First St. Bank of Teague v. Harris
First St. Bank of Teague v. Harris
Opinion of the Court
Appellant sued appellee to recover the possession of certain premises, for rent due thereon, and caused a writ of sequestration to be issued and levied on same. Defendant answered! by general demurrer, general denial, and reconvened for damages for the wrongful suing out of the sequestration. A trial resulted in favor of defendants for $450 damages, and appellant prosecutes this appeal.
The suit was for possession of certain property and to recover certain rents due. The verdict of the jury was, “We, the jury, find for defendant J. M. Harris and wife, $450.00, actual damages in this ease,” which was signed by the foreman. The judgment simply follows the verdict decreeing a recovery for said damages, but in no way disposes of the issue of possession or rents claimed by plaintiff. It only disposes of the issue of actual damages presented by defendants, and makes no final disposition of the other two. It is true the court instructed the jury that plaintiff was not entitled to recover for the rent claimed, but this cannot be considered in connection with the verdict and judgment to determine what was the finding of the jury in this case. The court’s instruction was to govern the jury in their finding, and the verdict alone is to be looked to to determine what they decided. If a general verdict had been rendered it would have been sufficient, but it does not do that, but only deals with defendant’s claim for damages. Railway Co. v. Magee, 132 S. W. 901; Williams & Co. v. Smith, 98 S. W. 916.
For the error pointed out, the judgment is reversed and cause remanded.
Case-law data current through December 31, 2025. Source: CourtListener bulk data.