Moroney v. Moroney

280 S.W. 254
CourtCourt of Appeals of Texas
DecidedDecember 10, 1925
DocketNo. 143. [fn*]
StatusPublished
Cited by3 cases

This text of 280 S.W. 254 (Moroney v. Moroney) 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
Moroney v. Moroney, 280 S.W. 254 (Tex. Ct. App. 1925).

Opinion

STANFORD, J.

On November 30, 1910, appellant was, by order of the county judge of Dallas county, appointed guardian of the persons ánd estates of James M. Moroney and - Thomas J. Moroney, minors,- and his bond fixed at $600,000, and J. B. Adoue, J. H. Powers, and J. D. Robinson were appointed appraisers. Appellant qualified as such guardian by taking the oath and giving the bond' required^ The estate of said minors owned stock in several corporations, so on December 9, 1910, the county court entered an order authorizing W. J. Moroney, as such guardian, to vote the stock owned by said minors in any and all corporations, and directed said *255 guardian to take suck steps as ke migkt deem proper to see tkat tke business of tke Moroney Hardware Company is continued and safely and properly conducted. Pursuant to tkis order, W. J. Moroney, appellant, was elected president of tke Moroney Hardware Company, and continued in tkat capacity until tke close of tke guardianskip, a period of 4% years.

On January 21, 1911, appellant, as guardian, witk J. B. Adoue and J. H. Powers, two of tke appraisers, filed an inventory and ap-praisement of said estate, consisting of tke following property:

Tke residence homestead of the deceased parents of tke minors, and a rent house on tke same lot, of the value of. $ 22,000 00
Another lot with several buildings on same, rented to various tenants, appraised at . 77,600 00
A business lot fronting on Elm. street with a four-story brick building on same, occupied by the Moroney Hardware Company as a tenant, said lot and building valued at. 130,000 00
Household goods, automobile, books, pictures, etc., valued at. 2,000 00
The following stock in corporations, to wit:
459 shares of stook in the Moroney Hardware Company of the par value of $100 per share, appraised at $300 per share.. 137,700 00
1 share Dallas Club, par value $100 appraised at . 40 00
7 shares National Bank of Commerce stock, par value $100 per share, valued at $175 per share. 1,225 00
20 shares Commonwealth Fire Insurance Company, par value $100 per share, appraised at total of. 2,600 00
1 share Elks Building Association, par value $100, appraised value. 100 00
14 shares common stock and 8 shares preferred stock, Texas Traction Company, appraised at . 400 00
List of claims due or to become due belonging to estate:
Open account due by Moroney Hardware Company to James Moroney, deceased, the accumulation of rents and dividends during a series of years. 14,712 17
Note of J. D. Rogers to James Moroney, deceased, the purchase price of 40 shares stock Moroney Hardware Company, which stock is pledged to secure said debt . 9,678 00
Note of Edith Bassel for. 1,000 00
Total .$498,955 17

Tke above inventory and appraisement was duly sworn to by tke guardian, and on February 4, 1911, was duly approved by tke county court, and a bond of $800,000 required to be given by tke guardian. Tke bond for $800,000 was given and duly approved by tke county court. Appellant, as guardian, filed kis first annual account April 2, 1912, skowing a balance to tke credit of tke estate of $634.68. On July 30,1912, tkis report was approved by tke county court; but on August 24, 1912, said county court entered another order modifying kis former order by charging tke guardian witk tke bond premium of $500 for making bond. On January 10, 1914, appellant filed kis second annual account, skowing a debit of tke estate to tke guardian of $2,-480.24. May 29, 1914, tke county court entered an order approving tke second annual account.- On April 26, 1915, W. J. Moroney filed his resignation as guardian. October 6, 1915, W. J. Moroney filed in tke county court kis confirmation of resignation and kis account for final settlement.

On April 14, 1915, James Moroney, who would have become of age in July, 1915, had his disabilities of minority removed by judgment of tke district court, and after so doing applied for, and was appointed and qualified, as guardian of tke person and estate of Thomas J. Moroney, kis brother, and then for himself and as guardian and next friend of Thomas J. Moroney, filed in tke county court bills of review to set aside tke order of the county court approving tke guardian’s first, second, and final report, and trials were had on each report separately. On the first report, the county court found the guardian was indebted to tke estate of kis wards in tke sum of $6,569.53. On tke second report tke county court found tkat the estate of said wards was indebted to tke guardian in tke sum of $1,402.92. On the third report tke county court found tke guardian was due said estate $6,284.14.

Appeal was taken from the judgment of the county court in each of said proceedings to tke district court, where all of said proceedings were consolidated, and an auditor was appointed to state the accounts. On February 15, 1921, tke auditor filed kis report. All parties filed amended pleadings in tke consolidated cases, and trial was had before tke court without a jury, and on December 29. 1922, tke court entered judgment against appellant as guardian for $35,013.12, together witk 6 per cent, interest on said amount from January 1, 1916, amounting in the aggregate to $49,684.07, witk interest at 6 per cent, from date of judgment. Both sides have appealed and assigned error to tke judgment of tke court, and to the court’s findings of fact and conclusions of law.

Opinion.

Under his first, second, and seventh assignments of error, appellant contends tke court erred in holding tkat tke wards, being stockholders in tke Moroney Hardware Company, a private corporation, owned tke property of tke corporation, its business, capital, and assets, and tkat therefore tke mercantile business ’of tke corporation together witk its capital and assets, were a part of tke estate of the wards, and tkat in consequence tke guardian, as such, should be charged with $17,009 paid by said corporation to W. J. Moroney personally, and charged to him personally, and witk $940 worth of merchandise charged by tke corporation to W. J. Moroney personally during tke period of the guardianskip, and that tke court erred in rendering judgment against tke guardian for *256 said items upon said theory. As bearing upon this phrase of the case, the trial court made the following findings:

“This case has been contested, both during its trial and since, in briefs of counsel, upon conflicting theories of the law as applicable to the facts. The plaintiffs, who were the contestants in the county court, contend that their estate includes the Moroney Hardware Company, its stock of merchandise and other assets, as well as its outstanding certificates of stock, of which certificates plaintiffs are ■ the owners, except as to one share of the par value of $100.

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

Related

Legler v. Legler
189 S.W.2d 505 (Court of Appeals of Texas, 1945)
Moroney v. Moroney
286 S.W. 167 (Texas Commission of Appeals, 1926)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
280 S.W. 254, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/moroney-v-moroney-texapp-1925.