Pickering v. First Greenville National Bank

495 S.W.2d 16, 1973 Tex. App. LEXIS 2718
CourtCourt of Appeals of Texas
DecidedApril 19, 1973
Docket18057 and 18058
StatusPublished
Cited by18 cases

This text of 495 S.W.2d 16 (Pickering v. First Greenville National Bank) 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
Pickering v. First Greenville National Bank, 495 S.W.2d 16, 1973 Tex. App. LEXIS 2718 (Tex. Ct. App. 1973).

Opinion

CLAUDE WILLIAMS, Chief Justice.

These consolidated appeals were formerly before this court on the question of venue. Pickering v. First Greenville Nat’l Bank, 479 S.W.2d 76 (Tex.Civ.App., Dallas 1972). Thereafter the cases came on for trial before the District Court of Hunt County, Texas. The court sustained motions for summary judgment filed by the bank and rendered judgment against Pickering in both cases. We affirm.

In Cause No. 32,190 in the district court (being numbered 18,057 in this court) the bank sued upon a promissory note dated April 8, 1970 in the principal sum of $1,505.63, due ninety days after date, and being signed by one George Burnett and endorsed on the reverse side thereof by Grover Pickering. Burnett defaulted and made no appearance. Pickering, in his first amended original answer, admitted that he had placed his name on the note in question but denied that he had executed the same as an endorser. He alleged that he had merely put his name on the reverse side of the note as a witness to a cash payment to Burnett of the sum of $1,500. Pickering also pled that there had been an accord and satisfaction which had completely eliminated any liability on his part toward the bank.

In Cause No. 32,191 in the district court (being No. 18,058 in this court) the bank sued Pickering upon a written guaranty agreement whereby Pickering had guaranteed the payment of a written promissory *18 note dated February 17, 1970 executed by one Allen Goldsmith, payable to the bank, in the principal amount of $6,000 and due six months after date. It was alleged that Goldsmith resided outside the State of Texas and was insolvent. Pickering answered this suit by alleging (1) accord and satisfaction and (2) fraud and misrepresentation which caused him to sign the guaranty agreement.

In each case the bank filed its motion for summary judgment and attached thereto verified copies of the note and guaranty agreement sued upon. Also attached to the motions were affidavits of the president of the bank in which he stated that the instruments were presently owned by the bank. The statement of facts developed in the venue hearing in each case was made a part of the motions for summary judgment and excerpts of Pickering’s testimony revealed that he admitted the execution of the instruments and that Goldsmith was a nonresident of Texas.

In each case Pickering filed his answer to the motion for summary judgment stating that his answer in each case, which was incorporated as a part of his answer to the motion for summary judgment, demonstrated the existence of fact issues that would preclude the granting of the motion for summary judgment. Also attached to this answer in each case was Pickering’s affidavit as follows:

“BEFORE ME, the undersigned authority, on this day personally appeared Grover D. Pickering, who, being by me first duly sworn, on oath deposes and says:
My name is Grover D. Pickering and I am the same person as Grover Pickering named as defendant in Cause No. 32,190 [and 32,191] on the docket of the 196th District Court of Hunt County, Texas styled First Greenville National Bank vs. George Burnett and Grover Pickering [and Grover Pickering individually]. I have read Defendant’s First Amended Original Answer filed in Cause No. 32,-190 [and 32,191] and the statements and averments of fact contained therein are true, and such averments as are made upon information and belief I verily believe same to be true.
/s/ Grover D. Pickering
/t/ Grover D. Pickering
SUBSCRIBED AND SWORN TO before me by the said Grover D. Pickering on this the 6th day of September, 1972, to certify which witness my hand and official seal of office.
/sJ Margaret Jordan_
Notary Public in and for Hunt County, Texas”

In each case the bank filed its motion to strike Pickering’s answer to the bank’s motion on the ground that the affidavit of Pickering did not comply with Tex.R.Civ. P. 166-A(e). The court sustained these motions.

Appellant Pickering seeks reversal of the trial court’s judgment against him in each of these cases on one point of error. He contends that the trial court erred in sustaining appellee’s motion to strike his answer to the motion for summary judgment and in granting such motion because in each case there were genuine material issues of fact which would defeat appellee’s right to a judgment.

An examination of the record convinces us that there are at least two reasons to support the trial court’s order striking appellant’s answer to appellee’s motion for summary judgment. In the first place Pickering’s affidavit, which appears at the end of his answer to the motion for summary judgment, wholly fails to comply with the express terms and provisions of Rule 166-A(e) in that there is no affirmative showing that the affidavit was made *19 on personal knowledge and that the affiant is competent to testify to the matters of fact contained in such affidavit. Such an affidavit is fatally defective and subject to be stricken. Youngstown Sheet & Tube Co. v. Penn, 363 S.W.2d 230 (Tex.Sup.1963); Melody v. Texas Society of Professional Engineers, 421 S.W.2d 693 (Tex.Civ.App., Dallas 1967), and Akins v. Coffee, 376 S.W.2d 953 (Tex.Civ.App., Dallas 1964). It is elementary that one who makes an affidavit must state facts which he knows to be true. An affidavit, such as the one made by Pickering, wherein he, in part, states that he verifies certain matters based upon information and belief does not comply with the requirements of an affidavit.

In addition to the foregoing, Pickering’s affidavit in opposition to the motion for summary judgment does nothing more than refer back to and adopt his first amended original answer in each case. Pickering makes no effort to set forth in his affidavit in opposition to the motion for summary judgment any facts other than those in his pleadings. Thus his adoption of the pleadings does nothing more than tender such pleadings as summary judgment evidence. The Supreme Court in Hidalgo v. Surety Savings & Loan Ass’n, 462 S.W.2d 540 (Tex.Sup.1971), held that pleadings, even if sworn, cannot be considered as summary judgment evidence.

Even assuming, without conceding, that the trial court was wrong in striking appellant’s answer to the motion for summary judgment, such would constitute harmless error for the simple reason that appellant Pickering has wholly failed to allege and support such allegations with competent summary judgment evidence to establish his defense of accord and satisfaction and fraud.

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Bluebook (online)
495 S.W.2d 16, 1973 Tex. App. LEXIS 2718, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/pickering-v-first-greenville-national-bank-texapp-1973.