. App. LEXIS 607, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/lopez-v-naegelin-texapp-1933.