Wittliff v. Biscoe

128 S.W. 1153, 61 Tex. Civ. App. 125, 1910 Tex. App. LEXIS 703
CourtCourt of Appeals of Texas
DecidedMay 12, 1910
StatusPublished

This text of 128 S.W. 1153 (Wittliff v. Biscoe) 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
Wittliff v. Biscoe, 128 S.W. 1153, 61 Tex. Civ. App. 125, 1910 Tex. App. LEXIS 703 (Tex. Ct. App. 1910).

Opinion

LEYY, Associate Justice.

— The appellee' agreed to sell his house and lot in Mineral Wells, Texas, to the appellants for the consideration of $4,500, payable as follows: A note for $3,095 and the interest, secured by a mortgage on certain property known as the Pike Well, and $1,405 in cash. The cash was to be paid in the following terms of agreement: $75 at the time of the sale, and $1,330 in ten days from the date of the sale, and to be evidenced by a promissory note. The deed to the property was executed and delivered to Julius Wittliff, the husband of Mrs. S. Wittliff, and recited the consideration as paid, and was a general warranty deed in form. The day following the execution of the deed, Julius Wittliff deeded the same over to his wife, reciting "$1 and love and affection.” The $3,095 mortgage note was the separate estate of Mrs. Wittliff. Mrs. Wittliff knew and participated in the negotiation of the terms of sale between appellee and her husband. The note was not paid, and appellee instituted suit to recover the amount of the same against Julius Wittliff, and to foreclose the vendor’s lien against the property against both Mrs. Wittliff and her husband. Appellant, Mrs. Wittliff, answered, among other things, that appellee agreed to convey to her the property free of any lien or claim on account of unpaid purchase money, and agreed to look solely to her husband for the $1,330, and that appellee waived his lien and released the property of any claim on account of the note. The appellee, by replication to the answer denied that there was any agreement to waive the vendor’s lien and look to other security alone, and averred that other security was accepted as additional security, and not in release or abandonment of his vendor’s lien. The trial was to a jury on special issues. Judgment was entered for appellee for *127 his debt against Julius WittlifE and for foreclosure of the lien on the property conveyed.

The evidence shows that at the maturity of the ten-day note for $1,330 it was not paid, and a renewal thereof was executed payable October 1st after date, and a deed of trust was executed by Julius WittlifE to secure same on 157 acres of land in Rusk County, Texas. It appears in the record that at the time WittlifE gave the deed of trust on Rusk County Land, he was not the owner. of the land, but had several months prior thereto conveyed same by deed of record to other parties. The evidence is in conflict as to whether there was an agreement between the appellee and the appellants at the time of the sale of the property in question, to waive the vendor’s lien for the unpaid purchase money and to accept other security for the unpaid purchase money. The jury decided the conflict against the contention oE appellants and in favor of appellee, and the finding is supported by the testimony. All the material issues of fact in the case were decided against the contention of appellants and in favor of appellee, and, as they were supported by the evidence, we assume the truth thereof.

After stating the case. — The first, second and third assignments can be disposed of in combination as challenging the action of the court in overruling exceptions made to the replication of appellee to the answer of appellants. The appellant, Mrs. WittlifE, made answer to the suit of appellee to foreclose a vendor’s lien on the house and lot conveyed by him to appellants for the amount of the note in suit, that the appellee agreed to convey the property to Mrs. WittlifE free of any lien or claim on account of unpaid purchase money and agreeing to look solely to Julius WittlifE, her husband, for the sum of the note and $75 additional, and that appellee at the time of the sale expressly waived his vendor’s lien, and released Mrs. WittlifE and the property from all claim on account of the note. Stated in a simple way, the appellants plead a waiver of the vendor’s lien at the time of sale of the property (1) by express agreement, and (2) by an agreement to look to Julius WittlifE, the husband, and other security. The appellee made reply to the answer of waiver, and (1) denied that there was any agreement to waive the vendor’s lien, and (2) asserted as to the security on 157 acres of Rusk County land, that subsequent to the sale “plaintiff accepted said deed of trust as additional security for said note.” The replication of appellee undertook to set up all the facts in explanation of the sale of the house and lot to appellants, and the taking of the security on the Rusk County land. There were averments in detail, in the explanation stated, of fraudulent representations made by Wittliff to appellee to deceive and induce the taking of the security on the Rusk County land. The fraudulent representations alleged were as to his solvency, and value and ownership of the land. There were allegations affirmatively showing insolvency by bankruptcy, want of ownership in the Rusk County land, and the worthlessness of the same. Appellants excepted to the allegations of fraud, and fraudulent representations, and bankruptcy, on the grounds stated. 1. “They further specially except to said allegations alleging that such fraudulent representations were made at, and prior to the time of the conveyance to the defendant by plaintiff of the property in controversy, *128 and that such allegations were relied upon by the plaintiff, and were an inducement to him to máke the said trade because plaintiff does not anywhere in said petition or elsewhere, ask for a rescission, and he can not affirm the said transaction in part and rescind same in part. 2. “And further specially except to all such allegations as to such representations being made after the consummation of the transaction in question, for the reason that such representations could have been no inducement to plaintiff in the transaction.” 3. The affirmative allegations as to insolvency and bankruptcy were excepted to as immaterial and having no bearing upon the validity of the lien. We think there was no reversible error in the ruling of the court on the grounds contended for by appellants.

Appellants’ first exception is, in effect, the contention that appellee could not plead the explanation of the taking of the security on the Eusk County land, because, there being no offer to rescind the entire transaction of sale of the land in suit, to seek to avoid as to the waiver of the lien only, and otherwise affirm the sale of the land, would be to seek rescission in part and affirmance in part of the same transaction, which is a remedy not allowable. The point presented is not, we think, raised by the appellee’s replication. The pleading does not seek to rescind in part and affirm in part the same transaction. The averment here complained of was a statement of one taking, and reasons inducing the taking, of security on the Eusk County land. The purpose of the averments was to put the court in full possession of the facts concerning the taking of such security, that the court might determine whether the taking of such security in the circumstances was operative as an implied waiver between the parties. The replication expressly denied an agreed release or waiver of the lien, and affirmed the taking of the security on the Eusk County land as additional security. And the replication, going further, sought to explain the taking of this other security in order to prevent the act from being construed as a matter of law by the court as an implied waiver of the lien, by intention of the parties.

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Bluebook (online)
128 S.W. 1153, 61 Tex. Civ. App. 125, 1910 Tex. App. LEXIS 703, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/wittliff-v-biscoe-texapp-1910.