Medearis v. Buratti

275 S.W. 617, 1925 Tex. App. LEXIS 765
CourtCourt of Appeals of Texas
DecidedJune 17, 1925
DocketNo. 6867.
StatusPublished
Cited by13 cases

This text of 275 S.W. 617 (Medearis v. Buratti) 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
Medearis v. Buratti, 275 S.W. 617, 1925 Tex. App. LEXIS 765 (Tex. Ct. App. 1925).

Opinion

BAUGH, J.

This is an appeal from, a judgment of the district court of Travis county on eight vendor’s lien notes, executed *618 by James E. Medearis .to P. B. Buratti, and foreclosing the lien on 64 acres of land situated in Travis county.

James E. and Pearl Medearis married in 1908, moved onto .tbe land in question, and lived in tbe bouse with James E. Medearis’. father and mpther, George and Ann Medear-is, until tbe fall of 1912, when James E. Medearis built on this land at bis own expense, out of community funds, a bouse about 100 yards away from that of bis parents. In 1913, Ann Medearis died and left surviving ber husband, George Medearis, and eight children, including James E. Me-dearis. Thereafter, George Medearis died, leaving a will in which be devised to James E. Medearis all his property. Including what be inherited from bis mother, James E. Medearis thus became tbe owner of a nine-sixteenths ox- 36-aere undivided interest in tbe 64-acre tract. In 1919 the other heirs of Ann Medearis sued James E. Medearis and bis brother, Green Medearis for partition of their mother’s estate, alleging that tbe 64 acres was not susceptible of partition, and asked that it be sold and the proceeds divided. James E. Medearis answered, confessing such allegations and joined in the prayer for tbe sale of tbe 64 acres. Only tbe original petition of this partition suit, James E. Medearis’ answer thereto, and tbe deed of tbe receiver appointed by tbe court to make tbe sale, were introduced in evidence. This deed from tbe receiver, dated July 29, 1919, conveyed the 64 acres- to.D. B. Buratti, ap-pellee, for a recited cash consideration of $6,400. On August 1, 1919, Buratti recon-veyed -this land to James E. Medearis for a recited consideration of $6,400, $1,900 cash and eight vendor’s lien notes for tbe aggregate sum of $4,600 due one ea.ch year respectively from November 1, 1921, to November 1, 1928. Both of these deeds wei'e filed for ■record on tbe same day. Upon failure to pay notes 1 and 2 appellee, under their terms, élected to mature all of said notes and brought suit thereon, making James E. and Pearl Medearis parties.

Appellants defended on three, grounds: First, against pei'sonal liability of James E. Medeai-is because of bis discharge in bankruptcy; second, on tbe ground that at tbe time of tbe partition suit appellants owned an undivided 36-acre interest in this land, were occupying and using it as a homestead, and that tbe partition suit was merely a simulated transaction, and so known to Buratti at tbe time for the purpose of creating, a lien on their homestead interest in said 36 acres, to secure money furnished James E. Medearis by Buratti to purchase the 28-acre interest of the' other heirs; and, third, on the ground that Pearl Medearis, having a homestead interest therein at the time was a necessary party to the partition suit, but was not made a party, and that such partition decree, as to her, was therefore void. They also by cross-action asked that the lien be annulled, their homestead right in the 36 acres established, and the land partitioned.

Plaintiff introduced in evidence his notes and the deed from him to Medearis. At the close of defendants’ evidence and without any rebuttal evidence the court, upon motion of plaintiff, gave the jury peremptory in-stnxctions to find for the plaintiff.

Opinion.

Appellants’ first contention is that, since the judgment made no express disposition of their cross-action, but only awarded appellee judgment for his debt with foreclosure of his lien, it is not a final judgment. There is no merit in this. A judgment is final when it expressly or by necessary implication disposes of all the. issues raised in a case, and a judgment in general terms in favor of one party has been held to dispose of the cross-action or counterclaim of the opposing party even though same is not expressly mentioned. Trammell v. Rosen, 106 Tex. 132, 157 S. W. 1161; Swan v. Price (Tex. Civ. App.) 162 S. W. 994; Cudd v. Whippo (Tex. Civ. App.) 234 S. W. 706; Taylor v. Masterson (Tex. Civ. App.) 231 S. W. 856.

