Reavis v. Taylor

162 S.W.2d 1030, 1942 Tex. App. LEXIS 325
CourtCourt of Appeals of Texas
DecidedApril 10, 1942
DocketNo. 2252.
StatusPublished
Cited by15 cases

This text of 162 S.W.2d 1030 (Reavis v. Taylor) 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
Reavis v. Taylor, 162 S.W.2d 1030, 1942 Tex. App. LEXIS 325 (Tex. Ct. App. 1942).

Opinion

LESLIE, Chief Justice.

The plaintiff, Reavis, instituted this suit in trespass to try title to recover of defendant, Arthur Taylor, lands described in the petition. By writ of sequestration plaintiff ousted defendant from possession of the premises and threw about 1500 head of defendant’s sheep from the pasture about July 4, 1940.

Taylor answered, admitting Reavis’ title to the land, but presented a cross-action alleging that he was entitled to the same under a grazing contract alleged to have been made by him with plaintiff; and in his counterclaim he sued Reavis for damages resulting to him from having his sheep thrown out of the pasture at a time and under circumstances when, by the exercise of due care and diligence, he was unable to obtain other pasturage for the proper maintenance of the sheep. As elements of damage he sought to recover the value of lost sheep, the depreciation in value of those remaining, and the reasonable and necessary expenses of moving the sheep to other pastures and otherwise mitigating, so far as possible, his damages proximately caused by the enforcement of the wrongful writ of sequestration.

The trial before the court and jury resulted in a verdict and judgment in favor of Taylor on his cross-action, and plaintiff Reavis appeals.

Appellant’s first assignment presents two propositions (a) that Taylor’s cross-action was based upon breach by appellant of an alleged written lease contract to himself (Taylor), and that he did not prove that he performed the provisions of the contract obligating him to maintain and keep in repair fences, windmills, etc., on the premises; and (b) “because the only damages sustained by the appellee under the evidence were special damages and no proof was made that appellant knew of the special circumstances producing such damages.”

As to proposition (a) there is no provision in the contract producing forfeiture of the lease in the event fences, etc., were not kept in repair. Reavis makes no allegation of breach of any such covenant seeking to recover damages therefor. There is evidence that Taylor lowered the wires on the fence and placed a top wire, thereby making the same more secure for pasturage purposes. The eviction from the premises was not predicated on the violation of any such provision of a lease, but upon the ground that Taylor was there as a trespasser. Further, we are of the opinion the covenants relating to such repairs are not conditions precedent, as contended by appellant, nor do they affect *1033 liability to forfeiture. Darnell v. Waldrop, Tex.Civ.App., 57 S.W.2d 392; South Texas Telephone Co. v. Huntington, 104 Tex. 350, 136 S.W. 1053; Decker v. Kirlicks, 110 Tex. 90, 216 S.W. 385; Gray v. Vogelsang, Tex.Civ.App., 236 S.W. 122; Wooters v. International & G. N. R. Co., 54 Tex. 294; 10 Tex.Jur. 347 ; 27 Tex.Jur. 64.

As to proposition (b), we find there is evidence that the appellant knew of, or should have contemplated, the special circumstances leading to or proximately causing the alleged damages, or some such damages. This proposition should be overruled upon the authority of Chicago, R. I. & G. N. R. Co. v. Word, Tex.Civ.App., 158 S.W. 561; Humble O. & R. Co. v. Wood, Tex.Com.App., 292 S.W. 200; Wilkinson v. Stanley, Tex.Civ.App., 43 S.W. 606; St. Louis A. & T. R. Co. v. McKinsey, 78 Tex. 298, 14 S.W. 645, 22 Am.St. Rep. 54; Cauble v. Hanson, Tex.Civ.App., 224 S.W. 922, 925. Further consideration will be given the question of special damages as the opinion proceeds. For the reasons assigned each of these propositions is overruled.

The jury in response to issue No. 1 found that prior to July 1939 Mrs. Reavis agreed with Arthur Taylor that he might remain in possession of the land throughout the year 1939 under the terms and conditions of the lease of said land made (theretofore) between W. B. Reavis and Arthur Taylor.

The appellant insists by her second point there was no evidence to warrant the giving of said issue and by the third point no evidence to support the verdict. These propositions are overruled. In any event, the testimony was conflicting and the jury resolved the same in favor of Taylor. United States F. & G. Co. v. Paulk, Tex.Civ. App., 15 S.W.2d 100; Ward County Imp. Dist. No. 3 v. Ward County Irr. Dist., 117 Tex. 10, 295 S.W. 917; 3 Tex.Jur. 1096.

Appellant’s argument under the last proposition is that the evidence is “insufficient” to support the above finding. If the point be one of “insufficiency of the evidence”, then what is said above disposes of the same.

In answer to special issue No. 2 the jury found that Taylor was “compelled to incur by reason of having to move his sheep from the land in question to other premises” the sum of $150. The appellant insists (a) that the issue permits recovery of special damages, although “the evidence wholly fails to show that appellee knew or had any knowledge whatsoever that it would be necessary for appellee to incur the expense” of moving the sheep; and (b) that the evidence did not show that the expense of moving the sheep (when forced to do so) was necessarily greater than such expense would have been at the expiration of the contract some six months later.

Much of the appellant’s brief is devoted to discussion and authorities distinguishing between general and special damages as they grow out of the breach of contract. These rules are recognized and, as usual, the difficulty is in applying the same to a given state of facts. Appellant seeks to avoid damages on the ground they were special and that she had no notice of them when entering into the rental contract. In general, the damages sought to be recovered by issue 2 consists of numerous items alleged to be customary, reasonable and necessary in the moving of the sheep from the Reavis pasture to the only other pastures obtainable at that season of the year, and in otherwise protecting the sheep from loss and deterioration.

It is doubtful to our minds that the lease contract (found by the jury to have been made by the parties) is material to Taylor’s right of recovery, except that it furnished the background or basis for the wrongful sequestration of the premises and the ousting of Taylor and his sheep from the pasture. In his pleadings, Taylor makes no mention of the bond for sequestration and seeks no recovery on the bond for damages. In other words, he seeks to recover damages proximately resulting to him by reason of the eviction from the premises and the casting of his sheep from the adequate pasture thereof, — all of which resulted in loss of sheep, depreciation in value of those remaining, and the making of various and sundry expenditures necessary and reasonable in a diligent effort to protect and conserve the sheep during that unfavorable season of the year.

According to the pleadings and testimony the only pasture available at first was a small Sudan grass field (Allen pasture) some 30 miles away, and the sheep were sustained thereon for about two weeks, during which time Taylor was diligently striving to find other and more adequate pasturage. A larger pasture with better grass, but with inadequate water, was found some 60 miles away at Fluvanna, Texas. He *1034

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Bluebook (online)
162 S.W.2d 1030, 1942 Tex. App. LEXIS 325, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/reavis-v-taylor-texapp-1942.