Rawls v. Holt

193 S.W.2d 536, 1945 Tex. App. LEXIS 895
CourtCourt of Appeals of Texas
DecidedNovember 8, 1945
DocketNo. 4438.
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 193 S.W.2d 536 (Rawls v. Holt) 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
Rawls v. Holt, 193 S.W.2d 536, 1945 Tex. App. LEXIS 895 (Tex. Ct. App. 1945).

Opinion

PRICE, Chief Justice.

This is an appeal from the judgment of the District Court of Reagan County. _ Appellants J. W. Rawls and T. H. Rawls sued Noble Holt for damages growing out of the sale of something over two thousand head of sheep to them by said Holt, consideration paid by them to Holt being the transfer of about 250 head of cattle and payment in cash of something over fifteen thousand dollars. The trial was before the court with a jury, and submission on special issues. The jury were unable to agree on answers to all of the issues submitted, but returned in court as their verdict the issues upon which they were able to agree. This verdict was accepted by the court, and judgment was rendered thereon in favor of defendant. The plaintiffs, J. W. and T. H. Rawls, have perfected this appeal.

The case is here on the transcript alone. The plaintiffs contend that the verdict was insufficient to warrant the entry of a judgment and the court should have declared a mistrial.

Plaintiffs sought damages on the ground that in the sale of the sheep to them defendant fraudulently represented that the sheep were free from any latent or concealed disease, and were in every way suitable for breeding purposes; that such representations were false in that the sheep were not free from any latent or concealed disease, but were affected by such disease and thereby rendered unsuitable for breeding purposes. The knowing fraudulent concealment of the condition of the sheep was alleged. Recovery was sought also for the alleged breach of an alleged express and implied warranty. It is deemed unnecessary to set forth all of the issues submitted indicating the jury’s findings or absence of finding thereon. Only three issues of the fourteen submitted were answered. Eleven were given by the court on its own motion, and three additional issues on request of the defendant. In the entry of the judgment the court copies issues 1, 2 and S, and recites that those issues are the controlling issues in the cause, and that the remaining issues submitted to the jury that were not answered pertained only to evidentiary matter, and some were conditionally submitted, and that the issues that were not answered would have no control or effect if answered, and would not be contradictory to the issues answered, and by reason thereof the court finds that the plaintiffs are not entitled to recover. We here reproduce the first ten issues, together with the findings of the jury:

Special Issue No. 1. Do you find from a preponderance of the evidence, at the time the trade was consummated herein, that said sheep were sold by the defendant Holt to the plaintiffs Ralls for breeding purposes ?

Your will answer “Yes” or “No”.

Answer: Yes.

F.. E. Best, Foreman.

Special Issue No. 2. If you have answered Special Issue No. 1 next above “No” you need not answer this Special Issue, but if you have answered Special Issue No. 1 next above “Yes”, then you will answer: Do you find from a preponderance of the evidence that the sheep involved herein, at the time such trade *539 was consummated, were suitable for breeding purposes?

Answer “Yes” or “No”.

F. E. Best, Foreman.

Special Issue No. 3. Do you find from a preponderance of the evidence that the sheep involved herein, at the time such trade was consummated, were then infested with what is commonly known as “yellow liver” ?

Answer-.

Special Issue No. 4.

If you have answered the foregoing Special Issue No. 3 “Yes” then you will answer the following:

Do you find from a preponderance of the evidence that such infection with what is commonly known as “yellow-liver” rendered such sheep not suitable for breeding purposes ?

Answer -.

Special Issue No. 5. Do you find from a preponderance of the evidence that the defendant Holt represented to the plaintiffs Ralls, prior to or at the time of the consummation of the trade herein, that said sheep were sound and free from a latent or concealed disease?

Answer: No.

If you have answered the foregoing Special Issue No. 5 “Yes” and only in such event, then you will answer the following:

Special Issue No. 6. Do you find from a preponderance of the evidence that such representations “that said sheep were sound and free from a latent or concealed disease” were false?

Answer “Yes” or “No.”

If you have answered the foregoing Special Issue No. 6 next above “Yes”, and in that event only, then answer:

Special Issue No. 7. Do you find from a preponderance of the evidence that at or prior to the consummation of the trade herein the defendant Holt knew of such condition of such sheep, if any?

If you have answered the foregoing Special Issue No. 7 “Yes” and only in that event, then answer the following:

Special Issue No. 8. Do you find from a preponderance of the evidence that the defendant Holt concealed the fact from the plaintiffs Ralls “that the sheep were suffering with a latent or concealed disease ?”

Answer:-.

If you have answered Special Issue No. 7 “Yes” and in such event only, then answer :

Special Issue No. 9. Do you find from a preponderance of the evidence that such representations, if any, were made by the defendant Holt to induce the plaintififs Ralls to consummate such trade?

Answer: -.

If you have answered Special Issue No. 6 “Yes” and only in such event, then answer:

Special Issue No. 10. Do you find from a preponderance of the evidence that the plaintiffs Ralls, in consummating such trade, relied on the truth of such representations, if any?

Answer “Yes” or 'l.o.”

Answer: - — •.

(Issue No. 11 was an attempt to submit elements of the measure of damages and same was unanswered, although unconditionally submitted.)

Considered alone, the finding on Special Issue No. 2 would demand a judgment in favor of defendant, on the issue of either an express or implied warranty as to the suitability of 'the sheep for breeding purposes. It means that if there was such a warranty there was no breach thereof. It is true that greater burden is placed upon the defendant than the law requires. Further, a negative answer might not have established any actual element necessary to a recovery by plaintiffs. In order to show a breach of any such warranty it is incumbent upon the plaintiff to show by a preponderance of the evidence that the sheep were unsuitable for breeding purposes. Later we will discuss the finding on this issue in relation to issues 3 and 4 upon which there was no finding.

Beyond a doubt the finding on Special Issue No. 5 was conclusive on the issue of fraudulent misrepresentation. The *540 representations relied upon were found not to have been made. The issue of an express warranty was not submitted unless submitted by this issue. However, it is thought same was not submitted.

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Bluebook (online)
193 S.W.2d 536, 1945 Tex. App. LEXIS 895, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/rawls-v-holt-texapp-1945.