Union Woolen Mills v. Starke
Union Woolen Mills v. Starke
Opinion of the Court
This is an appeal from an order overruling a plea of privilege. Ap-pellee’s suit was for the balance due under a rent contract which she alleged was in writing, and which, by its terms, was to be performed in Jefferson county. She was joined in the suit by her husband as a pro forma plaintiff, but we shall refer to her as appellee. Appellants duly filed their plea of privilege, praying that the cause of action be removed to Grayson county, where they had their domicile. Appellee replied by controverting affidavit.
We overrule the assignment of error that appellee did not sustain her venue by proof. It is our construction of the judgment that the tender of proof was waived, and that the parties, by agreement, submitted the case to the court on the allegations in plaintiff’s petition. This statement of the case leaves only one question, “Had the parties contracted in writing?” On this issue appellee alleged:
“That the said written contract was duly executed by the defendants, and a copy of said contract herein referred to and described is hereto attached, marked ‘Exhibit A,’ and made a part hereof for the purpose of reference. The said contract hereto attached is a copy of said contract between plaintiff, owner, and defendants, except as to the signature thereto by defendants, and as to this plaintiffs allege the following: That the said contract, copy of which is hereto attached as an exhibit, was on or about August 28, 1917, or a few days subsequent thereto, signed and executed in the following form and manner, ‘Union Woolen Mills, by R. A. Irvine,’ and as so executed was forwarded by the said R. A. Irvine, acting on behalf of said partnership, to the agents of plaintiff, R. E. Smith & Co., Beaumont, Tex., but that the said agents, thinking the signature to said contract not in proper form, returned the same to defendants, with the request that it be executed in a different form as pointed out by said agents. That the said defendants failed and refused thereafter to return the said contract to the plaintiffs, or their agents, and now keep and retain possession of the said contract as so executed, and *358 the said defendants are hereby notified to produce upon the trial hereof, the said written contract as before mentioned, and unless they do so, are notified that secondary evidence of the contents thereof will be introduced upon the trial thereof.”
“If the contract has been reduced to writing and treated by the parties as being in its final form, and apted on as a written contract, whether signed by the parties or their agents, or otherwise solemnized, it may be effectual to deprive the defendant of his privilege,” on authority of Connellee v. Werenskiold, 87 S. W. 748.
Appellee concedes that this proposition is sound, and urges that it sustains the venue in Jefferson county. As appellants have advanced this proposition, they cannot question its soundness.
On the original submission of this cause, we sustained appellants’ proposition that this contract was unilateral. As we let the case turn on that proposition, we did not discuss the other assignments of error. Possibly we were wrong in holding that this issue could be raised under a plea of venue. But we are not now passing on that question, as the proposition now advanced by appellants removes that issue from the case. Our original opinion can now serve no useful purposes in this record, and it is ordered that it be withdrawn. We would not be understood as holding that the contract, as pleaded, is enforceable against a plea that it is in contravention of the statute of frauds, but limit our holding to the point that, as presented on this appeal, appellee has properly laid her venue.
Appellee’s motion for rehearing is granted, and this cause is affirmed.
<SS=>For other eases see same topic and KBY-NTJMBER in all Key-Numbered Digests and Indexes
Case-law data current through December 31, 2025. Source: CourtListener bulk data.