Rabinowitz v. Smith Co.

190 S.W. 197, 1916 Tex. App. LEXIS 1143
CourtCourt of Appeals of Texas
DecidedNovember 15, 1916
DocketNo. 995.
StatusPublished
Cited by8 cases

This text of 190 S.W. 197 (Rabinowitz v. Smith Co.) 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
Rabinowitz v. Smith Co., 190 S.W. 197, 1916 Tex. App. LEXIS 1143 (Tex. Ct. App. 1916).

Opinion

HUFF, C. J.

The Smith Company, ap-pellee, sued D. Rabinowitz for commission alleged to have been earned in the sale of a certain lot in the city of Dallas. The contract of listing is alleged as follows:

(1) “That on January 18, 1910, defendant (Rabinowitz) re-enlisted the said property with the plaintiff at the gross price of $8,000 (eight thousand dollars), $2,500 of which to be paid •fu cash by the purchaser, and the balance of the purchase price was to suit the purchaser as to the payment of same.”

(2) “That the terms upon which said property was listed with plaintiff for sale was $2,500.00 cash, upon delivery of warranty deed and the residue of the purchase price to be secured by vendor’s lien upon said property.”

(3)After this cause had been pending in the court for some four or five' years, on March 23, 1915, by an agreement appellee inserted in the petition the following: “That if the property was not listed with Smith Company upon the exact terms hereinabove set forth, it was listed to be sold upon the following terms, to wit: For $8,000, not less than $2,500 to be cash; balance in vendor’s lien notes bearing 8 per cent interest upon terms to suit purchaser.”

It is also alleged that it was agreed to pay 5 per cent, commission upon the gross sum of $8,000 “on and for the sale of said property.” Four days after the re-enlistment plaintiff sold the property to one C. P. Dawson for the sum of $8,000, who was ready, willing, and ■ able to meet the terms of defendant, or to pay all cash for said property, or to make the terms to- suit the defendant. Again it is alleged:

“That the said plaintiff did sell the said property to the said C. P. Dawson upon terms required by defendant, but plaintiff avers that defendant, when requested to perform said contract made by plaintiff, as defendant’s duly authorized and constituted agent, renounced said contract and refused, and still refuses, to perform the same, or to transfer the said property to said purchaser, notwithstanding he has been requested and urged to do so.”

It is also alleged:

“That at no time after the said property was listed with plaintiff for the gross price of $8,000 did defendant change or modify the price, terms, or conditions on and for which said property was listed to be sold by plaintiff, but, on the contrary, and from time to time, over and always confirmed the said contract of enlistment, and urged these plaintiffs to employ their best energies to find a purchaser for the said property.”

The appellant answered by exceptions, general denial, and as to the plea added March 23, 1915, interposed the plea of two-year statutes of limitation.

We shall first consider appellee’s objections to the appellant’s assignments of error, in which 'complaint is made to the action of the trial court in refusing four special requested instructions. The objections to the assignments are:

“That appellant waived said assignments of error for the reason that he'approved the court’s charge, which submitted au issue of fact for the jury’s decision, and determination by his failure to object to such charge.”

[1 ] Two of the requested instructions were peremptory, and requested a directed verdict, on the ground that there is no evidence showing that a sale was effected on the terms- of the listing contract. The other two were instructions, requesting an application of the law to the facts on that issue. Proper bills of exceptions were taken and preserved to the action of the court in refusing the request. In the case of Railway Co. v. Alcorn, 178 S. W. 833, this court, speaking through Judge Hendricks, while reviewing the case of Steele Co. v. Dover, 170 S. W. 812, with reference to the construc *199 tion given to the amendment oí tlie statutes regulating charges, said:

“We disagree, however, with that holding, and think that a more reasonable construction of the statute, viewed as a whole, is that if a litigant makes a presentation in a special charge of an • element of recovery, or of defense, appropriately based upon the facts and not embodied in the main charge, and sufficiently succinctly calls the court’s attention to the omission, he is entitled to the submission of the charge, though he failed to object to the general charge on account of such omission.”

In the recent case of Roberts v. Houston, etc., 188 S. W. 257, the Court of Civil Appeals for the First District apparently in part concur with this court, while as to certain classes of requested instructions hold that a failure to object to the main charge would be an approval of the charge, and that a special requested instruction would not be considered. It is obvious, however, in the light of the construction given these statutes by the Supreme Court, in the case of Railway Co. v. Dickey, 187 S. W. 184, that the various Courts of Civil Appeals have reached their conclusion from a wrong premise; as, for instance, it is frequently said a party failing to object to the main charge will be considered as having approved it. The Supreme Court points out very clearly that the articles with reference to objections to the main charge do not require exceptions, and that article 2081, as to taking bills of exception, refers to requested instructions, and it is therefore the given or refused instructions which are approved when there is no bill of exceptions. If there is no objection made to the general charge, it is waived under, article 1971. It is the objection that is waived; the charge is not approved as being the law applicable to the case by failing to object. The courts have time and again said since this act that if there is an omission, an- objection to the main charge because of the omission will not sufficiently present error, but an instruction must be asked covering the omission. Modern Woodmen of America v. Yanowsky, 187 S. W. 729. It is apparently held because no objection is filed to a charge submitting the facts to the jury that this would be held to be an approval of the charge and, we presume, an admission that there are facts for the determination of a jury. If there are no facts raising an issue, there is nothing to submit or to be determined by the jury. This rule has long been followed in this state by all the courts. Mitchell v. De Witt, 20 Tex. 294; Henne v. Moultrie, 97 Tex. 216, 77 S. W. 607. A party should not be estopped from calling attention to the fact that there is no evidence, either by a special charge or upon motion for a new trial, simply because no objection was presented to the charge of the court. It has been the holding of the Supreme Court that a requested instruction, presented after the court has prepared its charge, is not invited error or an estoppel. Telegraph Co. v. Eowen, 97 Tex. 621, 81 S. W. 27; Railway Co. v. Eyer, 96 Tex. 72, 70 S. W. 529. It has also been held, where it appears the charges requested by the appellant were asked in explanation and amplification of the charge of the court, that this does not estop the appellant. Railway Co. v. Pickens, 118 S. W. 1133; Paris Gro. Co. v. Burks, 56 Tex. Civ. App. 223, 120 S. W. 552. An invitation to do a thing is in some respects a waiver of any injury resulting from the doing of the thing.

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Bluebook (online)
190 S.W. 197, 1916 Tex. App. LEXIS 1143, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/rabinowitz-v-smith-co-texapp-1916.