Salazar v. Garcia

232 S.W.2d 685, 1950 Tex. App. LEXIS 2319
CourtCourt of Appeals of Texas
DecidedJuly 19, 1950
Docket12099
StatusPublished
Cited by10 cases

This text of 232 S.W.2d 685 (Salazar v. Garcia) 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
Salazar v. Garcia, 232 S.W.2d 685, 1950 Tex. App. LEXIS 2319 (Tex. Ct. App. 1950).

Opinion

BROETER, Justice.

The appellants, Concepcion N. Salazar et al. filed this, suit in the 73rd District Court of Bexar County, Texas, against Guadalupe Garcia and Louis A. Hartung (whose wife, Anna, Hartung, thereafter became a party defendant) all of whom are appellees. The appellants, as plaintiffs below, prayed that they be declared to be the rightful owners of Lots 32 and 33, City Block No. 2640, in San Antonio, Texas, and that the appellees be restrained and enjoined from trespassing upon said lots or removing the improvements therefrom. A temporary restraining order was granted restraining defendants from removing the improvements and a hearing was set for January 28, 1949, on plaintiffs’ application for temporary injunction. On January *687 22d defendants filed a motion praying that the restraining order be dissolved and an answer in which they alleged that the improvements on plaintiffs’ lots were placed thereon by defendants under mistaken belief and in good faith that such lots were theirs and that they feared plaintiffs would move into said improvements and deprive defendants of the right to remove same to their lots which adjoin said Lots 32 and 33, and prayed that plaintiffs be enjoined from moving into or taking possession of the improvements placed on plaintiffs’ land during pendency of this suit. A hearing was had on January 28, 1949, and a temporary injunction granted plaintiffs perpetuating the restraining order and enjoining defendants from interfering with the possession of said property and from removing the same pending trial of the suit on its merits. Thereafter, on February 14, 1949, the defendant Guadalupe Garcia filed an answer containing a plea of not guilty and a general denial and specially answering that the improvements located on plaintiffs’ lots were placed thereon by her in good faith, believing she owned the lots; that she had paid and obligated herself to pay $3,969.50 for said improvements and by virtue of the same the lots had been enhanced in value in the sum of $3,969.50; that said improvements could be removed without damage to plaintiffs’ property, but plaintiffs refuse to permit their removal and do not offer to pay the enhancement in value; that the improvements, consisting of a four-room house, were innocently placed on plaintiffs’ lots by defendant at her own cost and expense; that since she discovered her mistake she had negotiated with plaintiffs for permission to remove same to two adjoining lots owned by her; that she had offered and does offer to buy plaintiffs’ lots at their present reasonable market value; that her lots were of identical size and of equal value, and that she had offered and does offer to exchange lots with plaintiffs, and that she had offered and does offer to enter into any reasonable adjustment whereby plaintiffs would not sustain any injury to their lots, but plaintiffs refused .and had not offered and do not offer to do equity, wherefore she prayed that plaintiffs take nothing and for any legal or equitable relief that she may be entitled to by virtue of such facts.

Louis A. Hartung and Mrs. Anna Har-tung joined by her husband, Louis A. Har-tung, filed separate answers containing a general demurrer and general denial and a prayer for general relief; and also a trial amendment adopting the pleadings filed by defendant Quadalupe Garcia and alleging they owned a valid first and prior lien to the extent of $2,800.00 and interest, which stands against the improvements in controversy and Lots 30 and 31, and such lien should be impressed on Lots 32 and 33, unless removal of the improvements be permitted or ordered by the court; and in the alternative they alleged subrogation 'to the claims of defendant Guadalupe Garcia to the extent of $2,800.00.

The trial was had before the court without the intervention of a jury and a judgment entered in which the court made specific findings of fact and ordered the temporary injunction theretofore granted plaintiffs dissolved; denied the relief prayed 'for by plaintiffs; and permanently enjoined plaintiffs from harming, damaging or laying waste the improvements on Lots 32 and 33; ordering plaintiffs to vacate the same within thirty days, and granting defendants the right to remove the improvements within ninety days, fixing a lien thereon, allowing subrogation, and granting defendants free ingress and egress of the lots for the purpose of removing such improvements. Such additional reference to the judgment as may be necessary will be made in this opinion. From this judgment plaintiffs have appealed.

Appellants present twenty-one points of error on which they rely for a reversal of the judgment entered by the trial court. We will not consider all of these points separately. Some of them are grouped in the briefs. In the interest of brevity we will consider those that refer to the same general grounds jointly.

By their first point the appellants claim the trial court erred in refusing their prayer for judgment to the title and possession of Lots 32 and 33 in City Block No. 2640, San Antonio, Texas.

*688 We are of the' opinion that this point should be sustained. While this suit began as one for the title to such lots, the controversy was one over the ownership of the improvements situated on the lots. The pleadings of all the defendants are to the effect that the improvements, consisting of a four-room frame house, were erected by defendants on plaintiffs’ .lots by mistake. The testimony of defendant Mrs.,Guadalupe Garcia and her attorney is to the effect that these improvements were not on her lots and that they tried to get plaintiffs to exchange the lots for Lots 30 and 31 in the same block,-or pay her for the improvements. that .she had by mistake erected thereon. The answers filed by defendants in this cause do not claim title to Lots Nos. 32 and 33 in Block 2640, but they limit their claim to an assertion of ownership of, or the right to fix a lien on the improvements. The defendants never disputed plaintiffs’’ ownership of Lots 32 and 33. The pleadings and evidence presented by the defendants amount to a disclaimer by them of any title to the lots. Rule 801, Texas Rules of Civil Procedure; Henderson v. Hall, Tex.Civ.App., 174 S.W.2d 985.

We will next consider appellants’ ppirits numbered 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11 and 12. By these points the appellants claim the trial court erred in rendering judgment in favor of appellees for the improvements placed on appellants’ property on a finding that appellees acted in good faith and under mistaken belief and without negligence in constructing the improvements on plaintiffs’ lots.

We do not believe there is any merit in either of these points. This suit, in its final analysis, resulted in a claim by the defendants for equitable relief against plaintiffs for improvements placed on plaintiffs’ land. Deféndants alleged they had innocently, in good faith believing they were erecting the house on their lots, by mistake placed the same on plaintiffs’ lots. The evidence established that defendants owned Lots Nos. 30 and 31 in City Block No. 2640; that such lots joined Lots Nos. 32 and 33 in the same block, and that all of such lots were similar in size and appearance. The trial court in his judgment made the following findings of fact:

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Bluebook (online)
232 S.W.2d 685, 1950 Tex. App. LEXIS 2319, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/salazar-v-garcia-texapp-1950.