Young v. Sorenson Hooper
Young v. Sorenson Hooper
Opinion of the Court
Appellees sued appellant on October 20, 1911, in justice’s court of precinct No. 1 of Aransas county for $134.28 due on account. November 27, 1911, appellant filed his written answer containing demurrer and special exceptions. November 27, 1911, plaintiffs filed their account, itemized, the items dated from January 1 to April 13, 1909, aggregating $134.2S, and an item of 15 cents being dated March 17, 1910. Defendant filed demurrer, general denial, and specially pleaded the statutes of limitation of two years as to all items except the 15 cents, which he admitted owing. He also orally pleaded payment of said account. December 26, 1911, plaintiffs filed an amendment alleging that, defendant being a farmer and engaged in rural occupations, his account was not considered due until January 1,1910. December 29, 1911, plaintiff recovered judgment in the justice’s court for $150.45. After defendant appealed the case to the county court, plaintiffs on April 15, 1912, filed their first supplemental petition, to which defendant answered by demurrer, special exceptions, and oral plea of payment. The trial resulted in a verdict and judgment in favor of plaintiffs for $150.45, and defendant appealed.
The contentions relied upon by appellant, and to be considered, are that the issue submitted was not pleaded, and that there is no evidence justifying its submission. Appellant, in his statement, says plaintiff did not plead that the parties ever entered into any contract fixing a time when the account sued on would become due; and this statement is not denied by appellee in his answer to the assignment. Appellees merely ash us to presume that the allegations were aided by verbal pleading because this case originated in the justice’s court. We cannot indulge such a presumption where appellee filed written pleadings in the county court.
We gather from the briefs that appellees alleged several grounds depended upon to avoid the force of the statute of limitations, among others that a contract existed between the parties that the account should become due on January 1st, after the date of the purchases. Such allegation would not justify the charge objected to, as is fully realized hy appellees when they ask us to indulge the presumption of a verbal pleading to aid the charge.
There was absolutely no evidence of any agreement that the account should be due on January 1st following its making; and in fact Sorenson, one of the appellees, testified there never was any agreement as to when the account should become due, but he also testified that, during his long course of dealing, it was understood between his firm and appellant that the goods would be paid for when appellant got the money to do so. We do not consider the vague statements regarding an understanding between the parties as sufficient to raise the issue of an agreement in the face of his positive testimony that there was no agreement. The assignment is sustained.
The judgment is reversed, and the cause remanded.
Reference
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- Young v. Sorenson & Hooper
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