McAden v. Soil Improvement Corporation

394 S.W.2d 662, 1965 Tex. App. LEXIS 2701
CourtCourt of Appeals of Texas
DecidedSeptember 28, 1965
Docket7664
StatusPublished
Cited by3 cases

This text of 394 S.W.2d 662 (McAden v. Soil Improvement Corporation) 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
McAden v. Soil Improvement Corporation, 394 S.W.2d 662, 1965 Tex. App. LEXIS 2701 (Tex. Ct. App. 1965).

Opinion

DAVIS, Justice.

Plaintiff-appellee, Soil Improvement Corporation, sued defendant-appellant, Don McAden, individually, for actual damages, exemplary damages, and attorney’s fees because of an alleged wrongful levy of an Alias Execution by the Sheriff’s office of Grayson County on part of a carload of fertilizer alleged to belong to Soil Improvement Corporation. The levy was made on September 28,1963. The fertilizer, at that time, was in the name of Dave *663 Tinkle, consignee. The Alias Execution was issued on a judgment in favor of Don McAden Company, a Corporation, against David Tinkle. The judgment was signed and entered on November 11, 1961, for the sum of $1,662.40, plus 6% interest, and costs of suit.

The jury answered the Special Issues, as submitted, in favor of Soil Improvement Corporation. Don McAden excepted and has perfected his appeal. He brings forward 25 points of error. The parties will be referred to as they were in the trial court.

In August of 1963, Soil Improvement Corporation was organized as a private corporation by Don W. Hefton, with David Tinkle as President, Leota Tinkle, his wife, as Vice President, and Don. W. Hefton as S ecretary-T reasurer.

Prior to September 14,1963, David Tinkle, by telephone, ordered a carload of fertilizer from Monsanto Chemical Company of El Dorado, Arkansas. Tinkle was advised by Monsanto Chemical Company that the fertilizer would have to be shipped through a distributor and it suggested the Farmers Fertilizer Company of Texarkana, Texas. The fertilizer was shipped by train on September 14, 1963, to “Don McAden Proprietorship”, consignee. McAden got in touch with an agent of Monsanto Chemical Company and advised said agent that he did not order a car of fertilizer. Then, Monsanto Chemical Company, through Farmers Fertilizer Company, advised the railroad company to change the consignee from “Don McAden Proprietorship” to Dave Tinkle. The change was made and David Tinkle was advised that the car of fertilizer had reached Sherman. Subsequently, some of the employees of the Don McAden Company observed David Tinkle unloading fertilizer out of the railroad car and advised McAden, McAden in turn advised his lawyer. The lawyer made an investigation which revealed that the car of fertilizer was in the name of Dave Tinkle, consignee; Dave Tinkle being one and the same person as David Tinkle. The lawyer secured the issuance of an Alias Execution on the Judgment in favor of Don McAden Company, a corporation. The Alias Execution was placed in the hands of the Sheriff’s office, which made a levy on 19 tons of fertilizer. Everything indicated that David Tinkle was the owner of the fertilizer at that time.

Immediately after the levy was made, Monsanto Chemical Company and Farmers Fertilizer Company were advised of the same. Then, Monsanto Chemical Company and Farmers Fertilizer Company began the process of changing the name of the consignee from Dave Tinkle to Soil Improvement Corporation. This was done about one month after the levy was made.

In the trial of the case, Tinkle testified that he told the Deputy Sheriff that the fertilizer belonged to Soil Improvement Corporation at the time the levy was made. This testimony was denied by all other witnesses. One of them testified that Tinkle told them that the fertilizer belonged to Monsanto Chemical Company. Tinkle testified, by deposition, that he told the Deputy Sheriff that the fertilizer belonged to Monsanto Chemical Company. Harold Trammel, President of Farmers Fertilizer Company, testified, very positively, that the name of the consignee would show the owner of the fertilizer at the time the levy was made. He knew that the fertilizer was in the name of Dave Tinkle, consignee. He testified that Tinkle was the owner of the fertilizer at the time the levy was made. After he had testified, the plaintiff made a motion to take a nonsuit. The trial court overruled the motion.

The defendant filed a motion for instructed verdict and a motion for judgment N.O.V. The trial court entered a judgment in favor of the plaintiff for $1,715.00, including $100.00 as loss of profits.

Before we start discussing the points of error, we will say that we have tried to determine whether or not the property involved was “wrongfully” levied upon, and *664 whether or not the proper measure of damages were submitted to the jury, along with the other errors complained of.

By his point 1, defendant says the trial court erred in overruling his plea in abatement because the Sheriff’s Department was a necessary and indispensable party to the suit. This is on the theory that all joint tort feasors should be joined as defendants by plaintiff. Riley y. Industrial Finance Service Company, 157 Tex. 306, 302 S.W.2d 652 (1957). This decision follows the case of Landers v. East Texas Salt Water Disposal Co., 151 Tex. 251, 248 S.W.2d 731 (1952), where the Supreme Court held that where two or more wrongdoers joined to produce an indivisible injury, all of the wrongdoers are jointly and severally liable to the person wronged for the entire damage suffered. The court went on to hold that a plaintiff may sue one or more of the tort feasors. Then it held that if all of the tort feasors are not joined as defendants, then the defendants may bring in the others. The point is overruled.

By his point 2, defendant says the trial court erred in overruling his motion for continuance because of the absence of his main counsel, Homer Caston, Jr. According to the record, Caston was defendant’s main counsel. He had taken the depositions in El Dorado, Arkansas, and in Sherman. At the time the case was called for trial, Caston was in the U.S. Army, where he would be for another two weeks. The trial court overruled the motion and forced the defendant to go to trial and be represented by an inexperienced attorney. The record further shows that the plaintiff, by oral motion, had recently had the case passed for two weeks without giving any particular grounds therefor. It seems that a good cause was shown to pass the ease for two weeks, and that such a continuance would not have resulted in any injury to the plaintiff. Rule 253, Vernon’s Texas Rules of Civil Procedure. The point is sustained.

By his points 3 through 7, defendant complains of the error of the trial court in overruling some of his exceptions to the plaintiff’s First Amended Original Petition. Since the case was tried on the wrong theory of law, we will sustain these points. The execution was issued in the name of Don McAden Company. According to the evidence, the property was in the name of Dave Tinkle, consignee. There was a valid judgment in favor of the creditor against the judgment debtor. Another thing, if the execution had been wrongfully levied the damages would be governed by the actual value of the property at the time the levy was made. Ainsa et al. v. Moses et al. (Tex.Civ.App.), 100 S.W. 791 (1907), N.W.H.; Wollner et al. v. Darnell (Tex.Civ.App.), 94 S.W.2d 1225 (1936), N.W.H. That does not mean the probable retail value. There are many cases to this effect.

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Bluebook (online)
394 S.W.2d 662, 1965 Tex. App. LEXIS 2701, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/mcaden-v-soil-improvement-corporation-texapp-1965.