Commonwealth Bonding & Casualty Ins. Co. v. Cator
Commonwealth Bonding & Casualty Ins. Co. v. Cator
Opinion of the Court
This action was ‘ brought in the district court of Hansford county against the Bankers’ Guaranty Company and certain individuals, as officers and organizers of both companies, to cancel a subscription to the capital stock of appellant and recover $625, paid in cash thereon. The venue was changed to Hemphill county, where, upon a trial before the court without a jury, judgment was rendered against the appellant company and in favor of appellee Cator, canceling the subscription, together with the stock certificate, the note, and deed of trust, and decreeing the recovery of $625. The appellee’s original petition stated, in substance, that in the spring of 1910 R. T. Stuart and Coke W. Harkrider undertook, as promoters, to bring about the organization of appellant company. In circulars and a prospectus prepared by them, they represented that the company was to commence business, when in good faith a cash capital of $200,000 had been paid in; that appellee subscribed in good faith and gave his note and mortgage, relying upon the prospectus and statements in the subscription list and representations made by their agent, one C. ,S. McDonald; that it was expressly understood, agreed, and stipulated in the sub-' scription contract that the company should be incorporated in pursuance of the laws of ■ *1076 •the state of Texas; that a charter was pro•cured for the company on the 23d of March, 1911, incorporating it under the laws of the :State of Arizona, and at that time the company did not have, in cash, exceeding $16,-000; that C. S. McDonald, who was the agent and representative, both of the organization company and ■ of appellant company, which was afterwards organized, stated, in substance, that the object of the organization was to procure cheap money for its members; that they had a paid-up capital stock at the time of the subscription of at least $200,000, and had capital stock already paid in to furnish stockholders money at 6 .per cent, interest, by approved real estate, .and that, under these representations, plaintiff subscribed for 125 shares of the stock at the agreed price of $5,000; that the corporation had not, as represented by McDon.ald, made arrangements whereby it could loan plaintiff money at 6 per cent, on approved real estate; that, upon ascertaining the falsity of the representations made by defendant, plaintiff rescinded the contract and tendered the appellant the certificate of stock, demanded a return of the money, note, etc.
Without setting out the allegations in detail, the petition alleges, with great particularity, the fraudulent representations, the condition of the company, and the facts entitling appellee to the relief sought; that, after the execution of the note and mortgage, the defendants fraudulently combined together for the purpose of inducing the plaintiff to so act as to estop himself from setting up the invalidity of the contract and the fraud perpetrated upon him. These acts •consisted of sending him proxies to vote his stock at meetings and inducing him to exchange his stock in appellant company for stock in the Bankers’ Guaranty Company, •organized by the same parties.
“It shall be sufficient for the party, excepting •to the conclusions of law or judgment of the •court, to cause it to be noted on the record in the judgment entry that he excepts thereto; ■and such party may thereupon take his appeal ■or writ of error without a statement of facts or further exceptions in 'the transcript; but the -.transcript shall in such cases contain the special ver-dict or conclusions of fact and law aforesaid, and the judgment rendered thereon.”
We conclude from this article that one appealing from a judgment rendered by the court without a jury need not file a motion for new trial, and it has been frequently so held (Frenzell v. Lexington, L. A. & I. Co., 126 S. W. 907; Luther v. Western Union Telegraph Co., 25 Tex. Civ. App. 31, 60 S. W. 1029; Griffin v. McKinney, 25 Tex. Civ. App. 432, 62 S. W. 82; Akes v. Sanford, 39 S. W. 952; G., C. & S. F. Ry. v. Gaedecke, 39 S. W. 312; Maverick v. Routh, 7 Tex. Civ. App. 669, 26 S. W. 1011; Bell County v. Alexander, 22 Tex. 350, 73 Am. Dec. 268); but, when no such motion is filed, the party appealing must except to the judgment and have the trial judge file findings of fact and conclusions of law (Pollard v. Allen & Sims, 171 S. W. 302, and authorities cited), or bring up a statement of facts in the record (Cornelius v. Harris, 163 S. W. 346; Greer v. Featherston, 95 Tex. 654, 69 S. W. 69). Failing in this, none hut fundamental errors can be considered.
The record does not show that appellee’s stock was voted at the meeting, or that it was even present at the meeting in which it was decided to incorporate under the laws of Arizona. The burden was upon appellant to establish this fact. Failing in this, appellee would not be estopped upon that ground. Cattlemen’s Trust Co. v. Beck, 167 S. W. 754; Kampman v. Tarver, 87 Tex. 491, 29 S. W. 768.
Appellee testified that McDonald’s representations induced him to make exchange of stock, and that, before he consented to make it, McDonald told him that the Bonding Company had been organized under the laws of Arizona, instead of under the laws of Texas. The general rule is that a subscriber who has been induced to purchase stock by misrepresentation waives his right to cancel the contract by a sale or transfer thereof. Francis v. New York, etc., Ry., 108 N. Y. 93, 15 N. E. 192. The question of waiver is largely one of intent. Kennedy v. Bender, 104 Tex. 149, 135 S. W. 524. No reason is given here why there should not be implied from appellee’s exchange of the stock, after he had been informed that the company was incorporated in Arizona, such an assumption of ownership .as would waive the right to cancel upon the ’ground that it was incorporated in a state other than was stipulated in the subscription •contract. Appellee cannot affirm the transaction by accepting and disposing of the stock, and at the same time maintain an action to cancel it, together with his contract. Appellee’s witness Branham testified that McDonald was not the agent of the Bonding Company in procuring the exchange of stock, but was sent out by R. T. Stuart, who was at that time the president of the Bankers’ Company; that, in advising appellee to exchange his stock, he and the other stockholders in the Bonding Company acted as individuals and not as officers or directors of the Bonding Company. Branham’s testimony is uncontradicted by any competent evidence, and, if true, appellant is not estop-ped to insist upon the fact of the exchange of stock as a waiver.
“Where a person is induced to subscribe to the shares of an intended corporation by the fraudulent representations of its promoters, and if after the corporation is organized, and at the time when it acquires the right to adopt or reject the subscription., so as to make it a binding contract, its managing officers are apprised of the fraud., such adoption is subject to the right of rescission on the part of such subscriber provided he rescinds promptly. This is upon the theory that when a corporation, with knowledge, adopts a contract procured in its behalf through fraud, it adopts the fraud as much as though the fraud had been committed by its authorized agent with the knowledge of its managing board of officers.” Helliwell on Stocks and Stockholders, § 83; 1 Thompson on Corporations (2d Ed.) 521; 10 Cyc. 262.
We find no evidence in the record that the appellant herein had any notice of the alleged fraud of McDonald until long after organization was perfected and appellee’s subscription had been accepted. The case of Commonwealth Bonding & Casualty Co. v. Bomar, 169 S. W. 1060, decided by this court, and cited by appellant, is not authority, because the subscription was after incorporation, and the officers of the corporation had notice of the fraud perpetrated upon Bomar.
Because of the errors hereinbefore discussed, the judgment must be reversed, and the cause remanded.
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