Rudolph v. Price
Rudolph v. Price
Opinion of the Court
This suit was instituted by appellant, O. F. Rudolph, to enjoin a trustee’s sale under a deed of trust executed by appellant to secure appellee O. F. Loomis in the payment of a certain promissory note, executed by appellant, Rudolph, in the sum of $2,114.98. Appellant, Rudolph, alleges, in substance, the threatened sale, that he does not owe the note or any part thereof, the transfer of the note from appellee Loomis to appellee Price; that the only indebtedness of a similar amount which is due the said Loomis by any person was a loan made by the said Loomis to the Union Town Company, in the sum of $2,000, about the 25th day of July, 1907; that said loan was made for a consideration of 10 shares of the capital stock of said Town Company, and that Loomis demanded and retained no security for said loan; that afterwards, on about the 10th day of December, 1907, appellant, as an act of accommodation to Loomis, and to enable him -to tender security to one H. A. Kight on an indebtedness due to the said Kight from the said Loomis, and the security for which indebtedness, previously given to the said Kight, he (the said Loomis) had previously destroyed and rendered valueless, and that, wholly, without consideration to appellant, he had delivered to Loomis the note and the deed of trust, which is sought to be foreclosed by trustee’s sale. Appellant ’further alleges that at the time of the execution of the note and deed-of trust he frequently informed the appellee Loomis that the said Union Town Company, and not appellant, would have to pay the debt; that the assignment and transfer of said note and deed of trust was made by Loomis to 'Price without the knowledge and consent of appellant. Appellant further alleges that there was no consideration for the note and mortgage attempted to be foreclosed; and that said note was accommodation paper. Appellees denied that the note was executed or delivered by appellant to Loomis as accommodation to him and without consideration, but that it was a renewal and extension of a prior indebtedness existing between the parties, evidenced by the note, in the sum of $2,000, dated July 24, 1907; that upon execution of the new note the old note was canceled; that the original note was made for a loan of money which defendant himself borrowed, in order to loan to plaintiff.
By cross-action, appellee Price sought judgment for the amount of the last note and *1038 foreclosure of the deed of trust. There was a verdict and judgment in favor of appel-lees, and appellant, Rudolph, is before us upon numerous assignments of error.
In connection with this assignment, the statement of facts shows that Rudolph testified as follows: “This paper was given to Loomis — this note and -deed of trust — as accommodation paper, to protect him against various severe pressure on the part of his creditor, Mr. Eight, to meet which indebtedness to Mr. Eight, Mr. Loomis stated that he had neither money nor security to put up. I did this because Mr. Loomis and I were partners in business, our relations were friendly, cordial, and confidential, and because from his own statement and those of Mr. Eight it appeared very necessary that he should have such paper. It was given to him for a 90-day period of time, loaned to him, with the understanding that it was to be applied or used as collateral to secure Eight, and until other arrangements, either to secure or pay, could be made by Loomis. Loomis afterward paid same.” The testimony last above quoted was admitted for the consideration of the jury; and under the issues we think appellant cannot complain, since the testimony admitted by the court is all, if not more, than he had a right to demand under the state of the pleadings. It will be observed that, while the note and mortgage had been assigned and transferred by Loomis to Price, in the trial of the cause, Price sought no advantage by reason of being the transferee of accommodation paper; but the contest was waged by him from the standpoint of Loomis. The pleadings of Ru- *1039 iolpli raised the issue of accommodation paper and also want of consideration. Price insisted that it was not accommodation paper, hut that the note and mortgage were based upon sufficient consideration. This being the state of the controversy, it was permissible for Rudolph to introduce any competent testimony to sustain his allegation that the note had been executed by him for the accommodation of Loómis; and the trial judge, in admitting the testimony last above quoted, certainly gave him that right to its fullest extent. To permit him to go further and drag into the ease a lot of matter which has no bearing whatever upon the issue of accommodation paper, nor upon the issue of want of consideration, but the effect of which would have been solely to have prejudiced Loomis in the minds of the jury, was a right to which appellant is not entitled, as we understand the rule requiring the evidence, not only to correspond with the allegations, but to be confined to the very point at issue. Since the appellee Price stood in the shoes of Loomis and sought no advantage by reason of being the assignee of the paper, the issue of accommodation paper becomes immaterial, and the contest really narrowed down to the question of consideration. If in fact there was no consideration moving to Rudolph at the time ©f the execution of the note, it becomes wholly immaterial what motives of friendship impelled Rudolph in executing the note to Loomis. There being no consideration, Price could not recover on it; and, in our opinion, if there was a consideration for it, Rudolph’s reasons for its execution are equally immaterial. The alleged crimes of Loomis were collateral matters and res inter alios acta; and their introduction could not have been sustained upon any known rule of evidence. Biggar v. Lester, 27 S. W. 707; Stockton v. Brown, 106 S. W. 423; M., K. & T. Ry. Co. v. Bailey, 53 Tex. Civ. App. 295, 115 S. W. 601-607; Stuart v. Kohlburg, 53 S. W. 596; Roche v. Coleman (Ky.) 42 S. W. 739. “The fact that a person wishes or hopes to do a thing, or that the thing has been done, because of a particular reason, * * * while it may have some psychological connection with the act, and may, from an analytical standpoint, suggest some logical inference with respect to the act, is not such evidence as the law recognizes as a basis of legal inference.” McKelvey’s Ev. p. 192, § 115%.
The sixth assignment complains of the court’s refusal to give special charge No. 6, requested by appellant. The charge requested is argumentative, and, in our opinion, is upon an issue not supported by either the pleadings or the evidence, and is therefore overruled.
The seventh, eighth, and ninth assignments challenge the sufficiency of the evidence to support the verdict and judgment; and the tenth assignment is based upon the alleged error of the court in overruling plaintiff’s motion for a new trial. These assignments relate to matters within the province of the jury and trial judge, and are all overruled.
Finding no reversible error in the record, the judgment of the lower court is affirmed.
Reference
- Full Case Name
- Rudolph v. Price [Fn&8224]
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