The next contention, raised in numerous propositions, relates to the homestead claims of Pearl Medearis in the land. The court, in giving peremptory instructions to the jury,' in effect, held that there was no evidence as a matter of law.to support the defenses pleaded. To wrongfully withdraw a case from a jury on peremptory instruction has been held to be fundamental error. Rowe v. Railway Co. (Tex. Civ. App.) 205 S. W. 731; Palm v. Nunn (Tex. Civ. App.) 203 S. W. 1124; Walker v. Haley, 110 Tex. 50, 214 S. W. 295. And in passing upon such matters the evidence must be considered in the light most favorable to appellant, disregarding conflicts and contradictions. Harpold v. Moss, 101 Tex. 540, 109 S. W. 928; Rose v. Rogers (Tex. Civ. App.) 264 S. W. 955. The uncontroverted evidence shows that James and Pearl Medearis with their children continuously and without interruption resided on the lands involved, occupying and using same as their homestead from 1912 up to the time of the foreclosure suit, and that thqy were so using and occupying same with the knowledge of appellee at the time of the partition suit. It is immaterial that they were renting from James E. Medearis’ father during his lifetime, or occupying the land as cotenants with the other heii’S of Ann Medearis, or that their intei’est was the separate property of the husband. In any or all of such cases the homestead rights of the wife attach, and she can be deprived of such rights, unless abandoned, only in the manner prescribed by the Constitution and the statuses. Parker v. Schrimsher (Tex. *619 Civ. App.) 172 S. W. 165; Allen v. Ashburn, 27 Tex. Civ. App. 239, 65 S. W. 45; Wheatley v. Griffin, 60 Tex. 209; Jergens v. Schiele, 61 Tex. 255; Cooley v. Miller (Tex. Com. App.) 228 S. W. 1085; Tucker v. Dodson (Tex. Civ. App.) 245 S. W. 728; Crowder v. Bank. (Tex. Com. App.) 261 S. W. 375.

And even if they had not owned the land on which it was situated, the house built by James and Pearl Medearis with community funds in 1912, was, under the evidence, their homestead, exempt as such, in which Pearl Medearis had a vital interest. See Cullers v. James, 66 Tex. 495, 1 S. W. 314.

While a homestead right in, one cotenant cannot prejudice the rights of other co-tenants in the property (Clements v. Lacy, 51 Tex. 150; Leach v. Leach [Tex. Civ. App.] 223 S. W. 287) nor prevent a partition thereof, yet in q partition suit where, as in the instant case, one cotenant owns a major interest in the property, including his "house on the premises, and the whole is sought to be sold as incapable of partition, if in fact, a's alleged by Pearl Medearis in this case, the land was capable of partition and the homestead could have been set aside to her without sale of the whole tract, she was entitled to show these facts, and was a necessary party to the suit. Her husband, James E. Medearis, could pot, in fraud of her rights, by agreement to which she was not a party, in a partition suit or otherwise, either fix a lien on her homestead or have it sold, if in fact it could, without prejudice to the other cotenants, have been set aside to her in kind, any more than he could have conveyed it without being joined by her. The rule as to necessary parties is stated by Chief Justice Willie in Jergens v. Schiele, supra, as follows:

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Related

Grant v. Clouser
287 S.W.3d 914 (Court of Appeals of Texas, 2009)
Wilson v. Mitchell
299 S.W.2d 406 (Court of Appeals of Texas, 1957)
Scoggins v. Taylor
248 S.W.2d 549 (Court of Appeals of Texas, 1952)
Travelers Ins. Co. v. Nauert
200 S.W.2d 661 (Court of Appeals of Texas, 1941)
Kasprowicz v. Tate
66 S.W.2d 435 (Court of Appeals of Texas, 1933)
Collett v. Brokaw
296 S.W. 333 (Court of Appeals of Texas, 1927)
Williams v. Walker
290 S.W. 299 (Court of Appeals of Texas, 1926)
Astin v. Martin
289 S.W. 442 (Court of Appeals of Texas, 1926)
Phillips v. Jones
283 S.W. 298 (Court of Appeals of Texas, 1926)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
275 S.W. 617, 1925 Tex. App. LEXIS 765, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/medearis-v-buratti-texapp-1925.