Smart v. American Bank & Trust Co.

70 S.W.2d 299
CourtCourt of Appeals of Texas
DecidedJanuary 20, 1934
DocketNo. 12878.
StatusPublished

This text of 70 S.W.2d 299 (Smart v. American Bank & Trust 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
Smart v. American Bank & Trust Co., 70 S.W.2d 299 (Tex. Ct. App. 1934).

Opinion

DUNRLIN, Chief Justice.

On November 8, 192S, J. O. Smart sold to Peter Droppleman an undivided half interest in lot 1, bloék 4, Brooklyn Heights addition to Fort Worth, on which was located a grocery store, a barber shop, café, a rooming house consisting of 14 rooms, a tailor shop,, and a filling station. The consideration for that conveyance was $1,000 cash paid, the assumption by 'Droppleman of $4,000-, which was one-half of the total incumbrances outstanding against the property, and the execution and delivery to Smart of the following instrument in writing:

“Contract Agreement
“November 7,1928.
“State of Texas, County of Tarrant.
“This is an agreement between Pete Drop-pleman, 1529 Owassa St., Ft. Worth, Texas, hereinafter known as party of the first part, and J. O. Smart, 3971 Lafayette St., Ft. ■ Worth, Texas, hereinafter known as party of the second part.
“Party of the first part, for and in consideration of the sum of $1.00 paid this date, and receipt of which is hereby acknowledged, and other valuable consideration, is selling to party of the second part one-half of all the oil and gas rights that party of the first part now owns in Coffey County, Kansas, this date, Nov. 7th, 1928.
“[Signed] J. O. Smart
“[Signed] Pete Droppleman
“[Signed] Helen Droppleman
“B. W. James, witness.
“Byron Collier, witness.
“The State of Texas, County of Tarrant.
“Before me the undersigned authority, a notary public in and for Tarrant County, Texas, on this day personally appeared J. O. Smart and Pete Droppleman, known to me to be the persons whose names are subscribed to the foregoing instrument and acknowledged to me that they executed the same for the .purpose and consideration therein expressed.
“Given under my hand and seal of office this 8th day of November, A. D. 1932.
“[Seal] [Signed] B. W. James,
“A Notary Public in and for Tar-rant County, Texas.”

■ Some seven months thereafter, and on, to wit, June 6, 1929, Droppleman reconveyed to J. O. Smart the half interest in the property theretofore acquired. The consideration for that conveyance was $1,000, evidenced by a promissory note executed by J. O. Smart and wife, Aurelia Smart, and J. M. Miller, father of Mrs. Smart, and the assumption by Smart. of the same indebtedness against the property theretofore assumed by Droppleman. Drop-pleman hypothecated the note to the American Bank & Trust Company to secure the indebtedness to it; and the bank instituted this suit thereon against the makers, who inter-pleaded Droppleman, on allegations that the suit had been brought in the name of the bank for the benefit of" Droppleman, the own *301 er of the note, in order that the latter might evade a cross-action against him by Smart; and he interpleaded Droppleman as a party to the suit. Droppleman answered that plea, alleging that the note had been hypothecated with the plaintiff as collateral security for indebtedness he owed the bank but which later had been paid; and he sought a recovery thereon against the original defendants. Smart then filed a cross-action against Drop-pleman, but urged no defense to the note itself.

On the trial, the original plaintiff bank was denied a recovery because of proof made that it had held the note as collateral security only, title to which is now in Droppleman, since the debt for which it was hypothecated had been discharged. Judgment was rendered for Droppleman against J. O. Smart and J. M. Miller on the note and denying to Smart any recovery on his cross-action. Mrs. Aurelia Smart, his wife, was discharged on her plea of coverture.

J. O. Smart and J. M. Miller have prosecuted this writ of error, and the only complaint here is to the action of the trial court in instructing the jury to return a verdict denying J. O. Smart a recovery on his cross-action against Droppleman; no defense to the note sued on being suggested.

The claims against Droppleman in the cross-action were as follows: First. For $5,000 based upon allegations that, when Droppleman purchased from Smart a half interest in lot 1, block 4, Brooklyn Heights addition to Fort Worth, he represented to Smart that the half interest in the Kansas oil lease described in the written contract set out above wasi of the reasonable market value of $5,000, and was accepted by Smart at that value, agreed to by Droppleman, as a part of the consideration for one-half interest in the Fort Worth property; that Dropple-man’s said contract was insufficient to convey title to the oil lease and Droppleman agreed at the time to later execute to Smart such a conveyance; bub had refused Smart’s request therefor; that the lease was worthless and was later forfeited after a test well drilled thereon had produced"no oil; and further that he (Smart) had lost an-opportunity to sell the lease for $5,000 by reason of Drop-pleman’s failure to execute another instrument specifically conveying title thereto, additional to said contract. Second. Claim for $783, the aggregate of the following items; (a) $125 for Smart’s half of certain furniture, alleged to have been taken out of the rooming house by Droppleman during the time he and Smart held the property as tenants in common after the latter had purchased one-half interest therein; (b) $258 as one-half of a total alleged to have been paid out by Smart to discharge certain “taxes, interest, and liens against said premises”; (c) $50 as one-half of $100 which Smart alleged he paid out for certain repairs and improvements on the buildings, consisting of erection of partitions, plumbing, painting, and papering of rooms; (d) $350 which Smart alleged Drop-pieman agreed to pay him and' his wife for their services in caring for the property and collecting rents thereon.

Even if it be said that the “contract agreement,” copied above, for lack of more definite description of the oil lease therein referred to, was insufficient to serve as a deed of conveyance, yet it'cannot be doubted that it imported such an equity in favor of Smart as, with the aid of other testimony appearing in this record, would have served as a basis for1 a reformation and correction of that instrument in such manner as to convey a legal title to the 462 acres, which both parties testified was understood to be meant to be covered. The testimony of Smart himself showed that about two months after its execution he and Droppleman made a trip to Kansas to inspect the lease with a view to realizing thereon, and found a producing oil well thereon, which Droppleman said would pump 25 barrels a day, and later, and before the recon-veyance of the Fort Worth property, made a second trip with a geologist and found that the well was producing only one barrel a day.

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70 S.W.2d 299, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/smart-v-american-bank-trust-co-texapp-1934.