McDowell v. Greenland

259 S.W.2d 305, 1953 Tex. App. LEXIS 1843
CourtCourt of Appeals of Texas
DecidedMay 27, 1953
DocketNo. 10141
StatusPublished
Cited by2 cases

This text of 259 S.W.2d 305 (McDowell v. Greenland) 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
McDowell v. Greenland, 259 S.W.2d 305, 1953 Tex. App. LEXIS 1843 (Tex. Ct. App. 1953).

Opinion

ARCHER, Chief Justice.

Appellee sued appellant in statutory trespass to try title to recover the fee-simple title to a tract of land situated in Tom Green County. Upon verdict of a jury, judgment was rendered in favor of appellee awarding full recovery.

The appeal is before this Court on fifteen points assigned as error in the trial of this case, and are to the effect that the court erred in overruling appellant’s motion, made at the close of the testimony to withdraw the case from the jury and render judgment in his favor because of the failure of the testimony to establish a breach of a condition in the deed; that the evidence did not raise any issue of fact; that there was no evidence that appellee had declared a forfeiture of the title, and in holding that appellee was not bound by her admissions to the effect that she had not declared a forfeiture because of any breach of the conditions in the deed. That it was error to submit Special Issues Nos. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 and 7 inquiring if appellee requested appellant to perform any work, or substantially failed, or failed to reasonably care for appellee, or if appellant cursed appellee, or called her a liar, or if appellant shoved appellee into the corner of her house, and if such misconduct rendered intolerable for appellee to permit appellant to work for her and care for her; and in admitting in evidence testimony of appellee with reference to negotiations and discussions with appellant at the time of and prior to the execution of the deed; in submitting Special Issue No. 8 as to the rental value of the land, and in allowing a recovery of $800 as rental value.

This suit was filed September 1, 1951, and by amended petition alleged that appellee was the owner in fee simple of the land sued for and that appellant unlawfully entered and dispossessed her and sought to recover the title and damages. Appellant by an amended answer denied the trespass and disclaimed any present right to possession, and alleged that he was the owner of the fee-simple title to the land, subject only to ap-pellee’s right of possession, use and income therefrom, and further plead not guilty.

It was stipulated that appellee was the owner of the lands on July 28, 1950, on which date she executed and delivered the deed to the lands, and that she leased the land to appellant for the calendar year 1951, and that on December 4, 1951, notified appellant to vacate the premises. A further stipulation was made that from July 28, 1950 to and including the date of the trial, the plaintiff owned and was in possession of funds and income sufficient to support her for all her needs, and that she did not need any meat, drink, washing, lodging or apparel from the defendant and did not call on defendant for any such named items.

The deed, omitting formal parts and description, reads as follows:

“That I, Mary Greenland, a feme sole, of the County of Runnels, State of Texas, for and in consideration of the sum of One Hundred and no/100 ($100.00) Dollars, cash to me in hand paid, the receipt of which is hereby fully acknowledged and confessed to me in hand paid by Matthew W. McDowell, and the further consideration that the said Matthew M. McDowell shall work for me and care for me, to support and provide for me sufficient meat, drink, washing, lodging, apparel and attendance suitable to my state and situation, at the choice and election of myself, during my natural life, from time to time as long as I shall continue to live, Provided, always, and upon condition that if the said Matthew W. McDowell, his heirs, executors or administrators, shall fail or refuse to perform any of the agreements and stipulations above mentioned, then this assignment, transfer and conveyance shall be null and void, and the property hereinafter described shall immediately revest and revert to me and be subject to the possession and control of the said Mary Greefand without the necessity of any act, suit or action on my part. Have Granted, Sold and Conveyed, and by these presents do Grant, Sell and Convey unto the said Matthew W. McDowell * * *.

“ * * * Except, however, that Grantor herein reserves, and it is hereby expressly agreed that she shall have, for herself and [307]*307her assigns, the full possession, benefit and use of the above described premises, as well as of the rents, issues and profits thereof, for and during her natural life.

“To have and to hold * * * unto the said Matthew W. McDowell, his heirs and assigns forever; and I do hereby bind myself, my heirs, executors and administrators, to Warrant and Forever Defend all and singular the said premises unto the said Matthew W. McDowell, after my decease, ⅜ ⅜ ⅜ »

The grounds of appellee for forfeiting the deed are the breach of the conditions thereof by the appellant in that:

“(1) Appellant failed and refused to ‘work’ for Appellee.

“(2) Appellant failed to ‘care’ for Ap-pellee.

“(3) Appellant failed to furnish Appel-lee ‘attendance’.

“(4) Appellant willfully and deliberately so conducted himself as to make it intolerable for the Appellee to permit Appellant to further work for her or care for her as provided for in said deed.”

Appellant was a nephew of appellee residing in Iowa and came to Texas to visit appellee, who is a widow about 78 years old, without any living relatives in Texas, and was living alone on a 50-acre tract near Miles, Texas, her nearest neighbor living about one-half mile away.

It appears that a brother of appellant had gotten about $46,000 from appellee in 1949 and that appellant knew of this.

From January 1950, to July 1950, the parties orally and by correspondence discussed the arrangement to exist between them when appellant moved to Texas. Among the agreements was that appellee would execute the deed and would prepare a house for appellant to live in.

For some months after appellant and family moved to Texas they lived in the house with appellee before moving into the house prepared for them, and she had given them $2,500 and made other gifts, loans and furnished a tractor to appellant.

The case was submitted to the jury on eight issues and the first inquired if plaintiff at any time between July 28, 1950 and September 1, 1951, requested the defendant to perform any work for her. The jury’s answer was “Yes,” and conditioned on this answer the jury was asked if the defendant failed to substantially perform the work which plaintiff had requested him to do, and to this 'issue the jury answered that he failed. Issue No. 3 asked if the defendant failed to reasonably care for the plaintiff, and the jury’s answer was that he failed. Special Issue No. 4 inquired if the defendant cursed the plaintiff, and the jury’s answer was “No.” By Special Issue No. 5 the jury was asked if the defendant called the plaintiff a liar and the answer was “Yes.” In answer to Special Issue No. 6 the jury found that the defendant shoved the plaintiff into a corner of her house.

By Special Issue No. 7, conditioned on affirmative answers to all or either of Issues Nos. 4, 5, and 6, the jury was asked if such conduct of the defendant toward the plaintiff rendered intolerable for the plaintiff to permit defendant to care for and work for her and the answer was “Yes.”

Requested issues of defendant were given inquiring if the plaintiff waived the performance by defendant of the work she requested and to this the jury answered “No.”

Also given was defendant’s requested Issue No.

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Related

Hearne v. Bradshaw
305 S.W.2d 618 (Court of Appeals of Texas, 1957)
Sitz v. Hodges
278 S.W.2d 400 (Court of Appeals of Texas, 1954)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
259 S.W.2d 305, 1953 Tex. App. LEXIS 1843, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/mcdowell-v-greenland-texapp-1953.