Sias v. Berly

245 S.W.2d 503, 1950 Tex. App. LEXIS 2014
CourtCourt of Appeals of Texas
DecidedOctober 19, 1950
Docket4646
StatusPublished
Cited by8 cases

This text of 245 S.W.2d 503 (Sias v. Berly) 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
Sias v. Berly, 245 S.W.2d 503, 1950 Tex. App. LEXIS 2014 (Tex. Ct. App. 1950).

Opinions

WALKER, Justice.

This suit was brought to set aside a sale of land, to-wit, Lot 7, Block 12, McFaddin 2nd Addition to the City of Beaumont, which was made under an execution issued upon a judgment of the County Court at Law of Jefferson County. Appellants, Mr. and Mrs. John M. Sias, were the plaintiffs, and appellee Berly was the sole defendant, and the parties will be styled hereinafter as they were in the trial court.

Plaintiffs alleged various grounds for setting aside the execution sale. They charged, among other matters, that the judgment upon which the .execution issued was dormant. In reply, defendant plead a revivor of the judgment by scire facias, and' filed a cross action in trespass to try title. Plaintiffs filed a supplemental petition, but this need not be described.

The execution sale under attack occurred on June 6, 1939. Plaintiffs’ original petition was filed on February 13, 1940, some-eight months afterwards. Plaintiffs amended their petition on December 3, 1947, and tried the cause under the amendment.

The cause was tried to the court sitting without a jury, and the trial court rendered' judgment in behalf of defendant Berly that plaintiffs take nothing of the defendant, and that defendant, on his cross action, recover of plaintiffs the title to and the possession of the land in suit. From this judgment plaintiffs have appealed.

At the request of plaintiffs, the trial court made original and supplemental findings of fact. Plaintiffs have filed a statement of facts. The findings and the proof consistent therewith show the following matters ;-

The judgment of the County Court at Law was rendered on July 13, 1932, in 'behalf of Ogden Johnson as Receiver of Ed-son Hotel Operating Company, against Mrs. Birdie Eastham, a feme sole. Mrs. East-ham married John M. Sias on May 6, 1933, and she and her husband are the plaintiffs in this suit.

On April 25, 1935, Ogden Johnson, as. said receiver, assigned the judgment to defendant Berly by a written transfer. The document of transfer provided that defendant Berly should have “full authority to-demand and receive the same (meaning, the proceeds of said judgment) to his own use, and upon payment thereof, or any part thereof, to give discharge for same.” Assignor Johnson provided further in this, transfer that “I authorize said — Berly, in my name, but at his own cost and charge to-[505]*505sue out execution and all other legal process for the enforcement of said judgment.”

No execution was issued upon the judgment within the year which was prescribed by Article 3773, R.S.1925, prior to the amendment of that statute in 1933, Vernon’s Ann.Civ.St. art. 3773; and on September 2, 1938, by a document filed in the original cause, defendant Berly instituted scire facias proceedings to revive the judgment. Plaintiffs were non-residents of Texas at this time, but on October 3, 1938, a non-resident notice and a writ of scire facias to plaintiffs (not to Mrs. Eastham but to plaintiffs), issued under this motion and were served upon plaintiffs in person in Pennsylvania on October 7, 1938. Answer day in both notice and writ was November 7, 1938, but no answer was filed and no appearance was made by plaintiffs; and on said answer day, the court passed an order as by default, providing “that said judgment of date July 13, 1932 be and the same is hereby in all things revived, and let execution issue herein.” No appeal was taken from this order of revivor.

Subsequently, to-wit, on April 10, 1939, an execution was issued upon the original judgment of July 13, 1932, and was delivered to the sheriff of Jefferson County; and at the request of defendant Berly, made by letter dated May 6, 1939, was levied by the sheriff upon the land in suit, namely, Lot 7, Block 12, McFaddin’s 2nd Addition to the City of Beaumont. On June 6, 1939, sale was made to defendant Berly under this writ and levy for $382.96; and upon defendant Berly’s payment of this sum to him, the sheriff delivered a deed to said defendant conveying said property.

The execution of April 10, 1939, was the only writ of execution issued under the original judgment of July 13, 1932, or under the subsequent order reviving said judgment.

Defendant Berly was the only person who attended the execution sale, but according to findings made by the trial court, to which plaintiffs have filed no exception, this sale was duly advertised and was made in accordance with law, and due notice of said sale was given plaintiffs but plaintiffs did not attend the sale and did nothing to protect their interests in the property to be sold. The trial court found further:

"That said Charles L. Berly did no act or thing which in any way prevented said plaintiffs, John M. Sias and Birdie East-ham Sias, or either of them, from protecting their interest in said property.”

“That there was no confidential relationship whatever between said Charles L. Berly and said John M. Sias and Mrs. Birdie Eastham Sias and there was no element of fraud, misconduct, accident or mistake in connection with said sale, nor was there any other cause which in any way prevented said plaintiffs from protecting their interest in said property.”

On the date of the execution sale, June 6, 1939, the “actual market value” of the land in suit was $3500. Taxes then chargeable against the property amounted to “approximately $750”, and there was of record a judgment against the plaintiff Mrs. Sias for $32.00, with interest from 1932. A judgment for $591.25 was also of record against her, but this judgment had actually been discharged by proceedings had in another suit.

As stated, defendant Berly paid $382.96 for the property at the execution sale but of this sum $346.01, the total amount of principal and interest then due upon the judgment of July 13, 1932, was paid in a manner which amounted to crediting that sum upon said judgment. The balance of defendant Berly’s bid evidently represented costs. The trial court made the following findings respecting defendant Berly’s payment: “That at the time of the Sheriff’s sale on June 6, 1939, Charles L. Berly paid the Sheriff his check for $382.96, which was the amount of his bid and the amount of the judgment and costs in Cause No. 10364. That thereafter the Sheriff issued his check payable to Ogden Johnson receiver of Ed-son Hotel Operating Company for $346.01 the amount of the judgment and interest thereon in Cause No. 10364, and that Ogden Johnson endorsed said check as receiver of Edson Hotel Operating Company and delivered the same to Charles L. Berly and that Charles L. Berly then deposited the check to his, Charles L. Berly’s account in the bank.”

[506]*506The trial court also found as a matter of fact that the price paid 'by defendant Berly was not so inadequate as to require that the execution sale be rescinded, and that “there was nothing in the proceedings had with respect to said judgment, the issuance of execution thereon and the sale of said property which' would tend to discourage or prevent bidders from bidding therefor.”

The property levied upon and sold under the writ of execution was at all relevant times prior to the execution sale the separate property of the plaintiff Mrs. Sias, formerly Mrs. Eastham. There is nothing to show that the property was improved or that it was the source of any income to plaintiffs.

The appeal is adjudicated upon the following conclusions:

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

Related

McCoy v. Knobler
260 S.W.3d 179 (Court of Appeals of Texas, 2008)
Roath v. Uniroyal, Inc.
582 S.W.2d 185 (Court of Appeals of Texas, 1979)
Briscoe v. Laminack Tire Service, Inc.
546 S.W.2d 695 (Court of Appeals of Texas, 1977)
Prudential Corporation v. Bazaman
512 S.W.2d 85 (Court of Appeals of Texas, 1974)
Berly v. Sias
255 S.W.2d 505 (Texas Supreme Court, 1953)
Sias v. Berly
245 S.W.2d 503 (Court of Appeals of Texas, 1950)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
245 S.W.2d 503, 1950 Tex. App. LEXIS 2014, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/sias-v-berly-texapp-1950.