Pryor v. Awbrey

165 S.W.2d 214
CourtCourt of Appeals of Texas
DecidedOctober 2, 1942
DocketNo. 14417
StatusPublished
Cited by7 cases

This text of 165 S.W.2d 214 (Pryor v. Awbrey) 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
Pryor v. Awbrey, 165 S.W.2d 214 (Tex. Ct. App. 1942).

Opinions

McDONALD, Chief Justice.

This suit grew out of the conveyance of 400 acres of land, lying in Montague County, from M. W. Awbrey and wife to their daughter Alba Pryor and her husband John A. Pryor. The grantors are now deceased. After certain changes in the parties which are not material here, all of the heirs of Mr. and Mrs. Awbrey, other than Mrs. Pryor, were seeking as plaintiffs to set aside the conveyance. Among other grounds alleged therefor were that the grantors were of unsound mind, and also that the Pryors had failed to keep the provision in the deed obligating them to support the grantors and that the Pryors had no intention of doing so when the deed was executed. The grounds just mentioned were the only ones submitted to the jury, and are the only ones which need be considered here.

The jury found that the Awbreys were of unsound mind, and that the Pryors had not supported the Awbreys and had no intention of so doing when the deed was executed.

The trial court rendered judgment upon the verdict, canceling the deed, and vesting the title in all the heirs, including Mrs. Pryor, determining the undivided interest to which each was entitled. Mr. and Mrs. Pryor have appealed, predicating their appeal upon ten points of error.

Under their first point appellants urge that their motion for judgment non ob-stante veredicto should have been granted, upon the ground that, to quote the point, “the appellees failed to establish the incompetence of M. W. Awbrey and M. M. Awbrey to execute the deed in question, [216]*216by a preponderance of competent. testimony, and failed to establish, by a preponderance of competent testimony, the exercise of undue influence on the grantors in said deed”.

Appellees contend that we should not consider this point, upon the ground that the transcript does not show notice of the motion served upon appellees. But the transcript does contain an order of the court, overruling the motion, which recites the fact of notice. This is a sufficient showing in the transcript. Hines v. Parks, 128 Tex. 289, 96 S.W.2d 970.

There being no jury finding of undue influence, and the judgment not ap; pearing to be based upon that pleaded' ground of recovery, the issue of undue influence is not before us.

The evidence covers 399 pages of the statement of facts. To review in detail all of this testimony would result in an opinion of unreasonable length. Numerous witnesses appeared, testifying that they had known the Awbreys. They undertook to describe their appearance, words and actions. Some of the witnesses were of opinion that the Awbreys were of unsound mind, some to the contrary. There was testimony to the effect that the Aw-breys, at the time of the execution of the deed, were about eighty years of age, that they had a glassy look in their eyes, that they would wander about the countryside, that they would sit upon the ground and mumble to themselves, that they could not carry on a connected conversation, that Mrs. Awbrey would go to the homes of neighbors, get something to eat in the kitchen, and then go to bed, sometimes without saying anything to those present, that Mr. Awbrey would sometimes dance a jig in public, and would engage in frequent religious discussions.

Appellants’ point does not present the correct test in urging that plaintiffs failed to prove mental incompetence by a preponderance of the evidence. In determining whether judgment should have been rendered notwithstanding the verdict, we are governed by the rule, so often stated that it is no longer necessary to cite authority therefor, requiring us to consider only the evidence tending to support the verdict, and to disregard all other evidence to the contrary.

In the case of Chambers v. Winn, Tex.Civ.App. 133 S.W.2d 279, this court had before it a situation somewhat similar to that now before us. Much of the testimony is reviewed in the opinion. This court held that the facts detailed by the witnesses, upon which they based their opinions of insanity, did not reasonably tend to support such opinions. The Commission of Appeals, in an opinion adopted by the Supreme Court, reversed the judgment of this court, holding that the evidence was sufficient to raise the issue as to the mental capacity of the person involved. Chambers v. Winn, 137 Tex. 444, 154 S.W.2d 454. In view of the authority just cited, we feel compelled to hold that the evidence in the present case was sufficient to support the verdict. See also Bowie Sewerage Co. v. Chandler, Tex. Civ.App., 138 S.W.2d 585, writ dismissed; and Wigley v. Buzzard, Tex.Civ.App., 124 S.W.2d 898, writ dismissed.

Under their .second point appellants assign as error the failure of the trial court to require appellees to join the holder of a lien against the land as a party to the suit. None of the pleadings, of plaintiffs or of defendants, makes any reference to the fact that a lien was outstanding against the land at the time of trial, but from the evidence it appears that such was the case. A part of the recited consideration for the conveyance was the assumption by grantees of an indebtedness against part of the land, which appears thereafter to have been extended by agreement of the Pryors and the lienholder. It further appears that such indebtedness had not been paid at the time of trial.

Appellants argue that they were personally liable for the payment of the indebtedness by reason of their assumption of it and the later renewal of it. The judgment makes no provision for relieving them of such personal liability. Appellants contend that the plaintiffs were obliged to do equity, before being entitled to a cancellation of the deed, by way of offering to indemnify appellants against the personal liability mentioned, and that such could not be done without making the holder of the indebtedness a party to the suit. Appellants cite Boles v. Aldridge, Tex.Civ.App., 153 S.W. 373; Hill v. Hoeldtke, 104 Tex. 594, 142 S.W. 871, 40 L.R. A.,N.S., 672; Hix v. Armstrong, Tex.Civ. App., 108 S.W. 797; Dial v. Martin, Tex. Civ.App., 8 S.W.2d 241, writ dismissed; and 7 Tex.Jur. 972. The cited holding in Boles v. Aldridge, by the Court of Civil [217]*217Appeals, was reversed by the Supreme Court, and therefore is not of much value. Boles v. Aldridge, 107 Tex. 209, 175 S.W. 1052. We are not able to see that the holding in Hill v. Hoeldtke is in point upon the question of parties presented by appellants’ second point. Nor do we see that Hix v. Armstrong necessarily is in point upon such question. Dial v. Martin simply holds that all parties to a deed, contract or writing must be made parties, either plaintiffs or defendant, in an action for rescission or cancellation of the instrument. The Texas Jurisprudence citation is to the same effect.

In the case before us no mention is made by any of the parties, either in their pleadings or in their briefs, of Article 5561a, Sect.

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165 S.W.2d 214, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/pryor-v-awbrey-texapp-1942.