Roberts v. CAPITOL CITY STEEL COMPANY

376 S.W.2d 771, 1964 Tex. App. LEXIS 2009
CourtCourt of Appeals of Texas
DecidedMarch 4, 1964
Docket11127
StatusPublished
Cited by6 cases

This text of 376 S.W.2d 771 (Roberts v. CAPITOL CITY STEEL COMPANY) 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
Roberts v. CAPITOL CITY STEEL COMPANY, 376 S.W.2d 771, 1964 Tex. App. LEXIS 2009 (Tex. Ct. App. 1964).

Opinion

HUGHES, Justice.

This suit was brought by Capitol City Steel Company, Inc., appellee, against Thurman Roberts and F. T. G. & G., Inc., a corporation, to recover the sale price or reasonable value of certain steel supplies and materials sold and delivered to appellants, and for attorney’s fees. Trial was to a jury. Based upon its verdict, and after disregarding certain issues found in favor of appellee concerning a $1000.00 payment, judgment was rendered against Thurman Roberts for the sums of $575.14 and $2,515.-86 and against Mr. Roberts and F. T. G. & G., Inc., jointly and severally for the sum of $5,052.04 and $1,000.00, attorney’s fees.

Appellee does not complain of the judgment in any respect, and prays for its affirmance.

Appellants have thirty-eight points of error and they seek reversal and rendition in their behalf or a remand.

Appellants group their first sixteen points in briefing, and we will so consider them. Generally, these points are that there was no evidence showing that either appellant was indebted to appellee and that the verdict of the jury finding such indebtedness was against the great weight and preponderance of the evidence. Specifically, these points attack certain jury findings on the same grounds, which findings are:

1. (Sp. I. 1) Joe Rogers was an apparent or ostensible agent of Thurman Roberts in signing the name of Roberts to a contract with appellee dated November 3, 1960. [Liberty County job]
2. (Sp. I. 7) That on the Liberty County job appellants were engaged in a joint adventure.
3. (Sp. I. 14) That the materials sold and delivered by appellee on the Victoria County job were purchased at the instance and request of T*hurman Roberts or his agents for his individual account.
4. (Sp. I. 17) That the reasonable value of the materials sold and delivered by appel-lee on the Port Bolivar job was $666.98.
5. (Sp. I. 18) That the materials referred to in 4, supra, were furnished to Thurman Roberts at the special instance and request of himself or his authorized agents, and for his individual account.
6. (Sp. I. 19) The finding here is similar to the preceding finding except that it relates to the Jasper County job, as to which no recovery was decreed.
7. (Sp. I. 23) That appellee did not fail to credit appellants on the Liberty County job with the sum of $2,617.98, as shown by its credit memorandum.

Mr. Thurman Roberts was interested in a number of corporations and associations which were engaged in the business of building State highways, usually under subcontracts with the prime contractor with the State. The names of these concerns are: appellant, F. T. G. & G., Inc., Roberts & Whitney, Inc., Roberts & McCorkle, Incorporated, Roberts and McFarland, Roberts and Cummings and Roberts and Nelson. Also, the evidence shows that F. T. G. & G., Inc., did business under the name of Roberts and Nelson.

All of these concerns had their headquarters in a two-room office in Driftwood, Texas. The office force consisted of Mrs. Hisako Roberts, wife of appellant Thurman Roberts, a bookkeeper, payroll clerk, and Mr. Roberts. Mr. Joe Rogers, a field superintendent, had a desk there.

The business of the various concerns was kept separate, as to their records, mainly through the use of rubber stamps.

Generally, it is the position of Thurman Roberts that he did not contract individually as to any account máde the subject of this suit; that such accounts, if incurred, were those of F. T. G. & G., Inc.

*774 Mr. Malcolm Milburn is president of appellee company. The business of this company, in part, is to sell steel and steel fabrications to contractors or subcontractors engaged in constructing State highways.

Prior to the letting of such contracts by the State Highway Department, appellee, and other similar companies, mailed to bidding contractors or subcontractors, known to them, lists of prices on goods which it proposed to furnish successful bidders. These highway lettings are held in Austin at stated times and as many as 150 interested bidders or suppliers attend. On the day or night before such lettings, bidders and suppliers, such as appellee, confer and adjust their prices and bids. If a bidder is successful, he normally enters into a contract with a supplier on the basis of his proposal to furnish needed materials.

It was in such manner that Mr. Milburn met and agreed with Mr. Rogers on the Liberty County job. The formal contract was signed by Joe R. Rogers, signing first the name of Mr. Roberts, then his own name. Mr. Milburn authorized the execution of the contract for appellee.

Mr. Rogers testified that a short time after signing this contract he notified Mr. Milburn that he made a mistake in signing it, that it should have been signed for F. T. G. & G., Inc. and not for Mr. Roberts. Mr. Milburn replied that he was holding Mr. Roberts responsible.

On at least one previous occasion Mr. Milburn had contracted with Mr. Roberts on a contract signed in the same manner as this contract was signed and in what appears to be the same handwriting. There is no evidence that Mr. Roberts repudiated such collateral contract.

Mr. Milburn testified that he, on many occasions, prior to the execution of the Liberty County contract, had, in pre-high-way lettings, discussed the prices of his products with Mr. Roberts and Mr. Rogers in the presence of each other and that both Mr. Roberts and Mr. Rogers had accepted his prices on such occasions for sale of steel to Thurman Roberts. Mr. Milburn also testified that he had never sold Mr. Rogers, individually, any of his products.

Mr. Thurman Roberts was billed individually for the accounts involved in this suit. He did not, prior to the institution of this suit, complain that he had been improperly billed.

Mr. Rogers testified that he was employed by Mr. Thurman Roberts until he went to work for F. T. G. & G., Inc., in 1958, although there is evidence that this corporation was not formed until August 1960.

Mr. Clarence A. Pruitt who had been employed by appellee for about six years and during 1960 and 1961 was its purchasing agent and office manager testified he knew Mr. Joe Rogers, having met him with Mr. Thurman Roberts at highway lettings. Mr. Pruitt testified, “Well, when I talked with Joe Rogers, he was Joe Rogers with Thurman Roberts, and whenever we talked over the phone about a job, he said to go ahead with it, and didn’t give any instructions about the billing or anything, and so we just assumed that it was the normal way, bill it to Thurman Roberts.”

Mr. Rogers testified

“Q Did you ever call or refer to yourself over the telephone to anybody in the ordering of any merchandise on any of these jobs as — ‘This is Joe Rogers with Thurman Roberts ?’
"A I am sure I have, yes, sir.
“Q Would this be true as to when you called, say, the Capitol City Steel Company ?

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Related

Cecil v. T.M.E. Investments, Inc.
893 S.W.2d 38 (Court of Appeals of Texas, 1994)
Hall Dadeland Towers Associates v. Hardeman
736 F. Supp. 1422 (N.D. Texas, 1990)
Dickerson v. MacK Financial Corporation
452 S.W.2d 552 (Court of Appeals of Texas, 1970)
Clark v. Texaco, Inc.
382 S.W.2d 953 (Court of Appeals of Texas, 1964)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
376 S.W.2d 771, 1964 Tex. App. LEXIS 2009, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/roberts-v-capitol-city-steel-company-texapp-1964.