Scanlan v. Continental Inv. Co.

142 S.W.2d 432
CourtCourt of Appeals of Texas
DecidedJanuary 25, 1940
DocketNo. 10868
StatusPublished
Cited by4 cases

This text of 142 S.W.2d 432 (Scanlan v. Continental Inv. 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
Scanlan v. Continental Inv. Co., 142 S.W.2d 432 (Tex. Ct. App. 1940).

Opinions

CODY, Justice.

Our opinion on the former appeal of this case is reported under the style of Scanlan et al. v. Continental Investment Company, Tex.Civ.App., 93 S.W.2d 1189.

On June 12, 1929., the City Council of the City of Houston, upon the petition of the owners of more than 51% of the front-footage of the property abutting on that part of Lceland Avenue between Scott Street and Telephone Road, adopted a resolution to pave it. This was after proper notices to the then owners of the property here involved, and after a hearing duly had on benefits at which said owners did not appear or make any objection to the paving; nor did said owners within the ten days provided by Section 8 of Art. IV-A of the Charter of the City of Houston after the closing of said hearing institute any suit to contest the validity of the assessment, etc. The then owners of the property involved, which lies on both sides of Leeland Avenue, were Misses Kate, Lillian and Stella Scanlan; and joint certificates were issued against them and their property on the assessment which had been made thereagainst jointly. These certificates were assigned by the paving contractor, the National Paving Company, to the Continental Investment Company. And when they were not paid at the maturity of the first installment, after demand, the maturity of both certificates was accelerated, and two suits filed thereon — one to foreclose on the land lying on one side of the street, the other to foreclose on the land lying on the other side of the street. Only one of these suits was tried at that time; and in it the court instructed the jury to return a verdict for the owner of the paving certificates except as to what constituted reasonable attorney’s fees, which was submitted to the jury. On appeal, and after receiving an answer to a question certified to the Supreme Court, this court reversed the judgment of the trial court because the paving lien which it undertook to foreclose was based upon a joint assessment against the undivided interests-of all of the three owners of said property; and the joint assessment and certificates issued thereon were held to be void, and judgment was then rendered by this court for the owners of the property. But upon a motion for rehearing, the majority of the court — sustained by the Supreme Court — ordered the cause remanded in order to afford an opportunity to have a corrected — or reassessment made, said remand being “without prejudice to any proceedings which any of the parties may see fit to institute in the premises.”

Then, on August 24, 1936, after the cause had been remanded for a new trial, the paving contractor, the National Paving Company, and its assignee, the Continental Investment Company, filed a petition with the City Council to correct the paving assessment held to be void because formerly made jointly. Misses Lillian and Stella Scanlan, having in the meanwhile succeeded to the interest of their sister, Miss Kate Scanlan, who had died intestate, were notified of such hearing, and were represented at the meetings of the City Council held on said petition, and they presented numerous objections, including those urged in this trial.

After the hearing on benefits in the correction hearing, separate assessments were made against the undivided interests of the two surviving Scanlan heirs, who then, within ten days, instituted a contest, making the City of Houston, the paving contractor (the National Paving Company) and its assignee, the Continental Investment Company, parties defendant. This suit, over the protest of the Scanlan sisters, was ordered consolidated with the two pending suits, and all parties were required to replead. The Interstate Circuit, Inc., was made a party to the proceeding. The Interstate Circuit, Inc., had bought a piece of the property involved from the Scanlan sisters after the original suits had been filed, and had promptly placed its deed of record, and said deed had been of record for about a year prior to the time that the petition for the correction had been filed with the City Council, but the Interstate Circuit, Inc., was not a party to such correction proceedings, and was not there represented.

The case was submitted to the jury on 62 special issues, and on the jury’s answers, the trial court rendered judgment for the Continental Investment Company, granting [435]*435it all the relief it sought, principal, interest on the corrected assessment certificates, and attorney’s fees, against the Scanlan heirs, and foreclosed the liens against the Scanlan heirs, and against the Interstate Circuit, Inc., and rendered judgment against the Scanlan heirs on their cross-action.

Appellants, the Scanlan heirs, are urging one hundred and forty-eight assignments of error.

Appellees assert, and appellants do not dissent, that these numerous assignments come within one of the following classes :

1'., That the plans and specifications adopted foi the work to he done on Leeland Avenue were not in accordance with the requirements of the Charter of the City of Houston, and the work done by the contractor was not in accordance therewith.

2. That the paving certificate sued on is invalid for the reason that the engineering and advertising costs on the improvements in question were included as a portion thereof, as well as an emergency additional amount for reinforcing steel not included in the original contract bid.

3. That the provision for attorney’s fees in the assessment certificate and Charter of the City of Houston is invalid and that the judgment as rendered including attorney’s fees based upon the possibility of an appeal is also invalid.

4. That the certificate of special assessment is invalid because the City Council permitted the Street Railway to lay a different type of pavement than that contracted for on the remaining part of the street.

'5. That the court erred in rendering the judgment that it did render on the verdict of the jury because of certain issues being answered favorably to- appellants.

6. That the court erred in giving certain issues that it did give, and in refusing to give certain issues requested by appellants.

7. .That the jury’s verdict was contrary to and not supported by the evidence in finding:

A. That the National Paving Company had substantially complied with its contract in paving Leeland Avenue from Scott Street to Telephone Ro’ad.

B. That the City of Houston acted in bood faith and with due regard to the rights of the abutting property owners in accepting the pavement as satisfactory.

8. That attorney’s fees as found by the jury are not collectible against appellants for the reason: (a) that they have not been incurred; (b) that they are not reasonable; (c) that part of them are based upon the possibility of an appeal which makes them invalid.

9.

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Bluebook (online)
142 S.W.2d 432, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/scanlan-v-continental-inv-co-texapp-1940.