Wheeler v. Pavlic

290 S.W.2d 754, 1956 Tex. App. LEXIS 2289
CourtCourt of Appeals of Texas
DecidedMay 3, 1956
Docket6037
StatusPublished
Cited by11 cases

This text of 290 S.W.2d 754 (Wheeler v. Pavlic) 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
Wheeler v. Pavlic, 290 S.W.2d 754, 1956 Tex. App. LEXIS 2289 (Tex. Ct. App. 1956).

Opinion

ANDERSON, Justice.

Appellee, Tony Pavlic, brought this suit in the district court of Jasper County to recover on a policy of automobile insurance the amount of a judgment he had theretofore recovered in the same court against one Harvey Adams and to impound and to have applied to his claim money that was on deposit with the clerk of the court in the case in which the judgment against Adams was obtained, which money had been ostensibly deposited with the clerk as a *755 supersedeas fund to supersede, pending appeal, the judgment that had been rendered against Mrs. Rowena Lindsey Hudiburgh in the same case. By fiat endorsed on plaintiff’s petition on the same date the petition was filed, the district judge ordered the clerk to retain possession of said money pending final disposition of the present suit. The defendant filed a plea of privilege seeking a change of venue to Travis County. Subject thereto, he answered 'by 'general denial, by a plea of res judicata, and by pleading facts designed to show that ap-pellee had no preferred or special right to the money in question. In addition, defendant filed a motion for summary judgment, pleading therein the same matters he had affirmatively pleaded in his answer. He prayed in both his answer and his motion for summary judgment that the plaintiff take nothing and that the money involved be ordered released to himself. The plaintiff controverted defendant’s plea of privilege and a hearing was had on the plea and controverting affidavit on the same day the case was heard on its merits. The plea of privilege was overruled and defendant’s motion for summary judgment and the case on its merits were then submitted to the court together, the parties agreeing that the evidence that had been adduced during the hearing of the plea of privilege should be treated as having been reintroduced and as constituting the evidence on which final disposition of the case should be made. The parties also agreed that the evidence presented no fact questions and that only questions of law were involved. The trial court then rendered judgment in favor of the plaintiff and overruled the defendant’s motion for summary judgment. The judgment decreed that plaintiff recover of defendant the sum of $2,850 — the amount of plaintiff’s judgment against Adams — ■ with interest thereon at the rate of six per cent per annum from January 24, 1953, and all costs that plaintiff had incurred in both the Adams suit and the present suit, and that the clerk of the court pay such judgment from the money hereinabove mentioned, the balance of the money, if any, to be paid over to the defendant. The defendant excepted to the judgment and thereafter took steps to perfect an appeal to this court. He filed neither an appeal bond nor a supersedeas bond but appears to have employed the stratagem of redepositing with the clerk or of reassigning to him the same money that is in litigation, thereby intending to comply with Rule 354, Texas Rules of Civil Procedure, regarding a deposit for costs and with Rule 364(a) and (h) regarding a deposit to supersede the judgment of the trial court pending appeal. The clerk has certified that appellant has on. deposit with him the sum of $3,873.40 and that by depositing this sum, which the certificate identified as being the same money that is in litigation, appellant has complied with the aforesaid rules. No objection to the procedure has been made by appellee.

In response to a request by the defendant, who is the appellant here, the trial court filed findings of fact and conclusions of law. The findings of fact will be summarized.

Having sustained personal injuries and property damage as the result of a collision between his automobile and one driven by Harvey Adams but owned by Mrs. Rowena Lindsey Hudiburgh, appellee sued both Adams and Mrs. Hudiburgh, proceeding against Mrs. Hudiburgh under the doctrine of respondeat superior. General American Casualty Company, with whom Mrs. Hudi-burgh carried public liability insurance on her automobile, assumed responsibility for defending the suit. On January 24, 1953, appellee recovered judgment against both Adams and Mrs. Hudiburgh, jointly and severally, for the sum of $2,850' and costs of suit, the judgment to bear interest from its date at the rate of six per cent per an-num. Both of the defendants appealed from the judgment. Adams filed an affidavit of inability to pay the costs of an appeal or to give security therefor. In lieu of an appeal and supersedeas bond for Mrs. Hudiburgh, General American Casualty Company deposited with the clerk of the trial court the sum of $4,200, as is provided for by Rules 354 and 364, T.R.C.P. The clerk’s certificate which accompanied the record on appeal recited; that Mrs. Hudi-burgh had such sum on deposit and further *756 recited the following: “This amount is entirely paid by Rowena Lindsey Hudiburgh and may be applied only on the costs and final judgment rendered against her and shall in no event be used to pay the costs of judgment rendered against the other defendant, Harvey Adams, if any there shall be.” When the appeal was heard, the judgment of the trial court was affirmed as to Adams and was reversed and rendered as to Mrs. Hudiburgh. Hudiburgh v. Palvic, Tex.Civ.App., 274 S.W.2d 94. This court held that there was no evidence to show that Adams was acting within the course and scope of his employment at the time the collision occurred. The judgment of this court became final and a mandate was issued to the clerk of the trial court. The clerk of the trial court did not immediately upon receipt of the mandate remove the case from the docket and proceed to issue process to enforce the judgment, as Rule 369, T.R.C.P., provides shall be done, and when this suit was filed still had in his possession $3,873.40 of the $4,200 originally deposited by General American Casualty Company as above set out. The difference between the two sums had apparently been' applied toward payment of the costs of appeal of the damage suit.

A final judgment in Cause No. 98764, The State of Texas v. General American Casualty Company, was rendered July 8, 1954, by the district court of the 126th Judicial District, Travis County, placing General American Casualty Company in receivership for the purpose of liquidation, appointing J. D. Wheeler receiver, adjudging all property and assets of the company to be m custodia legis, and restraining all persons from interfering in any manner with the receiver in the discharge of his duties. The case at bar was thereafter filed July 12, 1954, against the receiver, and its subsequent history has been as above outlined. After the case had been filed, the receiver made demand on the clerk of the district court of Jasper County for return of the $4,200 General American Casualty Company had deposited in connection with the damage suit, and the demand was refused.

Appellee had sued upon Mrs. Hudi-burgh’s policy of insurance, on the theory that Adams was driving with Mrs. Hudi-burgh’s permission at the time of the collision and was therefore insured under the policy. The policy contained a provision as follows: “With respect to the insurance for bodily injury liability and for property damage liability the unqualified word ‘insured’ includes the named insured and also includes any person or organization legally responsible for the use thereof, provided the actual use of the automobile is by the named insured or with his permission.”

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Related

Amwest Surety Insurance v. Graham
949 S.W.2d 724 (Court of Appeals of Texas, 1997)
Resolution Trust Corp. v. Chair King, Inc.
827 S.W.2d 546 (Court of Appeals of Texas, 1992)
A. Wolfson's, Inc. v. First State Bank of Corpus Christi
752 S.W.2d 614 (Court of Appeals of Texas, 1988)
Howard v. State
617 S.W.2d 191 (Court of Criminal Appeals of Texas, 1979)
Miller v. First State Bank
551 S.W.2d 89 (Court of Appeals of Texas, 1977)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
290 S.W.2d 754, 1956 Tex. App. LEXIS 2289, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/wheeler-v-pavlic-texapp-1956.