Straus-Frank Co. v. Hughes

156 S.W.2d 519, 138 Tex. 50, 1941 Tex. LEXIS 355
CourtTexas Commission of Appeals
DecidedNovember 12, 1941
DocketNo. 2357-7613
StatusPublished
Cited by33 cases

This text of 156 S.W.2d 519 (Straus-Frank Co. v. Hughes) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Texas Commission of Appeals primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Straus-Frank Co. v. Hughes, 156 S.W.2d 519, 138 Tex. 50, 1941 Tex. LEXIS 355 (Tex. Super. Ct. 1941).

Opinion

HICKMAN, Commissioner.

In the trial court plaintiff in error, Straus-Frank Company, recovered judgment against O. L. McShan and J. B. Mc-Shan for the principal, interest and attorney’s fees upon a promissory note executed to it by them on' November 1, 1934. In the same action it also recovered judgment against defendant in error, S. W. Hughes, for the same amount, less attorney’s fees, upon a letter of guaranty, which is set out below. The McShans did not appeal and the judgment as to them has long since become final. On Hughes’ appeal the Court of Civil Appeals reversed the judgment of the trial court as to him and rendered judgment in his favor. 127 S.W.2d 582. The application of Straus-Frank Company for writ of error was granted.

The letter of guaranty upon which liability was asserted against Hughes was dated June 27, 1932, and was in language as follows;

“The Straus-Frank Company,
“San Antonio, Texas.
“Gentlemen:
“Please sell to O. L. McShan, hereinafter known as subject party, on your usual credit terms such goods, wares and merchandise as he, she or representative may select, from and after this date, in consideration of which I guarantee and hold myself personally responsible for the payment at maturity at San Antonio, Texas, of the purchase price of all goods, wares and merchandise so sold, whether evidenced by open account, trade acceptances or notices, together with interest from maturity at the rate of 8% per annum on open account and trade acceptance items, and interest on the notes according to their terms. I hereby waive notice of acceptance, amount of sales, dates of shipment or delivery, notice of default in payment, or the requirements of [520]*520any legal proceedings against the said subject party and I also agree that said indebtedness or any part of it may be changed in form and ip terms of payments as often as may be agreed upon between you and the said subject party and that no change in the form or personnel of his, her, or representative’s business shall affect this guaranty.
“This is intended to be a guaranty, applying to all sales made by you to O. L. McShan from-until you receive notice by registered mail that the same is revoked by me.
7s/ S. W. Hughes
“Date 6/27-32
“Witnesses:
7s/ O. L. McShan”.
On October 9, 1933, plaintiff in error received from defendant in error the following letter of revocation:
“Brady, Texas, October 7, 1933.
“Straus-Frank? Company
“San Antonio, Texas.
“Gentlemen:
“This will give you notice to cancel at once any contract that I have with you guaranteeing in any way the McShan Tire Company of San Saba, Texas, and any guarantee I have for Joe Bailey McShan, the owner and manager.
“This is being mailed to you by registered letter so act upon receipt of this accordingly, as my guarantee is at an end.
“Yours truly,
“S. W. Hughes,
“Brady, Texas.”

On the date of its receipt, O. L. Mc-Shan’s indebtedness to plaintiff in error consisted of the following items:

Balance due on note, principal-$ 618.60

Interest . 55.32

Balance due on open account. 1877.64

Thereafter, on December 20, 1933, O. L. McShan executed and delivered to plaintiff in error his demand note for the aggregate of the above items. This demand note provided for eight per cent, interest before, and ten per cent, interest after maturity and fifteen per cent, attorney’s fees. On November 1, 1934, in renewal of the above note, O. L. McShan and J. B. McShan executed and delivered to plaintiff in error their demand note for $2,728.12, containing the same provisions as in the former note regarding interest and attorney’s fees. The suit as against the McShans was upon this last-mentioned note and as against Hughes was on his letter of guaranty.

Admittedly Hughes could have been held liable for the indebtedness of McShan to the plaintiff in error as same existed on the day when it received notice of revocation. The controversy centers around the question of whether that liability was discharged as a result of the renewals after revocation. The letter signed by Hughes was a continuing guaranty. The general rule is that a continuing guaranty may be revoked by the guarantor unless the right to revoke is precluded by the language of the guaranty contract. 24 Am.Jur., Guaranty, Sec. 64. In the instant case the language of the guaranty does not preclude revocation, but expressly recognizes that right. The effect of that revocation is the precise question upon which the decision of this case will turn. The question is the subject of an annotation in 100 A.L.R. 1236, under the heading: “Guaranty as covering renewals, after revocation, of claims within coverage at time of revocation.”

The author of that annotation deduces from the authorities the following conclusion:

“Most; but not all, jurisdictions have adopted the rule that a guaranty does not cover renewals, after revocation, of claims within coverage at the time of the revocation, but in some cases the decisions have been determined, at least in part, by the construction placed upon the particular contract of guaranty under consideration.
“As above stated, renewals, after revocation of a contract of guaranty, of claims within coverage at the time of the revocation, are held by most courts to be not covered by the guaranty.”

In effect that same statement is made in 24 Am.Jur., Guaranty, Sec. 65. It is urged by plaintiff in error that the particular language of the guaranty in suit removes this case from the majority rule.

The last paragraph of the letter of guaranty reads: “This is intended to be a guaranty, applying to all sales made by you to O. L. McShan from - until you receive notice by registered mail that the same is revoked by me.”

Plaintiff in error would have us construe the contract just as if that paragraph read as follows: “This is intended to be a guaranty, applying to all sales made by [521]*521you to O. L. McShan from date until October 7, 1933.” We cannot agree that it should be so construed. Such construction, we think, fails to give effect to the word “revoked” as used in the paragraph. In 54 C.J. p.

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Bluebook (online)
156 S.W.2d 519, 138 Tex. 50, 1941 Tex. LEXIS 355, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/straus-frank-co-v-hughes-texcommnapp-1941.