Holt & Co. v. Wheeler County
Holt & Co. v. Wheeler County
Opinion of the Court
The appellants, a copartnership composed of several members residing in Hemphill county, Tex., brought suit against Wheeler county and its county commissioners, naming them, and one Henry Holmes, individually. The suit was for an injunction asking for writ restraining the commissioners’ court from entering into contract with Unit Construction Company, and that the contracts for letting the bids be reopened and relet, or that the action of the commissioners’ court be rescinded, and that plaintiff be awarded the contract as the lowest responsible bidder. The temporary writ of injunction as prayed for was granted, but upon motion made by the appel-lees the district judge, in chambers, dissolved the injunction and dismissed the suit. It was- alleged in the petition for injunction that, after advertising for bids on the construction of a highway bridge across the north fork of Red river, the county commissioners’ court convened on July 27th, and received three sealed bids for the construction of the bridge; the bid of appellant being $97,825.66, the bid of Brown-Abbott Company being $108,732.28, and of the Unit Construction Company, $108,145.70. Each bidder complied with the requirements of the court in making the bid according to the terms of the advertisement. The county awarded the contract to the Unit Construction Company, and rejected the bid of Holt & Co., solely upon the ground that the engineer of the highway department of the state, who was attending the session of the court, had stated that if the contract was awarded to Holt & Co. state and federal aid would be denied; that appellant in all respects complied with the -terms of the advertisement for bids, and deposited certified check for $2,-500, as stipulated therein; that it was able to carry out the terms and all the terms required, and to make the bond required for the construction of the bridge, and that it *228 was the lowest and best bidder; that its bid was rejected, and the bid of the Unit Construction Company accepted, at more than $10,000 above plaintiff’s bid, on account of the fact that Henry Holmes, one of the commissioners, was actuated by personal malice against the appellant, A. H. Holt. The particular matter alleged is as follows:
“That said commissioners acted under domination on one of their members, Henry Holmes, who was actuated by personal malice against plaintiff, A. H. Holt, and by personal friendship with the Unit Construction Company, and said commissioners based their action in making the award upon the false and fraudulent statements made by said Holmes privately to the other commissioners, to the effect that the engineers of the department of the state of Texas and of the United States, who were in attendance upon the session of the court, had stated that in case plaintiffs received the contract they would withdraw from Wheeler county the financial aid which said county contemplated receiving from the state and federal authorities as a contribution to the enterprise of building the bridge and improving the highway, whereas, in truth and in fact said engineers had made no such statement, or anything like it, and said federal and state aid would have been granted just the same if plaintiff had received the contract, as said court well knew; that said commissioners were actuated by said false and fraudulent statement in voting as they did.”
It is also alleged that if the engineers of the state department did threaten to withdraw such aid if the contract was let to Holt & Co. the same was an - attempt to coerce the commissioners and contrary to law. The petition further alleged the responsibility of the plaintiff in its capacity to erect the bridge and to do all work in connection therewith strictly according to the terms of the advertisement, plans, and specifications. The petition further alleged that—
After the contract was awarded by the commissioners’ court to the Unit Construction Company “plaintiffs visited Wheeler county and interviewed the county judge, Hon. L. D. Miller, and made the proposition to him that the commissioners’ court should reconvene and reconsider the matter of letting the contract and award it to the lowest responsible bidder, Holt & Co.; that said Miller then and there stated that the court' should reconvene and reconsider the matter and doubtless award the contract; or, in other words, that he was willing for the court to do so, provided the state highway department would allow the state aid to be given in case Holt & Co. received the contract; that said Miller then and there stated he had written the state highway engineer, Rollin J. Winrow, and had stated in letter to him that they wanted Holt & Co. to have the contract; that he believed the people wanted Holt & Co. to have the contract; that thereafter said highway engineer replied to said letter and stated that the highway commission considered that it had the right to say who should have the contract and dictate whether the state aid should be given, and that in no event, in case Holt & Co. got the contract, would the state aid be extended to this project.”
The appellants attached to their petition a copy of the notice for bids, the notice evidencing the fact that the county was intending to build the bridge under the law authorizing the state highway department to grant aid to certain roads. The notice gave the specifications for the bridge and the material to be used, directing bidders to the state highway department where the plans and specifications might be found, and it was expressly stated in the notice:
“The right is reserved to reject any and all proposals or to waive all technicalities.”
The advertisement for bids seems to have been under article 6966, Complete Texas Statues 1920. The article reads:
“The commissioners’ court of any such county may, when deemed best, construct, grade, gravel or otherwise improve any road or bridge by contract. In such case said court or the county judge may advertise, in such manner as said court may determine, for bids to do such work and the contract shall be awarded to the lowest responsible bidder, who shall enter into bond with good and sufficient sureties for the faithful compliance of such contract, but said court shall have the right to reject any and all bids.”
The appellant by proposition asserts that the district court erred in sustaining a general demurrer to plaintiff’s petition and in dissolving the temporary writ of injunction, because the petition disclosed that under the advertisement for bids Holt & Co. was the lowest responsible bidder; that the commissioners’ court so believed, and would have awarded the contract to them but for tbe false and fraudulent statements of one of the members of tbe court, which statements were untrue, but believed and relied upon by tbe remainder of the court.
“Mandamus and mandatory injunctions in favor of the lowest bidder, or at the instance of a taxpayer to prevent award to others, will seldom be granted, and the refusal of such relief is based on various grounds, as discretion in the awarding board, or that if he has the contract mandamus is not the proper remedy, * * * or that a provision in the statute or charter requiring the award to be made to the lowest bidder was for the benefit of the public and not for the contractor.”
In the case of Brown v. City of Houston, supra, it was sought to restrain the mayor and city counsel and one Winn, to whom a contract had been awarded, to build a public school building, and to compel them by mandamus to let to plaintiff. It was shown in the petition advertisement for bids had been published and the contract awarded to Winn, though plaintiff’s bid was lower by some 8900. A demurrer was sustained to the petition, and the case dismissed. The charter of the city of Houston gave to the counsel “the right to reject any and all bids.” In the advertisement there, as in this case, such right was preserved. The court said, speaking through Judge Williams:
“The counsel and not the court is the body in whose fidelity and judgment the law has committed the decision of such question, and this function cannot be taken away or usurped by the court. The requirement as to bids is a safeguard by which the counsel is required to obtain information, and particularly by which the interest in their care may be subserved. The use they shall make of such information is prescribed by the charter, and, of course, it is their duty to observe the direction. But it is not in the province of a court to control by the use of its writ the decision which the law allows them to make for themselves.”
“The lowest bidder is not entitled to an injunction to restrain a proposed violation of a statute requiring contracts to be let to the lowest bidder, or lowest and best reliable bidder, or lowest responsible bidder.” 3 Mc-Quillin, Municipal Corporations, § 1240, p. 2708; Colorado Paving Co. v. Murphy, 78 Fed. 28; 23 C. C. A. 631, 37 L. R. A. 630.
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Reference
- Full Case Name
- HOLT & CO. v. WHEELER COUNTY Et Al.
- Cited By
- 9 cases
- Status
- Published