Waxahachie Bank & Trust Co. v. Price

308 S.W.2d 158, 1957 Tex. App. LEXIS 2241
CourtCourt of Appeals of Texas
DecidedDecember 10, 1957
DocketNo. 6998
StatusPublished
Cited by2 cases

This text of 308 S.W.2d 158 (Waxahachie Bank & Trust Co. v. Price) 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
Waxahachie Bank & Trust Co. v. Price, 308 S.W.2d 158, 1957 Tex. App. LEXIS 2241 (Tex. Ct. App. 1957).

Opinion

CHADICK, Chief Justice.

This is a venue case. The judgment of the trial court sustaining the plea of privilege of non-resident appellees is affirmed.

Appellant, Waxahachie Bank & Trust Company, brought suit in Dallas County [159]*159against Llano H. White, admittedly a resident of Dallas County, and W. J. Price, T. A. Lewis, N. H. Pierce, Jack Pullen, J. T. Lofland and R. M. James, residents of Rockwall County. White did not answer or enter an appearance; all of the Rock-wall County residents filed pleas of privilege and appellant timely controverted the pleas and alleged and proved certain facts which it contended sustained venue in Dallas County under subdivision 4, Article 1995, Vernon’s Ann.Tex.Civ.St.

The appellant excepted to the court’s order transferring the case to Rockwall County as to the residents of that county, and presents three points of error for review in this Court.

Appellant’s first point is:

“The error of the Court in sustaining defendants’ pleas of privilege, since plaintiff alleged and proved both residence and a cause of action against the resident defendants, and at the same time plaintiff alleged a joint cause of action or cause of action against the non-resident defendants so intimately connected with the action against the resident defendant that the two may be joined under the rule intended to avoid a multiplicity of suits.”

Neither of the other points bring into question the sufficiency of the evidence to sustain the judgment of the trial court. This first point seems to assume that a cause of action against the resident defendant was proven as a matter of law. The trial court having rendered a judgment adverse to the appellant and no findings of fact or conclusions of law having been requested or filed, this Court must indulge a presumption that the trial court found facts consistent with and that supported his judgment and unless it appears that the trial court’s judgment is based upon something else, the presumption must be that the trial court did not find that the appellant had proved a cause of action against the resident defendant, White.

The statement of facts shows that a vice-president of the appellant Bank was the witness upon whom the appellant relied to make its case. (The only other witnesses were B. F. White and L. H. Jones, automobile dealers, whose names had been forged to certain certificates of title and each as witness denied the genuineness of signatures purporting to be theirs upon the instruments or any participation in securing the certificates.) A review of the vice president’s testimony shows that it is not without equivocation or confusion, and contains some elements of contrariety upon which a court, as the trier of the facts, might disregard it. As an illustration, on cross-examination he testified as follows:

“Q. And the fact of the business is, the bank doesn’t have any claim against White or anybody else on this transaction ; you have got all of your money, haven’t you? That is true, isn’t it? A. The insurance company paid us.
“Q. Yes, and then I say you got all your money out of it, didn’t you — the bank? A. The bank.
* * * * * $
“Q. And as far as the Waxahachie Bank & Trust Company is concerned, you are just up here testifying because Mr. Gwinn has asked you to come up here and state these facts you have been testifying about? A. That is right.
“Q. And you have said in your testimony a time or two that — you made some reference to the fact you lost money on the notes and couldn’t collect them. You did finally recoup your entire loss, didn’t you? A. The insurance company paid us.
* * =t= * * *
“Q. And when you were paid in full, do you know whether or not you assigned the notes to the insurance company? A. We gave them the notes.
[160]*160“Q. You just gave them the notes? A. Yes, sir.
“Q. You didn’t assign anything? A. I couldn’t say about that.”

On re-direct examination he further testified :

“Q. Mr. Myers, your notes provide for a loan of $1410.86 and $1675.85; those are on the two loans; is that correct ? A. That is right.
“Q. Now then, in addition to that, does it provide for an interest rate? A. No; we put the interest in there at the time we make the loan.
“Q. Does it provide for an interest rate after the note matures, in the event it is not paid upon maturity? A. Yes, sir.
“Q. What interest rate is that? A. Well, let’s read down here and see. ‘With interest from maturity at the rate of ten percent per annum, payable monthly on the unpaid balance of the principal as it is accrued, and I or we or either of us and all endorsers hereon further agree and promise as follows.’ Do you want me to read all of that?
“The Court: No, don’t read it all.
“Q. Mr. Gwinn: Does it also provide for fifteen percent attorney’s fee? A. Yes, sir.
“Q. Now, sir, when you made your claim for the insurance, do you remember what the insurance company paid you? A. No, sir.
“Mr. Blakeley: Now we are going to object to — are you fixing to offer your assignments ?
“Mr. Gwinn: No, I am just going to show what the insurance company paid, what the exact amount of the note was and show that this bank does have an interest in it.
“Mr. Blakeley: I see. I am sorry.
“Q. Mr. Gwinn: Well, do you remember that when you settled your loss with the insurance company that it wasn’t for the full amount, or was it for the full amount of these notes plus ten percent interest, plus attorney’s fees? A. No, sir.
“Q. Mr. Gwinn: You testified under Mr. Blakeley’s examination that you had settled your loss with the insurance company. Did the insurance company pay you the full amount of the loan, plus overdue interest, plus attorney’s fees as provided? A. I can’t say how much the check was for, no, I can’t, because we rebated some interest on it and canceled the insurance, and I can’t state.
“Q. By canceling the insurance, what do you mean by that, Mr. Myers ? A. Well, if there is any rebate coming back on the insurance policy, why, it was taken off.
“Q. Now what insurance policy is that? A. Well, all automobile loans carry an insurance policy with it if it is over a hundred dollars.
“Q. And in the face amount of this loan, that insurance premium is included; is that correct ? A. Yes, sir.
“Q. All right. And you did rebate a portion of that insurance premium? A. Sometimes a customer pays it and sometimes they don’t if we could we would, and if we couldn’t we didn’t. And I don’t know how he handled his insurance. I think I could check up here and find out. On the ’54 the insurance was included in the note, and on the ’53 it was included in the note.
“Q. Now then, I believe you say that you rebated a portion of the insurance in settling this claim with your insurance company; is that right? A.

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308 S.W.2d 158, 1957 Tex. App. LEXIS 2241, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/waxahachie-bank-trust-co-v-price-texapp-1957.