Graves v. Smith
Graves v. Smith
Opinion of the Court
This suit was filed in the justice court, precinct No. 1, of Lubbock county, Tex., on the 26th day of April, 1910, by Nancy M. Smith, against the defendant, R. W. Graves, for the recovery of $130, alleged to be due her in the form of an open account, together with interest from January 1, 1910, at the rate of 10 per cent, per annum, and alleging that A. P. Smith being now dead, and plaintiff, who was his wife and Is now his widow, being the sole heir at law,' is the owner of said account and as such is entitled to bring this suit; the account filed as the basis of said suit being as follows:
“April 26th, 1910.
“R. W. Graves in account with Nancy M. Smith.
November 15, 1909.$ 40 00
December 10, 1909....,. 50 00
December 30, 1909. 40 00
$130 00
“With interest from January 1, 1910, at the rate of ten per cent, per annum, said’ A. P. Smith being now dead, and plaintiff, who was his wife, and is now his widow, being sole heir at law, is the owner of said *490 account and as such is entitled to bring this suit.”
The defendant answered by a plea to the jurisdiction of the court and by a special exception, setting up in substance: (1) That said suit was based upon a debt payable to tbe estate of A. P. Smith, and that said A. P. Smith died intestate in the month of February, 1910, and that there had been no administration on said estate, and that there was no person or persons legally authorized to receive the said sums of money; (2) that plaintiff had not set forth a sufficient cause of action in her petition, such as would entitle her as an heir at law of A. P. Smith’s estate to maintain this suit, and in further answer by a plea admitted that he was indebted to the estate of the said A. P. Smith for money loaned to him by said A. P. Smith at different times, and that said sums of money were due and unpaid, and further that during the month of February, 1910, the said Smith died intestate, and that there has been no administration on said estate, and that one Nancy M. Smith, who resides in the state of Arkansas, is claiming to be the sole heir at law of theNsaid A. P. Smith’s estate and has sued this defendant, seeking to recover from him the sums of money which were due an4 owing by him and which he alleges he holds as a-trustee for the credit ■of the said estate or for the lawful heirs of said estate, without first establishing her legal right thereto, and that the defendant could not at that time lawfully pay the said sum of money to the said Nancy M. Smith as sole heir at law of said estate, or to any other person, without incurring the responsibility of having voluntarily paid over money due to said estate to a person who had not shown herself legally entitled to receive the same, the repayment of which sum of money the defendant could and would be compelled to pay to an administrator appointed to settle the affairs of said estate, and further pleaded that he was ready and willing at that time, and had been ready and willing at all times since the death of said A. P. Smith, to pay said sums of money, upon the presentation of a properly executed receipt by any person showing themselves to be legally entitled to receive the same, and that he brings the money into court for the purpose of paying ■said sums of money should the court find that said Nancy M. Smith is the sole and only heir of the said A. P. Smith, and further pleaded that, since the plaintiff had at no time before the trial shown herself to be the legally constituted person to receive the said sums of money, and he had at all times been ready to pay the sum to such persons, he ought in consequence to be relieved of the payment of all costs in this suit in this behalf expended, and prayed the court to grant him such other and further relief as would relieve him from all further liability to said estate for the repayment of said sums of money.
The justice court overruled the defendant’s plea to the jurisdiction and exceptions and proceeded to try the case on i'ts merits, and rendered judgment in favor of the plaintiff against the defendant, for the sum of $130, with 10 per cent, interest and costs of suit. From this judgment defendant appealed to the county court, wherein on the 15th day of October, 1910, the pleadings being the same as in the justice court, judgment was rendered overruling defendant’s plea to the jurisdiction and exceptions and awarding judgment for the plaintiff, against the defendant and the surety upon his appeal bond, for the amount of the account sued upon, with interest from January 1, 1910, at the rate of 6 per cent, per annum, and all costs of suit; the court finding, according to the recitals of said judgment, as follows: That the defendant, R. W. Graves, was indebted to A. P. Smith in the sum of $130 for borrowed money; that since the making of said loan the said A. P. Smith died; that he left surviving him his widow, plaintiff herein; that he never had a child or children; that said money so due him was a part of the community estate of said A. P. Smith and the plaintiff herein; that same is due and unpaid. From this judgment appellant, the defendant below, appeals to this court, and here assigns error and asks that said judgment be reversed and this cause dismissed.
It therefore follows that the trial court did not, in our opinion, err in overruling appellant’s plea to the jurisdiction and special exception alleging that there had been no administration of the estate of A. P. Smith, and that there was no person or persons legally authorized to receive or collect the debt sued on, and that said court also properly overruled appellant’s second ground of exception, we being of the opinion that no necessity for an administration is shown by the record in this case, and that appellee, under the law and the facts, was authorized to maintain this suit to recover the debt sued for in her own right and as owner of the same.
Finding no reversible error assigned by appellant or disclosed by the record, and not being satisfied that this appeal is for delay only, as suggested by appellee, we conclude that the judgment appealed from should be in all things affirmed, without damages, and it is, accordingly, so ordered.
Case-law data current through December 31, 2025. Source: CourtListener bulk data.