McLain v. Guinn

4 S.W.2d 121
CourtCourt of Appeals of Texas
DecidedJanuary 28, 1928
DocketNo. 11903.
StatusPublished
Cited by2 cases

This text of 4 S.W.2d 121 (McLain v. Guinn) 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
McLain v. Guinn, 4 S.W.2d 121 (Tex. Ct. App. 1928).

Opinion

CONNER, C. J.

This suit was instituted by the appellant, J. H. McLain, against Ben I. Guinn, John H. Klepper, C. A. Eiland, D. B. Barnes, and J. A. Corbitt, to recover upon a promissory note in the sum of $400, of which $50 had been paid. Said note was executed by John H. Klepper and was alleged to have been given as part of the purchase money for the south half of lot 9, block 1, in the town of West Munday, Knox county. The plaintiff prayed for judgment for the amount of the note with its interest, attorneys’ fees, costs of suit, and specially for a foreclosure of a vendor’s lien upon the lot-mentioned.

The defendants appeared and answered by a general denial and specially to the effect that the lien asserted by the plaintiff, if any, had been waived.

The trial was before the court without a jury, and .resulted in a judgment for the plaintiff against John H. Klepper alone for the amount due upon the note, and in favor of all defendants on the issue of the lien. From the judgment so rendered, plaintiff, McLain, duly excepted and prosecutes this appeal.

The sole question presented for our determination is whether or not the evidence is sufficient to support the court’s judgment. In determining the question it follows that we should state the evidence.' In substance, the undisputed testimony is that on the 12th day of March, 1926, W. T. Lewis was the owner of the south half of lot 9, blo.ck 1, in the town of West Munday, Knox county. On that day Lewis, joined by his wife, by regular warranty deed, conveyed said south half lot to Ben I. Guinn, one of the appellees in this case. The deed recited a consideration of $1,000 paid, and was without reservation of a lien to secure the payment of any unpaid purchase money. The testimony further shows that at the time of this transaction W. L. Lewis was indebted to the plaintiff in this case in the sum of $400, and that John H. Klepper was indebted to Ben I. Guinn in the sum of $600, for which he had given a promissory note. At the time of Guinn’s purchase of the half lot, he in fact did not pay $1,000 in money as reci^d in the deed, but, as hereinafter more particularly disclosed, in lieu thereof gave to Lewis the Klepper note, some furniture, merchandise, and a small amount of money. In conference and by agreement among Guinn, Lewis, and Klepper, the Klepper note was substituted by three promissory notes executed by Klepper- and made, one payable to J. H. McLain in the sum of $400, one payable to James A. Stephens, not a party to this suit, in the sum of $100, and one payable to Lewis in the sum of $200. It is upon the $400 note made payable to J. H. McLain that the suit was instituted. The note to McLain by Klepper contained no grant or contract for a lien upon the one-half lot in controversy to secure its payment. After these transactions, however, to wit, on May 22, 1926, Lewis executed an assignment to McLain of the “purchase lien owned and held by me (Lewis) against said premises (said one-half lot) by virtue of the laws reserving purchase-money liens for lands. * * * ”

W. T. Lewis, the grantor in the deed to Guinn was called as a witness for plaintiff. *122 He testified, among other tilings, that at the time of the conveyance to Guinn—

“There was nothing said by any of the parties to the transaction about waiving any lien on this property. In fact, it was not mentioned by them to me, or I to them. Prior to this time I was indebted to Mr. McLain, and he and I went into Mr. Kendall’s office,- and requested Mr. Kendall to draw up a deed of trust on this property to secure that debt, and after that, I delivered to Mr. McLain the note you showed me, and soon thereafter I executed a transfer of this lien to take the place of that deed of trust. The reason I wanted to execute the deed of trust, I really wanted to sell the place and pay up what I owed, and have the rest for myself. Ben I. Guinn held a note of Klepper which I taken in on the place as part payment for it, and also settled with Mr. McLain. Ben already had a note of Klepper’s. I took up the Klepper note and had it made out again, part of it to me and part of it to Mr. McLain. That note has not been paid.”

Ben I. Guinn testified in behalf of the defendants on direct examination as follows:

“My name is Ben I. Guinn. I am the grantee in a deed made by W. T. Lewis, conveying the S. ½ of lot 9, block 1, of original town of West Munday. I think the consideration for that property was $1,000. This was paid some money, some furniture, household goods, and one thing and another, and some notes. Mr. Lewis come over there to the store and wanted to trade me the place at first. I had a note of-John Klepper’s, and Mr. Lewis wanted some stuff, some furniture, and first one thing, and another — in fact, we were trying to trade for two or three days before we did finally trade. I finally made a trade with him, I gave him the note of John Klepper, and the stuff he wanted, and some money — I don’t know just how much money now, but not very much — but he got the note on Klepper I already had. There was no particular conversation had between us with reference to the Klepper note, except that I talked with John and he agreed to pay $50 per month. I could not say whether Mr. Lewis was present at the time I talked with Klepper about paying the $50 a month or not, but I rather think he was — I am sure he was. There was nothing said about any lien on the place further than Mr. Lewis said the place was clear; he told me it was absolutely clear. There was nothing said between he and I with reference to his having any lien on the property he was selling to me. He and I agreed upon the value of the notes, and they were set out in the deed as cash consideration.
“There were three new notes made for the original note I believe, one of which was made payable to Mr. McLain, and one to Mr. Lewis and one to you, and all of the notes were signed by John H. Klepper, and were given in part payment for the lots. These three notes represented the amount that John Klepper owed me. Mr. Lewis explained to me that he owed Mr. McLain, and wanted to split the note up into three notes, so they were just made out direct to McLain, to you, and to Mr. Lewis in lieu of the original note of Klepper’s I surrendered to him. These three notes took the place of , money, and were given for an old note that John Klepper owed me, which, at Mr. Lewis’ request, it was split up in three ways. I did not know at that time that John Klepper could not pay anything. He had a good shop, and was doing a good business then. It was his shop he was working in. These three notes, $400, $100 and $200, they Were executed in payment of an indebtedness that Klepper owed me, and Mr. Lewis was to take up that debt.
“At Mr. Lewis’ request, Klepper made out new notes in lieu of the note I had of his, which went in on the purchase of this property. Lewis took up the Klepper debt in payment, or part payment for this property, so when Klepper signed the new notes, they were made payable to the parties direct, and when this was done, I credited his account and settled it off, and in making these new notes, they were made direct to you, and Mr. McLain, and Lewis, and these notes were given in exchange for a note I had of Klepper’s which was a part of the purchase price of this lot. Yes; we had agreed on the price of the note, and for convenience they were made direct instead of my indorsing the other note.

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Bluebook (online)
4 S.W.2d 121, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/mclain-v-guinn-texapp-1928.