Marsalis v. Garre

391 S.W.2d 522, 1965 Tex. App. LEXIS 2561
CourtCourt of Appeals of Texas
DecidedMay 24, 1965
Docket7470
StatusPublished
Cited by13 cases

This text of 391 S.W.2d 522 (Marsalis v. Garre) 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
Marsalis v. Garre, 391 S.W.2d 522, 1965 Tex. App. LEXIS 2561 (Tex. Ct. App. 1965).

Opinion

CHAPMAN, Justice.

This is a summary judgment case which had its origin in a suit filed by Don S. Mar-salis, Jr., against Dr. P. R. Garre to recover $2,758.70, which he alleges is due by virtue of an assignment from Parker, Ford & Company, Inc. to him on an account originally owed by Dr. Garre to said company after appellant had paid that amount to the company.

Appellant, Don S. Marsalis, Jr., at the times pertinent hereto, was a registered representative of Parker, Ford & Company, Inc., investment bankers and brokers, with an office in Amarillo, Potter County, Texas. The company’s principal office was in Dallas, Texas. Don Bucholz was its secretary and comptroller in the Dallas office. Appellant was a salesman for the stock brokers.

*524 During September of 1961, appellee, Dr. P. R. Garre, engaged in a stock-market venture with Parker-Ford with appellant acting as the representative of the stock-brokerage company. After a number of transactions appellee was “sold out” by the Dallas office. He considered the brokerage company had not handled his stock properly and had been grossly negligent in their dealings with him. The resulting loss was $4,541.94. The company sent him a bill showing his loss, which he ignored. Mr. Bucholz called him on the telephone a time or two trying to work out a settlement on the account his company had billed the doctor for and he told him, “Rather than have any trouble about it, to get Don in any trouble, that I was willing to split it down the middle.”

Mr. Bucholz later came to Amarillo and entered into a discussion with Dr. Garre, Mr. Marsalis, and the Amarillo office manager of the brokerage company, Mr. Walter Mount, Jr. The deposition of appellee shows:

“Mr. Buchholz said, ‘How do you •feel about this? How would you like to settle it?’
And I said T would like you to go back to Dallas and forget about it.’ And he said, T don’t believe I can do that.’
He said, ‘What would you be willing to do ? ’
I said, ‘You mention a figure.’
He said, ‘We know there has been a number of irregularities and misunderstandings in this account, and for this Parker-Ford accepts the responsibility.’
He said, ‘We will settle with you for the amount of your original loss.’
And I said, ‘Mr. Buchholz, if you will return to me 100 shares of Ling-Temco stock, which you are holding in ransom, and place them on my desk and take this check and walk out of my office and I won’t bother you any more and you won’t bother me any more, this settles it once and for all and I am through with Parker-Ford.’ And I said, T will go along with you.’
So I said, ‘There is one thing I want to do.’ I said, ‘I want to protect Don Marsalis.’ I said, ‘Now, if you want to sue both of us, get after it. We will fight it, but,’ I said, T want to try to protect him from this, and if this settlement is satisfactory, we are all through with it and that’s the end of it’, and I said, T will give you this check.’
His answer was ‘Doctor, if you will give us a check in the amount of — ’
Q. Of the check that you actually gave?
A. The check that I actually gave, yes. He said, ‘This wipes us clean; you won’t hear any more from Parker Ford.’ ¾
Q. Do you feel that you had an understanding with Parker Ford that would relieve Don Marsalis from any liability ?
A. I didn’t know what the arrangement was. Mr. Buchholz and Mr. Marsalis got up and left the office and, when they came back, I discussed this check in front of Mr. Marsalis and I said, ‘Don, is this all right with you?’ And he said, ‘Go ahead.’
I presumed that any arrangements that Mr. Marsalis had made with Parker Ford came under the heading of their business since they left my office to discuss it.”

When asked in the deposition why he thought he did not owe the account appel-lee answered: “Very simply, I think it had been grossly mishandled without the proper investigation, without the proper and necessary consultation, a good bit of misunder *525 standing as far as the time element goes, a misunderstanding amounting to what I consider gross negligence.”

Appellant’s deposition showed that after the discussions Dr. Garre and Mr. Bucholz arrived at a figure of $2,283.24 that the former gave the latter a check drawn on the Amarillo National Bank, and the check had marked on it, “Acc’t. to date, paid in full.”

Appellant was subsequently called upon by the company for the difference between the total amount claimed and the sum last mentioned. He paid it and then instituted this suit against Dr. Garre.

From the depositions mentioned, the pleading of the parties and the affidavits of Mr. Bucholz, Mr. Marsalis, Mr. Walter Mount, Jr., and Dr. Garre, the trial court summarily rendered judgment for appellee. It is from such judgment appeal is perfected to this court, the first three points denying the existence of accord and satisfaction in the accepta^e of the check made by Dr. Garre for a lesser amount than the brokerage company’s claim.

We believe under the undisputed admissible evidence the record shows the existence of accord and satisfaction as a matter of law in bar of appellant’s claim.

In Root & Fehl v. Murray Tool Co., Com.App., 26 S.W.2d 189, the court held:

“It is the settled law of this state that, when an account is made the subject of a bona fide dispute between the parties as to its correctness, and the debtor tenders his check to the creditor upon condition that it be accepted in full payment, the creditor must either refuse to receive the check or accept the same burdened by its attached condition. If he accepts the check and cashes the same, he impliedly agrees to the condition, although he may expressly notify the debtor that he is not accepting the same with the condition, but is only applying the same as a partial payment on the account.”

In Burgamy v. Davis, Tex.Civ.App., 313 S.W.2d 365 (N.W.H.) the court said:

“When appellant, knowing appellee was disputing in good faith the amount of the claim, received the check marked ‘Payment of account in full,’ he was given the option either to accept the check as full payment or to return the check to appellee, unaccepted, and hold appellee for his full claim.”

In Texas & P. Ry. Co. v. Poe, 131 Tex. 337, 115 S.W.2d 591, the question for decision was whether Poe might settle a cause of action against the railway company for damages for personal injuries by the acceptance and cashing of a draft reciting it was in full settlement of his injuries, and then maintain a suit for such injuries, in the absence of an agreement to that effect.

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391 S.W.2d 522, 1965 Tex. App. LEXIS 2561, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/marsalis-v-garre-texapp-1965.