Terrell, Atkins Harvin v. Proctor

172 S.W. 996, 1915 Tex. App. LEXIS 112
CourtCourt of Appeals of Texas
DecidedJanuary 20, 1915
DocketNo. 5366.
StatusPublished
Cited by22 cases

This text of 172 S.W. 996 (Terrell, Atkins Harvin v. Proctor) 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
Terrell, Atkins Harvin v. Proctor, 172 S.W. 996, 1915 Tex. App. LEXIS 112 (Tex. Ct. App. 1915).

Opinion

MOURSUND, J.

Appellees T. E. Proctor and C. E. Canterbury, plaintiffs below, sued appellants, alleging; That about May 20, 1913, plaintiffs entered into a contract whereby they agreed to purchase from defendants all of a certain stock of cattle estimated at 2,000 head, more or less, ranging in tbe Frank Payne pasture near Spofford, and to pay $20 in gold per head, f. o. b. cars Spof-ford, Tex., all calves born since January 1, 1913, to be thrown in free of cost; that by the terms of the contract the cattle were to be delivered in three separate bunches, the first to be delivered within ten 'days from date of contract, the -other two to be made upon securing reasonable notice from plaintiffs, but all were to be delivered and received on or before August 1, 1913; that prior to said date plaintiffs received and paid for approximately 1,015 head of cattle and 362 head of cattle, and that defendant, in making such deliveries, cut out and delivered the smallest and poorest of the cattle, leaving about 1,025 head which were the best cattle; that plaintiffs had a train of cars ready for the receipt of said cattle, and they had rounded up and were ready for delivery, and had procured the Frost National Bank of San Antonio, Tex., to certify a payment of $15,000 upon said cattle to the Border National Bank of Eagle Pass, Tex., and upon the evening of August 1, 1913, the defendants agreed to accept the certification by the Frost National Bank in payment of the balance due on said last delivery of cattle and to load tbe same on July 2, 1913; that plaintiffs had procured the deposit of said sum in the said Frost Bank and said bank to certify tbe same to said Border National Bank for payment to said defendants, with bill of lading attached; that, at the time of making the contract, plaintiffs had deposited with defendants $5,000 as a guaranty of the fulfillment of the contract on the part of plaintiffs, which was to be deducted from amount to be paid for the last bunch of cattle, but defendants refused to load the cattle and to accept the certified payment from the Frost Bank, also refused to return said $5,000, and refused to deliver said cattle as agreed in said contract and as agreed on the evening of August 1, 1913. Plaintiffs alleged their damages at $12 per head on 200 cows with calves, $4.50 per head on 200 dry cows, and $11.50 per head on 500 steers, basing same on tbe ruar- *998 ket value at San Antonio, Tex., less expense of transportation, alleging that said market was the nearest to Spofford, and that defendants knew of plaintiffs’ intention to ship same to San Antonio. Plaintiffs prayed for judgment for their damages, so set out, in the aggregate amount of $9,050, besides the $5,000 deposited with defendants. The contract attached to the petition as an exhibit contains the provisions pleaded, and in addition provided that plaintiffs were to pay for the cattle, as they were received, with check on any of the banks in Eagle Pass, Tex.

Defendants filed a general demurrer, and in answer to the petition admitted the execution of the contract and that deliveries of cattle were to be made thereunder, as set out in the petition, but denied that at divers times prior to August 1, 1913, they delivered 1,015 head and 362 head to plaintiffs, and specially denied that they cut and delivered the smallest and poorest cattle, and that there remained about 1,025 head which included the best cattle, and averred that they delivered only about 1,225 head of cattle prior to said August 1st, which were of the average run of the stock contracted to be sold, and were received by plaintiffs without protest. Defendants further alleged that the last round-up of cattle consisted of about 950 head. They denied that the Frost National Bank certified the payment of $15,000 upon the cattle so rounded up to the Border National Bank of Eagle Pass, Tex., or of any other sum at said bank, and averred the fact to be that said Frost Bank wired defendants that they would pay Otto Limburger’s draft on Schweers-Kern Live Stock Commission Company for $15,000 in payment of 1,000 cattle, calves not counted, bill of lading attached, which telegram had no bearing on the contract and in no wise complied with the terms and conditions thereof, and was therefore of no concern to defendants. They also denied that they or either of them ever agreed to accept the certification of the said Frost Bank, as alleged in said petition, in payment for said cattle, or agreed to load the same on August 2, 1913, on such certification, or agreed to accept payment therefor in any manner, except that provided in the contract. Defendants also pleaded so as to put in issue the other allegations of plaintiffs’ petition, except that relating to the deposit of $5,000 with them by plaintiffs, but pleaded that said sum was deposited as a forfeit and as liquidated damages to be retained by defendants if plaintiffs failed to carry out their contract. By way of cross-action defendants pleaded that they strictly complied with all the terms of said contract, and had the balance of the cattle, approximating 1,000 head, penned and ready for delivery, but plaintiffs failed and refused to accept same, whereby defendants were damaged in the sum of $5,923, the items whereof were specifically set out. Their prayer was for judgment for said amount, and that they be adjudged entitled to retain the $5,000 deposited with them by plaintiffs.

Plaintiffs demurred to the answer and cross-action, and pleaded that the contract called for delivery of the cattle f. o. b. cars Spofford, and defendants demanded payment or assurance of payment before delivering the cattle as thus provided; that in compliance with said demand, which constituted a breach of the terms of the contract, plaintiffs furnished defendants on August 1, 1913, a telegram from said Frost Bank that it would honor a draft of Otto Limburger (who was present and representing and assisting plaintiffs) upon the Schweers-Kern Commission Company for $15,000, which, with the $5,000 deposit, would have paid for the 1,000 head of cattle at $20 per head and more than paid for the 950 head which defendants alleged were ready for delivery; that defendants agreed to accept payment by said method and to deliver the cattle on August 2d; that said arrangement was a substantial compliance with the contract, as the offer of the Frost Bank was cash at the Border National Bank in Eagle Pass, and further that defendants precluded plaintiffs from making any other or further tender of said money under the contract, and are es-topped, by reason of their agreement and action, from alleging a failure to pay or offer to pay for the cattle in accordance with the strict letter of said contract, and therefore are liable for the sum sued for.' Plaintiffs denied that the contract contemplated, or that the parties contemplated, that the $5,000 was deposited as liquidated damages. They also denied the allegations of defendants’ cross-action, and averred that defendants breached the contract in the first instance by failing to load and count the cattle into the cars.

Defendants, by supplemental answer, denied the allegations made in plaintiffs’ supplemental petition, and alleged that the contract simply called for delivery of the cattle free on.

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Bluebook (online)
172 S.W. 996, 1915 Tex. App. LEXIS 112, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/terrell-atkins-harvin-v-proctor-texapp-1915.