Sledge v. Murphy

284 S.W.2d 938, 1955 Tex. App. LEXIS 2239
CourtCourt of Appeals of Texas
DecidedNovember 17, 1955
Docket3312
StatusPublished
Cited by7 cases

This text of 284 S.W.2d 938 (Sledge v. Murphy) 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
Sledge v. Murphy, 284 S.W.2d 938, 1955 Tex. App. LEXIS 2239 (Tex. Ct. App. 1955).

Opinion

TIREY, Justice.

This action is one for damages growing out of the enforcement of several alleged usurious contracts executed between the same parties. The jury in its verdict found substantially (1, 2 and 3) that in March 1950 the defendant Sledge agreed to sell the plaintiff a 1941 Ford automobile for $295 and that the amount of money in excess of the $295 that plaintiff paid on the agreed purchase price to defendant on the purchase of said 1941 Ford automobile was the sum of $101.50, and that such sum was compensation to plaintiff in excess of ten per cent per annum for the use or detention of his money; (4, 5 and 6) that in March 1951 the defendant Sledge agreed to sell the plaintiff a 1947 Ford automobile for $795, and that the amount of money in excess of the $795 that plaintiff paid on the agreed purchase price to defendant on the purchase of said 1947 Ford automobile was the sum of $549.50, and that such sum was compensation to plaintiff in excess of ten per cent per annum for the use or detention of his money; (7, 8 and 9) that in September 1951 the defendant Sledge agreed to sell the plaintiff a 1946 Ford automobile for $895, and that the amount of money in excess of the $895 that plaintiff paid on the agreed purchase price to defendant on the purchase of said 1946 Ford automobile *940 was the sum of $115.75, and that such sum was compensation to plaintiff in excess of ten per cent per annum for the use or detention of his money; (10 and 11) that about September 4, 1952 plaintiff made a paymártt of $15 to defendant Sledge and that such sum was credited to plaintiff’s account for the purchase of the 1946 automobile; (12 and 13) that on May 14, 1953 plaintiff made a payment of $15 to defendant and that such sum was credited to plaintiff’s account for the purchase of the 1946 Ford automobile; (14 and 15) that defendant represented to plaintiff that he would not charge plaintiff for the repairs connected with the installation of a new motor on or about April 1951 for the 1947 Ford automobile and that plaintiff relied on such representation. Special Issue 15a is:

“Do you find from a preponderance of the evidence that, except for such belief and reliance on such representation, if any you have heretofore found, Murphy would not have signed the •order of April 28, 1951, authorizing repairs on the 1947 Ford automobile? Let the form of your answer be 'He would not’ or ‘He would.’ ” and the jury answered “He would.”

Special Issue No. 16 is:

“Do you find from a preponderance •of the evidence that the defendant Sledge did not have any repairs made to the 1946 Ford automobile on or about January 31, 1952? Let the form of your answer be ‘He did not’ or ‘he did’,” and the jury answered “He did not.”

Special Issue No. 17 is:

“Do you find from a preponderance of the evidence that there is any sum of money due by plaintiff Murphy to defendant Sledge on the transaction of January 31, 1952? Answer .‘Yes’ or ‘‘No.’ ” and the jury answered “No.”

The court overruled defendant’s motion for judgment non obstante veredicto and granted plaintiff’s motion for judgment and in the judgment we find this recital:

“ * * * and the cpurt having heard such motion, and such additional considerations and findings as were authorized by law having been had and made, and the Court being of the opinion that judgment should be rendered against defendant, David P. Sledge, Individually and d/b/a David P. Sledge Auto Company in the sum of $1252.00.”

and decreed that plaintiff Murphy do have and recover of David P. Sledge Individually and d/b/a David P. Sledge Auto Company the sum of $1,252 with interest thereon at the rate of six per cent per annum from the date of judgment. The judgment further decreed that all notes and conditional sales contract of Murphy to Sledge and David P. Sledge Auto Company, and particularly the note and conditional sales contract of January 21, 1952 and any and all liens of David P. Sledge and David P. Sledge Auto Company upon the 1946 Ford Tudor Automobile, Motor No. 99A-1323113 owned by John L. Murphy are cancelled and any purported balance thereon is held null and void, and David P. Sledge Individually and David P. Sledge Auto Company is ordered to execute a release upon the title certificate upon said automobile and deliver said title certificate with said release thereupon to John L. Murphy and is further ordered to refrain from making any further direct or indirect contacts upon John L. Murphy or his wife in an effort to collect any such balance aforesaid or any portion thereof.

The judgment is assailed on three points: (1) The error of the court in refusing to submit to the jury affirmative defensive issues properly and timely requested by defendant; (2) the error of the court in granting a judgment based upon statutory damages for charging usurious interest where there is no evidence of or issue submitted to the jury on intent to charge usurious interest by the payee of the contracts involved; (3) the error of the court in granting a judgment based upon statutory damages for charging usurious interest where fraud is alleged by the payor or obligor in the inception of the contracts *941 upon which the claim for damages was based.

Plaintiff went to trial on his first amended original petition and in that petition he alleged substantially that on March 31, 1950 he purchased a 1941 Ford automobile from defendant for $295, of which plaintiff paid $60 in cash and was required by defendant to execute a note payable to defendant in the sum of $385.68, payable in weekly installments of $7.50; that plaintiff paid $416.50 on this note and then traded the 1941 Ford to defendant for a 1947 Ford priced at $795; that $350 was allowed plaintiff for his 1941 Ford; that defendant claimed plaintiff still owed him $49.18 on the first note and added this amount to the second note, which came to $1,050; that plaintiff paid $86.50 on the second note and on April 28, 1951 defendant performed certain repairs on plaintiff’s 1947 Ford and charged $212.75 for same and required plaintiff to execute a note for $1,267.50, including the balance on the former note; that plaintiff paid $258 on this first note; that in August 1951 plaintiff’s car was severely damaged and defendant thereupon collected $650 from the insurance company and $100 from plaintiff, plus a salvage fee amounting to at least $100; that on September 22, 1951 defendant sold plaintiff a 1946 Ford for $895 and had plaintiff sign a new note for $1,260, payable in weekly installments of $17; that plaintiff paid $219 on this note and on January 31, 1952 defendant required plaintiff to execute a new note for $1,100, payable in weekly installments of $16; that plaintiff paid $766.50 on this fifth note; that included in the charges in this fifth note was usurious interest in the amount of $968.50 paid by plaintiff; that plaintiff was entitled.to recover double said amount $1,801.36; that in connection with each of said transactions plaintiff was required to sign an additional sales contract which had been cancelled because plaintiff had long since paid the amount loaned him; that defendant had threatened to foreclose on plaintiff’s car and should be enjoined from so doing.

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Bluebook (online)
284 S.W.2d 938, 1955 Tex. App. LEXIS 2239, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/sledge-v-murphy-texapp-1955.