Ward v. Scarborough

236 S.W. 441, 1922 Tex. App. LEXIS 350
CourtTexas Commission of Appeals
DecidedJanuary 11, 1922
DocketNo. 274-3504
StatusPublished
Cited by29 cases

This text of 236 S.W. 441 (Ward v. Scarborough) 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
Ward v. Scarborough, 236 S.W. 441, 1922 Tex. App. LEXIS 350 (Tex. Super. Ct. 1922).

Opinion

GALLAGHER, J.

Defendants in error, Mrs. Willie Scarborough and her sons, Jesse, Chunk, and Moliere Scarborough, brought suit in the district court of Eastland county against E. J. Ward, plaintiff in error, and against his father, John Ward, and his brother, Gus Ward, for the recovery of 2,840 acres of land situated in said county, which they allege they had conveyed to E. J. Ward under circumstances claimed by them to create a constructive trust therein in their favor, or, in the alternative, for the recovery of damages in the sum of $104,260.

The Wards filed an answer consisting of a general demurrer, special exceptions, general denial, special denials, the statute of limitation of two years, and laches. All of said exceptions, both general and special, were overruled. There was a trial by jury, and at the close of the trial the Scarboroughs dismissed their suit against John and Gus Ward, and elected to rely upon their claim that the land sued for was impressed with a constructive trust in their favor in the hands of E. J. Ward.

The case was submitted to the jury on special issues which were answered in accordance with the contention of the Scarboroughs as to the circumstances under which they conveyed the land to E. J. Ward.

Upon such verdict the court entered a judgment dated April 21, 1919, declaring that E. J. Ward held the legal title in trust for the Scarboroughs (except as to a half interest in prospective royalties under an undeveloped oil lease expiring in December, 1919), and that the Scarboroughs recover of said Ward title to and possession of said land subject to such interest in such prospective royalties, but providing that no writ of possession should issue until all moneys paid by Ward to the Scarboroughs therefor and all moneys paid by Ward in discharge of in-cumbrances on such land should be refunded to him, and that, unless such moneys should be refunded within 90 days from the time said judgment should become final, the judgment in their favor should cease to be of any force or effect.

The jury having found that the reasonable market value of said land at the date of the conveyance to Ward, exclusive of the royalty interest adjudged to him, was $8 per acre, the judgment further provided that he should have a right to satisfy the recovery of said Scarboroughs against him by paying to them the sum of $8,529, being the difference [443]*443between the sum he actually paid them for the land and the value of the same at $8 per acre, said sum to bear interest from date of said purchase at legal rate. It was also provided that such payment should be made within 90 days from the date when such judgment should become final.

The Scarboroughs excepted to such judgment and gave notice of appeal at the time it was rendered. E. J. Ward filed a motion for new trial, which was overruled on the 17th day of May, 1919, at which time he also gave notice of appeal. The order of the court overruling the motion for new trial provided that all parties to the case be allowed 90 days after adjournment of the court in whiqh to prepare, present, and have approved and filed a statement of facts and bills of exception. The court adjourned for the term on May 17, 1919.

The Scarboroughs filed an appeal bond on the 22d day of May, 1919. They complained in their appeal of that part of the judgment which permitted Ward to retain the land upon the payment to them of $8,520 and interest. The issues so raised did not require the aid of a statement of facts to enable the court to pass upon the same, and they therefore took out a transcript of the record only. They filed such transcript in .the Court ■ of Civil Appeals in the Second Supreme Judicial District at Fort Worth on the 18th day of July, 1919, and the case was duly entered on the docket of that court.

The Supreme Court, under its statutory authority to equalize the dockets of the Courts of Civil Appeals, ordered this appeal transferred to the Court of Civil Appeals for the Eighth Supreme Judicial District at El Paso, and on December 12,1919, the Court of Civil Appeals for said Second District made its order so transferring said appeal.

On the 21st day of January, 1920, the Court of Civil Appeals for. said Eighth District set said ease for submission on the 12th day of February, 1920. After it was so set for submission, E. J. Ward, appellee therein, filed a brief in said cause in said court in which he complained by appropriate cross-assignments of error of the action of the trial court in overruling his general and special exceptions.

The ease was submitted to said court on said 12th day of February, 1920, and thereafter, on the 11th day of March, 1920, said court overruled said Ward’s cross-assignments of error, sustained the assignments of error presented by the Scarboroughs, appellants therein, reformed the judgment as prayed by them, and, .as so reformed, affirmed it. (Civ. App.) 220 S. W. 274.

Ward, appellee therein, filed a motion for rehearing, which was overruled on April 1, 1920, and he thereupon applied for a writ of error. The Supreme Court granted his application and transferred the case to this section of the Commission of Appeals for consideration. It was submitted on oral and written arguments and briefs for both parties. After full consideration we were of the opinion that none of the specifications of error presented in the application were well taken, and recommended that the judgment of the Court of Civil Appeals be affirmed.

Ward did not file either bills of exception or statement of facts during the time allowed by the order of court hereinbefore set out, but on August 14, 1919, filed an application for an extension of time in which to file the same, which application was granted by the trial-court, and order entered extending the time to and including September 14, 1919. He filed bills of exception and statement of facts on the 13th day of September, 1919.

On November 7,1919, Ward filed a petition for writ of error to the Court of Civil Appeals for the Second District at Fort Worth, to which court the same was properly returnable, and on November 17,1919, filed assignments of error, and his briefs in this case are based thereon. ,

On January 29, 1920, after the appeal case at El Paso was set for submission, he filed the transcript in his writ of error case in the Court at Fort Worth, and on the 19th day of March, 1920, after the Court of Civil Appeals at El Paso had reformed and affirmed the judgment of the trial court, Ward filed his brief as plaintiff in error in the Court of Civil Appeals at Fort Worth. The first seven assignments of error contained therein are the same as the seven cross-assignments of error filed by him in the appeal case in the Court at El Paso. The remaining fourteen assignments in said brief require the aid of a statement of facts to enable the court to consider them, one assignment complaining of the refusal of his request for a peremptory charge, two complaining of the action of the court in rendering judgment for the Scar-boroughs under the evidence adduced, four complaining of the overruling of objections made by him to the court’s charge, and the remaining seven complaining of the rulings of the Court in admitting evidence at the trial over his objection.

The Scarboroughs on February 9, 1920, within 11 days after the filing of the transcript on the writ of error at Fort Worth, filed in said court the following motions: (a) To dismiss the writ of error; (b) to strike out assignments of error; (c) to strike out bills of exceptions; (d) to strike out statement of facts.

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Bluebook (online)
236 S.W. 441, 1922 Tex. App. LEXIS 350, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/ward-v-scarborough-texcommnapp-1922.