Pickett v. Dallas Trust & Savings Bank

24 S.W.2d 354
CourtTexas Commission of Appeals
DecidedFebruary 12, 1930
DocketNo. 1128—5402
StatusPublished
Cited by17 cases

This text of 24 S.W.2d 354 (Pickett v. Dallas Trust & Savings Bank) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Texas Commission of Appeals primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Pickett v. Dallas Trust & Savings Bank, 24 S.W.2d 354 (Tex. Super. Ct. 1930).

Opinion

SHORT, P. J.

This suit was filed in one of the district courts of McLennan county by the plaintiffs in error against the defendant in error. While the petition contained allegations usually to be found in an action of trespass to try title, in which the property involved is described as lot No. 8 in block No. 40 of the Provident addition to the city of Waco, its ultimate purpose was to secure a judgment removing from the property certain incumbrances, consisting of two deeds of trust and a vendor’s lien note for $3,000, the note having been executed by W. A. Wilkerson, the grantee, in a conveyance by EdWard Pickett, the deceased husband of the plaintiff in error and his wife, Mildred Pickett, in which conveyance was the usual recitation that the note had been executed and delivered as evidence of a part of the unpaid purchase money, apparently promised to be paid by Wilkerson to Pickett. The case was tried to a jury and upon a single finding of fact judgment was rendered that the plaintiffs in error take nothing by their suit against the defendant in error, and declaring valid the two deeds of trust, one of which was to secure ultimately the payment of the moneys represented by the $3,000 note executed by Wilkerson and wife. From this judgment the plaintiffs in error prosecuted an appeal to the Court of Civil Appeals of the Tenth District, and that court affirmed the judgment of the trial court. 13 S.W.(2d) 195.

The writ of error was granted in this case on the sixth assignment, which reads as follows: “The uncontradicted evidence shows that the property in controversy was the homestead of Edward Pickett and family at. the time of the transaction in question, and that the deed by Pickett and wife, and the $3,000 note by Wilkerson to Pickett, constituted only a pretended sale of the homestead, and the uncontradicted evidence further shows that M. L. Eannin was appellee’s agent, and that he had notice of such facts; hence it shows that appellants are entitled to have the deeds of trust canceled.” While there are 37 assignments of error in the application for the writ of error, all of which we have considered, we only find it necessary to discuss the sixth, quoted above, in view of the conclusion we have reached as to the law of. the case, under the facts found by the Court of Civil Appeals.

The defendant in error, in addition to a general demurrer, plea of not guilty, and general denial, interposed the plea of estoppel, and also of innocent purchaser. No instruction was requested to be given the jury by the court, submitting either the defense of estop-pel, or the defense of innocent purchaser; nor did the court submit these defenses. The legal effect of this failure to submit issues upon these two defenses, under the rule announced in Ormsby v. Ratcliffe, 117 Tex. 242, 1 S.W.(2d) 1084, and Bulin v. Smith (Tex. Com. App.) 1 S.W.(2d) 591, and in the authorities cited in those cases, was to place the defendant in error in the position of having waived them as affirmative defenses. It follows, therefore, that if these defenses were necessary, either separately or together, to constitute a legal bar to a recovery by the plaintiffs in error, under their allegations, the Court of Civil Appeals erred in affirming the judgment of the trial court. The failure to submit either one of these issues by the court, and the failure of the defendant in error to request their submission, leaves the record in the condition where it is only necessary to determine whether the plaintiffs in error, under their pleadings and testimony, were entitled to the relief sought.

The original petition alleged that the property described therein was used and occupied as a homestead, not only until the death of Edward Pickett, but since his death and that the plaintiffs in error continued to use and occupy it as such homestead and are now so occupying it. These allegations, upon the trial, were conclusively proven:

Following these allegations the plaintiffs in error further alleged:

“That the plaintiff, Mildred Pickett, and her husband, Edward Pickett, deeded the property above described to W. A. Wilkerson on or about July 15, 1925, which deed is of record in Book 362, page 517, of the McLen-nan County Deed Records, but said deed was not a conveyance and was not intended as a conveyance, and did not pass title, and was not intended to pass title, but the purpose and intent of the same was to create a lien on a homestead and to make it appear that such lien was a vendor’s lien, and in furtherance thereof the said W. A. Wilkerson executed to Edward Pickett his note for $3,000, and in said deed it was recited that said note was a vendor’s lien note, and that said deed further recited that $4,500 was paid in cash, but said payment was not in fact made, [356]*356and said recitation was not true, but that at the time said deed was made the said Wilkerson and the said Edward Pickett entered into an additional written agreement, whereby and by the terms of which it was recited that said deed and the note were executed as a matter of accommodation and for the, purpose of consummating a loan with the defendant, which said note was to be taken up and carried by the defendant, and that the time of payment was to be extended and in said agreement it was further provided that the said Wilkerson would reeonvey said land to the said Edward Pickett. That in pursuance of said agreement the said Edward Pickett and wife assigned said $3,000 note to defendant, as is shown by instrument dated August 18, 1925, and recorded in Book 370, page 214, of the McLennan County Deed Records. That thereafter, the said W. A. Wilkerson and wife executed to the defendant two deeds of trust, dated August 13, 1925, and recorded in Book 162, page 662, and page 667, respectively, of the Deed of Trust Records of McLennan county, Texas, the said deeds of trust being given to secure the payment of notes executed in extension and in lieu of said $3,000 note, the said deeds of trust providing for a lien to secure said indebtedness on the land above described. That thereafter, and in pursuance of said agreement, the said W. A. Wilkerson reconveyed said land to Edward Pickett, as shown by deed dated July ,16, 1925, and recorded in Book 370, page 684, of the McLen-nan County Deed Records. That some months after the execution of the deed last aforesaid the said Edward Pickett died, leaving the plaintiffs as his sole surviving heirs. That said deed, deeds of trust and said vendor's lien are null and void, because at the times they were created the premises above described was the homestead of the plaintiffs and Edward Pickett, as aforesaid.”

The prayer in substance was for a judgment removing from the property the incum-brances created by the deeds of trust and the vendor’s lien recited in the deed from Pickett and wife to Wilkerson. The plaintiff in error, Mildred Pickett, testified as follows: “I knew that the deed was for the purpose of enabling Mr. Wilkerson to make a loan, to make it appear that Wilkerson owned the place, so that he could obtain a loan, after my husband told me.” The findings of fact material to the question under discussion by the Court of Civil Appeals are as follows:

“Ed. Pickett and a Mr. Glass first inquired of M. L. Eannin if Pickett could get a loan on said property for $3,000. Mr. Eannin told them he would drive by and see the property.

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Bluebook (online)
24 S.W.2d 354, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/pickett-v-dallas-trust-savings-bank-texcommnapp-1930.