Theobalt v. Wiemann

104 S.W.2d 589, 1937 Tex. App. LEXIS 878
CourtCourt of Appeals of Texas
DecidedApril 21, 1937
DocketNo. 3107.
StatusPublished
Cited by7 cases

This text of 104 S.W.2d 589 (Theobalt v. Wiemann) 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
Theobalt v. Wiemann, 104 S.W.2d 589, 1937 Tex. App. LEXIS 878 (Tex. Ct. App. 1937).

Opinion

O’QUINN, Justice.

Defendant in error was plaintiff in the court below, and plaintiff in error was defendant. We shall refer to plaintiff in error as appellant apd defendant in error as appellee.

Appellant Theobalt was an automobile dealer in Port Arthur, Tex. He sold Essex Terraplane automobiles. On July 29, 1935, he sold appellee Wiemann a 1935 model Terraplane sedan for $825. Wiemann traded in a 1930 model Chevrolet coach for the agreed price of $165. The $165 was credited on the purchase price of the Terraplane, and he executed notes in payment of the remainder of the consideration for the Terraplane automobile.

Appellee brought this suit against appellant to cancel the sales contract by which he bought from appellant the Terraplane automobile, and to recover the Chevrolet coach automobile that he traded in to appellant as payment on the Terraplane car, or to recover the sum of $165, its agreed *590 value, and to recover damages. As grounds to recover appellee alleged, in substance, that appellant, and his sales agent, L. A. Mathis, represented to him that the Essex Terraplane automobile was .a new car, having never been sold, and having been used only as a demonstrator, and that it was in first-class condition, and practically as good as an unused car; that he (ap-pellee) was not familiar with the make and operation of Terraplane cars, and could not judge of its condition or the quality of its operation; that appellant Theobalt and his salesman, Mathis, both assured appellee that the car was in good condition, that it had never been wrecked or injured, and that it had been used only for demonstration; that he believed these representations so made to him, and relying upon same agreed to purchase said car for $825, and to trade in his 1930 Chevrolet car as a payment on the new car at the agreed price of $165, and to execute his notes in payment of the remainder purchase price, which contract of purchase was consummated in writing, and he delivered his Chevrolet car to appellant and received from the appellant the Essex Terraplane automobile.

He further alleged that the Terraplane car had been wrecked before its sale to him, which .fact was known to 'appellant and to his said agent Mathis, but which they fraudulently concealed from him for the purpose of inducing him to purchase said Terraplane car; that he would not have purchased said car if he had known that it had been wrecked; ,and that he was imposed upon by the false and fraudulent statements of appellant and of his agent Mathis that said car had not been wrecked, and that said car had been used 'only for demonstration purposes, and that 'said car was in good condition and as good as an unused car, all of which were false and so known to appellant and his agent when they made same to appellee, and were made for the fraudulent purpose of inducing him to purchase said car; and that relying upon said statements he did purchase said car.

He further alleged that shortly after purchasing said car it failed to reasonably perform as a car of the type represented to him, and could be operated only under great difficulties; that at the time appellant sold said car to him, appellant knew that said car had been seriously wrecked and had been rebuilt, but fraudulently concealed said fact from appellee for the purpose of inducing him to buy said car; that when he discovered that the car was not in the condition represented to him by appellant, and that said car was not of the quality represented to him, he returned said car to appellee and demanded that his Chevrolet car be returned to him, or its válue paid to him, which appellant refused to do; that because of the willful and wanton fraudulent representations of appellant to him, he was entitled to exemplary damages in the sum of $500. He prayed for judgment canceling the sales contract, for the value of his Chevrolet car, and exemplary damages.

Appellant answered by general demurrer, several special exceptions, general denial, and specially pleaded estoppel to appellee’s right to a cancellation of the sales contract. By cross-action appellant asked for judgment for the unpaid purchase price of the Terraplane car and for a foreclosure of a chattel mortgage lien on same.' Additional pleadings were filed by both parties.

The cause was tried to a jury upon the following special issues:

“Special Issue No. 1. Do you find from a preponderance of the evidence that material false representations were made to the plaintiff, Caroll Wiemann, about the condition of the Terraplane automobile prior to the sale thereof/’
“In this connection you are instructed that by the term ‘material false representations,’ as that term is used in this charge, is meant statements as to existing facts which are known to be untrue and made for the purpose of inducing someone to act thereon to his detriment.”

The jury answered: “Yes.”

“Special Issue No. 2. If you have answered Special Issue No. 1 in the affirmative, and only in that event, answer the following: Do you find from a preponderance of the evidence that the plaintiff, Caroll Wiemann, relied upon such statements in purchasing said Terraplane automobile.”

The jury answered. “Yes”.

On the verdict, the court entered judgment in favor of appellee for $165, and canceling the sales contract for the purchase of the Terraplane automobile by ap-pellee, and denying appellant any recovery on his cross-action. The case is before us for review.

*591 Appellee has filed motion to dismiss the writ of error because no cost or appeal bond was executed by appellant, and there is no supersedeas bond to supersede the judgment, but said appeal is supported by what is denominated a ‘‘writ of error” bond in the form of a “supersedeas” bond in the sum of $500, wherefore this ■court is without jurisdiction to hear the •cause.

The judgment was rendered Mar.ch 7, 1936, canceling the sales contract, granting judgment for appellee against appellant in the sum of $165, and the court costs. Motion for a new trial was overruled March 12, 1936. Plaintiff in error filed his petition for writ of error on July 16, 1936. The writ of error bond was filed with the petition for writ of error ■on July 16, 1936. This was within six months after the date of the judgment. The petition for writ of error contains the usual allegations for such writ, and also sufficient for a supersedeas writ, but there is no order from the court fixing the amount of a supersedeas bond to supersede the judgment, so the bond is simply a writ of error bond, and as such protects the costs on appeal, and gives jurisdiction to this court. The motion to dismiss for want of jurisdiction is overruled.

Appellee has also filed motion to strike appellant’s brief. The ground of the motion is that the brief does not “contain any assignments of error.” In the brief, at the front, after the statement of the nature and result of the suit, appears the following: “The following áre the propositions upon which this appeal is predicated.” Then follows in numerical order five “propositions” stating different matters asserted as reasons why ■ the judgment should be reversed.

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Bluebook (online)
104 S.W.2d 589, 1937 Tex. App. LEXIS 878, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/theobalt-v-wiemann-texapp-1937.