McGinty v. Dabney

37 S.W.2d 199
CourtCourt of Appeals of Texas
DecidedFebruary 28, 1931
DocketNo. 12434.
StatusPublished

This text of 37 S.W.2d 199 (McGinty v. Dabney) 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
McGinty v. Dabney, 37 S.W.2d 199 (Tex. Ct. App. 1931).

Opinion

BUCK, J.

This suit involves the question as to whether the court below correctly overruled the pleas of privilege of the several defendants. T. A. Davidson, B. B. Covey, C. A. Covey, T. H. Dabney, and E. M. Dabney, in plaintiffs’ original petition, sought an injunction, in part mandatory in its character, against the State National Bank of Terrell, Kaufman county, J. B. McGinty, of Kaufman county, A. C. Cox, of Kaufman county, P. E. Payne, of Erath county, U. R. Forrest, of Kaufman county, and the Thorp Springs Christian College, an educational institution, as to whose domicile “by the terms of its charter, it should be located, with all of its property at Thorp Springs in Hood County, Texas, and would be located with all of its property, real and personal except, for the destruction, usurpation and removal thereof by the said defendants as hereinafter shown.”

The original petition was filed on April 17, 1929. There seems to be no ruling on the pleas of privilege filed before the amended petition was filed.

On April 24, 1929, the State National Bank of Terrell filed its plea of privilege; on the same day J. B. McGinty filed his plea of privilege to be sued in Kaufman county; on the same day A. C. Cox filed his plea of privilege to be sued in Kaufman county; on April 30, 1929, the Thorp Springs Christian College, the State National Bank of Terrell, J. B. McGinty, A. C. Cox, U. R. Forrest, and P. E. Payne, filed their answers subject to the pleas of privilege filed and subject to the plea in abatement filed by J. B. McGinty, A. C. Cox, U R. Forrest, and P. E. Payne. In this answer there was a general demurrer, and certain special exceptions, believed not necessary here to mention. On May 4, 1929, plaintiffs filed their controverting affidavit to defendants’ pleas of privilege, which alleged, in substance: That on May 16, 1918, the college became heavily involved in debt, and the trustees and management of said college had under advisement the desirability of removing said college to some other location, and that the patriotic citizens of Thorp Springs, and of Hood county, in order to keep said college at said last-named place, made an agreement with the authorities of said college that, if said citizens would subscribe and pay off the then existing debts and obligations incurred by it, the college should remain at Thorp Springs in said county, and that the citizens did subscribe and pay off the then existing indebtedness of said college, amounting in the aggregate to about the sum of $12,-000. That on or about November 30,1910, the Thorp Springs College, as it then existed, secured an amendment to its original charter, the same being of record in Book 44, page 21, of the Deed Records of Hood County, and that the eleventh subdivision of said amendment contained the followifig: “This corporation shall never mortgage nor place a deed of trust or other lien upon any of its properties for any purpose, nor shall it, save for current expenses, incur indebtedness at any time during the term of its existence.” That on or about August, 1928, said defendants A. C. Cox, P. E. Payne, and U. R. Forrest, in violation of each and all the agreements heretofore shown, as well as in violation of the original and the amended charters, illegally, willfully, and maliciously took possession of and converted to their own use and benefit all of the property mentioned and described in the exhibit attached. The exhibit consisted of a list of the personal property alleged to have been taken from the college, and consisting of books and other printed matter, bookcases, one Baldwin grand piano, etc., of the estimated value of $14,700.

In the controverting affidavit, reliance is had upon article 1995, subdivision 9, Rev. Civ. Statutes of 1925, which reads: “A suit based upon a crime, offense, or trespass may be brought in the county where such crime, offense, or trespass was committed, or in the county where the defendant has his domicile.”

*200 It was alleged tliat the unlawful, illegal, and willful conversion of the personal property by the said defendants amounts in law to a trespass, and that, the same having occurred in Hood county, plaintiffs aver that the venue is properly laid in said county.

On October 7, 1928, the plaintiffs filed their first amended original petition. In this amended petition W. A. Wakefield, J. H. Allen, A. B. Garter, Will Vick, J. W. Hale, Hite Rippetoe, J. A. Tedlie, J. O. Shipman, W. A. Burkett, J. A. Henry, Fred Warren, J.' E. Maroney, M. H. Moore, J. C. Rigney, Lawerence Moore, E. E. Yarborough, and J. H. Neville were made defendants. It was alleged in the amended petition that, by reason of the agreement between the college' and its faculty and certain citizens of Thorp Springs, on May 16, 1918, it was agreed and understood that the college should remain for all times at Thorp Springs, Hood county; that the citizens of Thorp Springs and Hood county paid off the debt then accrued, about $8,-000; that on January 11, 1928, the said college was again largely in debt and in dire need of funds and money with which to discharge its obligations, and the trustees were again considering the advisability of removing said college from Thorp Springs, and the citizens of Thorp Springs and Hood county agreed to raise and did raise the sum of $3,-000 then owing by the college, and that the agent of said citizens, T. A. Davidson, paid to H. H. Lewis, treasurer of said college, the sum of $2,000. It was alleged that said sum of money was paid with the understanding and agreement that said college and all of its properties and assets should forever remain at Thorp Springs, Hood county, and should continue at said place as an educational institution, and that said sum of money was the consideration of said agreement; that on or about the month of September, 1918, and subsequent to the time the citizens of Thorp Springs and Hood county paid the indebtedness of about $8,000 then against said college, and freed said property from any and all indebtedness and incumbrances, said college owned and held the title to a large amount of land, buildings, and improvements, all of which was located at or in the town of Thorp Springs, and for some reason the record title to said property was in one W. R. Woodhousé for the alleged purpose of securing certain indebtedness alleged to be due the said Wood-house by said college; that said Woodhouse by deed in writing reconveyed all of the land, buildings, and other property then belonging to said college to T. H. Dabney, who was then the president of the board of trustees of said college, and to his successors in office for the use and benefit of said college, and said re-conveyance was executed for the purpose of carrying out and performing the agreement made, as heretofore mentioned on May 16, 1918, by the citizens of Thorp Springs and Hood county and the trustees and management of the college.

On October 21, 1928, W. A.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
37 S.W.2d 199, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/mcginty-v-dabney-texapp-1931.