Trimble v. Stephenville State Bank

96 S.W.2d 733, 1936 Tex. App. LEXIS 821
Court of Appeals of Texas·Decided June 12, 1936·No. No. 1553.·Published·Cited by 1 cases

Opinion

FUNDERBURK, Justice.

Mrs. E. W. Trimble, joined by her husband, E. W. Trimble, brought this suit against the Stephenville State Bank to re-’ cover $299.93 of a bank deposit theretofore, made in the name of said Mrs. E. W. Trimble. Defendant bank had paid out a like sum of money upon checks drawn on it and signed by Palace Market by E. W. Trimble, which had been charged to Mrs. Trimble’s account:

The defendant specially pleaded estop-pel consisting of a course of dealing, by' which it was averred the defendant had the right to believe, and did believe, that E. W. Trimble was authorized to check against said account.

The case was submitted to a jury upon special issues. By the verdict it was found (1) That on or about November 1, 1931, plaintiff Mrs. E. W. Trimble had to her credit in defendant bank $299.93; (2) that in the month of October or November, 1931, defendant bank charged to the account of plaintiff checks of the Palace Market to the amount of $299.93; (3) that the defendant had not paid said sum of $299.93 to plaintiff; (4) that'the money deposited to the credit of Mrs. Trimble was the community property of' herself and husband; (5) that E. W. Trimble, the husband, authorized the bank to charge the checks in question against the account carried in the name of Mrs. *734 E. W. Trimble; (6) that the course of dealing' between Mrs. E. W. Trimble and defendant bank was such as to lead a reasonably prudent person to believe that E. W. Trimble had the right to have the checks in question paid with the account in Mrs. Trimble’s name; (7) that the officers of defendant bank did believe at the time they cashed the checks in question that E. W. Trimble had the right to have such checks paid with the account in the name of Mrs. E. W. Trimble.

From the judgment rendered and entered upon said verdict in favor of the defendant, the plaintiff has appealed.

Although plaintiff’s entire motion for new trial is set out in the brief as the asssignments of error, only four assignments are briefed. All others are therefore waived. As a matter of proper practice, only such assignments of error should be incorporated in the brief as are relied upon. Rule 32, for Courts of Civil Appeals (230 S.W. vii).

Plaintiff requested a peremptory instruction; made a motion to suppress the answers of the jury to the special issues, and also a motion for judgment notwithstanding the verdict of the jury; all of which were overruled.

It is first contended that the court erred in refusing the requested peremptory instruction, and next that the court erred in overruling plaintiff’s exception to the court’s charge referring to special issue No. 6, because same was without any support in the pleading, and there was no sufficient evidence in the case which could lead a reasonably prudent person to believe that E. W. Trimble had the right to have the checks of the Palace Market paid with the account of Mrs. E. W. Trim-ble.

By R.S.1925, art. 4622, the deposit in question, considered as a “fund,” being in the name of the wife was presumed to be her separate property. Unless "notified to the contrary,” the defendant bank was required to “be governed accordingly in honoring checks and orders against such account.” Id. The deposit being general and not special, the title' to the money deposited passed to the bank, and the property right remaining in the depositor was a debt due her as a creditor of the bank payable upon her proper check or order. The finding of the jury, in answer to on,e of the special issues, that the money deposited in said account was community property, was inconclusive of any real issue in the case. Granted that the money was community property, it does not follow, necessarily, that the debt due the depositor was community property. “A gift from husband to wife will be presumed where he makes a bank deposit in her name.” 30 C.J. 702, § 298; Sorenson v. City Nat. Bank, 121 Tex. 478, 479, 49 S.W. (2d) 718; Teague v. Fairchild (Tex.Com.App.) 15 S.W. (2d) 585. The Trimbles, husband and wife, testified that the several deposits making up the account consisted of the personal earnings of Mrs. Trimble as a school teacher and replacements in the fund made by Mr. Trimble of moneys withdrawn for his personal uses upon checks signed “Mrs. E. W. Trimble by E. W. Trimble.” (There was one check out of a great number signed only “E. W. Trimble.”) There was no evidence tending to show that such testimony was not true. The defendant had the burden of showing the facts to create the estoppel alleged.

We doubt if the answer of the defendant bank tendered any issue of the implied authority of E. W. Trimble to have the checks of the Palace Market charged to the deposit of Mrs. Trimble. “Implied authority” is actual authority as certainly so as express authority. Continental Oil Co. v. Baxter (Tex.Civ.App.) 59 S.W. (2d) 463. When implied authority of an agent exists, there is no occasion to have recourse to an estoppel, or what is the same thing, “apparent or ostensible authority.” Id. There is therefore in a sense an inconsistency between a plea of actual authority (express or implied) and an estoppel, or apparent or ostensible authority. The defendant’s answer contained no alternative pleas. Es-toppel was certainly pleaded, and we therefore think the proper construction of the pleading is that only the defense of estoppel was averred. At any rate, we feel sure that if, as contradistinguished from estoppel, an issue of implied authority was joined, it was not established conclusively as a matter of law in favor of the defendant, and no special issue thereon having been submitted or requested, it was waived. Miller v. Fenner, Beane & Ungerleider (Tex.Civ.App.) 89 S.W.(2d) 506; Jack Harris v. Thornton’s Dept. Store (Tex.Civ.App.) 94 S.W.(2d) 849.

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Trimble v. Stephenville State Bank, 96 S.W.2d 733, 1936 Tex. App. LEXIS 821 (Tex. Ct. App. 1936).

96 S.W.2d 733 (Trimble v. Stephenville State Bank) — published by Counsel Stack Legal Research, free access to 12M+ legal documents.

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