Pascoe v. Keuhnast

642 S.W.2d 37, 1982 Tex. App. LEXIS 5276
CourtCourt of Appeals of Texas
DecidedOctober 7, 1982
Docket10-82-041-CV
StatusPublished
Cited by3 cases

This text of 642 S.W.2d 37 (Pascoe v. Keuhnast) 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
Pascoe v. Keuhnast, 642 S.W.2d 37, 1982 Tex. App. LEXIS 5276 (Tex. Ct. App. 1982).

Opinion

OPINION

CHASE, Justice.

This suit in trespass to try title, with alternate pleas, was brought by Irving Keuhnast against Katherine Marie Pascoe to recover the title and possession of a tract of land in McLennan County, Texas.

The evidence reflects that in 1942 Irving Keuhnast (hereinafter referred to as Irving), a career Air Force Officer, was married to Maxine Keuhnast (hereinafter referred to as Maxine). From 1954 to 1956 he was stationed in Waco, Texas, and while here, he and Maxine purchased a piece of property which is the subject matter of this lawsuit. The property was purchased with community funds, the salary of Irving from the Air Force.

In 1957 Irving gave Maxine a General Power of Attorney in anticipation of being transferred overseas.

On August 13, 1963, Irving revoked the Power of Attorney and such revocation was filed for record in McLennan County, Texas, on August 23, 1963.

In due time Irving and Maxine moved to the state of Iowa where they lived as husband and wife until they separated and divorce proceedings were commenced.

*39 After moving to Iowa, Maxine became very friendly with Appellant, Katherine Marie Pascoe (hereinafter referred to as Katherine), and during the course of their friendship Katherine claims to have advanced to Maxine, as living expenses, a sum of approximately $6,000.00.

Upon revoking the Power of Attorney, Irving gave Maxine notice of his action, but notwithstanding such notice, Maxine on March 26, 1965, executed a deed to the Waco property, conveying it to Katherine in satisfaction of the debt which Maxine is alleged to have owed to her.

On August 23, 1965, Irving and Maxine were divorced by a court in the state of Iowa. The decree of divorce did not make any disposition of the properties, but on October 28, 1965, a further decree was entered in which the Waco property was awarded to Irving, and Maxine was ordered to execute such instruments as were necessary to quiet the title in Irving.

At the divorce hearing both Maxine and Katherine were present and neither one advised the court that Maxine had already deeded the property to Katherine.

The case was submitted to the jury on Special Issues in answer to which the jury found; (1) that the execution of the March 26, 1965 deed from Maxine to Katherine was intended by Maxine to defraud Irving of that to which he was or might become entitled; (2) that the execution and delivery of the March 26, 1965 deed from Maxine to Katherine was intended by Maxine to delay or hinder Irving from obtaining that to which he was or might become entitled; (2a) that at the time Katherine received the March 26, 1965 deed she knew of Maxine’s intent to delay, hinder or defraud; (3) that Maxine by executing and delivering the March 26,1965 deed to Katherine, sought to satisfy the obligations of Maxine to Katherine with the community interest of Irving in the Waco land; (4) that at the time Katherine received the March 26,1965, deed to the Waco property, she knew that Maxine was delivering to her the community interest of Irving in satisfaction of Maxine’s obligations to Katherine; (5) that Irving gave notice to Maxine of the revocation of the Power of Attorney before she executed the deed to Katherine; (6) that Irving did not give oral authorization to Maxine to execute the deed to Katherine by telephone shortly before the deed was executed; that Maxine did not have apparent authority to execute the deed to Katherine on behalf of Irving; and (8) that Maxine did not incur a debt to Katherine in settlement for which she executed the deed in question.

Based upon the verdict of the jury and the evidence adduced at the trial the court entered judgment that Irving recover of and from Katherine the title and possession to the Waco property, and have a writ of possession.

The court further ordered that Katherine recover from Irving $2,834.78 for taxes paid on the property during the time she held possession thereof.

Katherine has appealed on five points of error, the first of which charges the trial court erred in entering judgment that Irving recover the Maxine community one-half interest in t}ie lot in question.

Katherine bases her argument on two theories:

(1) A petitioner in a trespass to try title suit, can only recover on the strength of his own title, Since he proved only a one-half community property interest that transformed, after his divorce, into a one-half undivided interest, he could only recover that undivided interest;

(2) Maxine’s interest passed to Katherine under the doctrine of after acquired title.

The property in dispute, acquired during the course of Maxine’s and Irving’s marriage, was community property. Colden v. Alexander, 141 Tex. 134, 171 S.W.2d 328 (1943), article 4619 V.A.C.S. Since the status of property, as separate or community, becomes fixed at the time of its acquisition, the property continued to be community property even though Maxine and Irving became residents of the State of Iowa. Smith v. Buss, 135 Tex. 566, 144 S.W.2d 529 (1940).

*40 The law which governs the validity of a conveyance of title to land is the law of the state in which the land is situated and not the state in which the instrument is executed. Colden v. Alexander, supra, Erwin v. Holliday, 131 Tex. 69, 112 S.W.2d 177 (Tex.Comm.App.1938, opinion adopted).

The Texas law which controlled the disposition of community property at the time of Maxine's deed was article 4619 V.A. C.S. which provided that the husband, as the sole manager of the community property, had the exclusive right to convey community property; except where the husband had abandoned the wife, was confined to the penitentiary, became insane or lacked legal capacity. Any other attempted conveyance by the wife alone was void. Lasater v. Jamison, 203 S.W. 1151, (Civ.App.—San Antonio 1918, writ ref’d), Smith v. Anna-Manna, Inc., 384 S.W.2d 908 (Civ.App.—San Antonio 1964, no writ), Lockhart v. Garner, 156 Tex. 580, 298 S.W.2d 108 (1957).

Thus, the attempted conveyance of Texas community property by Maxine as the wife, without the valid joinder of her husband, was void. Furthermore, Maxine’s deed, found by the jury as a conveyance made in fraud of Irving’s interest, was void; so it could not support a title to Katherine. Katherine was left in the position as a mere trespasser. Art. 3996 V.A.C.S., now codified in Business and Commerce Code, Art. 24.02. Biccochi v. Casey-Swasey Co., 91 Tex. 259, 42 S.W. 963 (Tex.1897), Messimer v. Echols, 194 S.W. 1171 (Civ.App.—Texarkana 1917, writ dismissed).

After their divorce, without the property having been divided between them, Irving and Maxine became tenants in common of the property.

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642 S.W.2d 37, 1982 Tex. App. LEXIS 5276, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/pascoe-v-keuhnast-texapp-1982.