Willis Mercantile Co. v. Moody

77 S.W.2d 308
CourtCourt of Appeals of Texas
DecidedNovember 28, 1934
DocketNo. 2620
StatusPublished

This text of 77 S.W.2d 308 (Willis Mercantile Co. v. Moody) 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
Willis Mercantile Co. v. Moody, 77 S.W.2d 308 (Tex. Ct. App. 1934).

Opinion

WALKER, Chief Justice.

This suit was instituted in the district court of Montgomery county by appellant, Willis Mercantile Company, a corporation, against W. E. (Ernest) Moody and H. A. (Hobby) Moody, as partners, to recover the balance due on an account in the sum of $549.59. Appellant pleaded partnership both in fact and by estoppel. W. E. Moody made no defense. H. A. Moody answered denying the partnership under oath. On an instructed verdict judgment was entered for appellant against W. E. Moody for the amount of the account and for H. A. Moody that he was not a member of the partnership.

The contention made by appellant on this appeal is that the evidence was sufficient to raise the issues of partnership as pleaded by it. We agree with that contention on the following summary of the testimony offered by appellant, questions and answers reduced to narrative:

R. E. Watson, appellant’s president, testified:

“Mr. H. A. Moody came in the store one day and checked the Willis Mercantile Company books personally with me, and I asked him why he wanted to check it and he said he wanted to see what Ernest Moody was doing inasmuch as he and Ernest Moody were partners; and he checked the account.
“ * * * The account was carried in the name of W. E. Moody. On' the 19th of July the amount — now Hobby had raised some objection about some personal stuff of W. E. Moody’s being on this account and on July 19th the amount charged to H. A. Moody of $154.55; July, 1930. Now on the 19th of July this $154.55 was transferred to H. A. Moody’s account and credited on W. E. Moody’s, leaving a balance of $51.80, the amount still being charged to W. E. Moody; that being the amount they agreed on. That amount of $51.86. Here it is right here; the amount of the transaction. See right here. That amount of $51.86 is still being charged to Mr. Moody. After allowing that credit the amount I sue for is $549.76.”

W. E. Moody testified:

“We were equal partners in two heads of mules and one truck. He had sold the Fora truck to my brother. He traded the Chevrolet for an International; I bought one-half interest in two head of mules and one truck. I was to pay him one-half of $1800.00 for the truck and trailer and two head of mules. I didn’t pay him anything down but I was to pay him out of the earnings of the truck; so much monthly or whatever I had to spare. I was to pay him all of it, and did pay him some along. I was engaged in the logging business for J. S. Hunt and Colson Lumber Company. It would be hard to tell where I was getting my timber from; in a general way, from Ellis O. Walline timber, Mr. Carson’s timber and some timber that came off of your land — it belonged to Mr. Hunt When I would haul that timber I used the money to buy feed and groceries for the men, pay the men off and pay for the equipment and stuff used on the equipment. I used some of that money on somebody else out there; I paid off the men and bought feed and equip[309]*309ment for the job; casings, tubes and gas and oil. I got some money and H. A. Moody got some money. Our arrangement or agreement about that was, I was to get $4.00 a day for running the job, and the proceeds was to be divided, after the men and all was paid off the rest was to be divided between Hobby and myself. We did carry out that agreement. We would get our money near the 15th and 1st I paid him some money. I paid him the money when we had our settlements every fifteen or thirty days. He would come to my home. Sometimes he would come there once a week; sometimes once a month and stayed up two or three weeks and worked on the job. When he worked he worked in the woods. He worked for me and himself; while he was working he drove a team. I stated he would come to my house when we would have those settlements. When I was paying him we would first figure up what we owed and pay the men and then we would divide the rest if there was any there, for a settlement. I paid him different amounts in cash; I signed a check over to him once.
“ * * * I paid him out of money I made hauling logs for J. S. Hunt and Coulson-Brad-ley Lumber Company. As to what transactions I had with H. A. Moody in 1929 and 1930, well we just had an agreement that I was to buy one-half interest in one truck and two head of mules; I leased two head of mules out later- — up there. I don’t know how much money I paid first and last on the teams and trucks. As to what finally became of the teams and trucks I bought an interest in — he got dissatisfied in me; in 1931. And he came up there and wanted to take the teams and trucks away, and I told him he knew- we had an account with Willis Mercantile Company. He was dissatisfied with the way the job was. I told him he could have my part of it and go, and we went up and talked to Mr. Paddock on the 5th day of June; and I went up there and agreed to turn everything over to him on the 5th day of June. I know that is the account sued on.
“ * * * Looking at this entire account— it was never marked paid up, but it was paid up — up until the time they had the books posted. Like this account here — $34.55 that was not paid, but this $3.20 was not posted. Every time I paid them I still owed them some more after I paid them.
“Q. Then why did you give Hobby — if you were not to split until all accounts were paid? A. He wanted me—
“I stated under the partnership agreement that I was not to get any money until all accounts were paid and I got $4.00. A. He wanted it and needed — . I am a cousin to Hobby. I do not have any property — wife and £wo kids, if you call that property.
“ * * ⅛ When I had the agreement with II. A. Moody, that is the time when the account was started and both of us was responsible for it. It covered what both bought on the account up to the 5th day of June, 1931, after that I had no occasion to check it.”
“On the 5th day of June when we made an agreement for Hobby to take this account over he agreed to take it all over and after-wards he objected to some of the things as being personal accounts and Mr. Paddock and Watson — the bookkeeper was to take $52.00 off of this account and apply it to a personal account of mine after that. That was after he ha& made an agreement to the whole account.
“ * * * When we first began operations up there, me and Hobby Moody, we operated at a profit. There was no objection as to the division of money when we were operating at a profit. There was not any objection when there was any division to be made. When I went in the red is when he objected to keeping it up any longer.”

Discussing a trip with H. A. Moody for the purpose of buying timber, W. E. Moody testified as follows: “We did not talk to anybody on that trip, me and Hobby Moody, only among ourselves. We were buying this timber to haul logs; to haul logs for J. S. Hunt.”

Mr. J. S. Hunt testified: “I know this Mr. Moody here. I don’t remember the date he was in there, but he and Ernest Moody come into my office just about the time they were hauling the last of the logs and began to ask a bunch of questions and I remember I talked pretty short to him. I didn’t know who he was and like to unloaded on him. It seemed he was interested in the account — it was going into the red and he w-anted to .know something about it. It was the account of Ernest Moody. Ernest Moody is the same as W. E. Moody.

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Related

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65 S.W.2d 334 (Court of Appeals of Texas, 1933)

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Bluebook (online)
77 S.W.2d 308, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/willis-mercantile-co-v-moody-texapp-1934.