Vahlsing v. Collier Cobb & Associates of Dallas, Inc.
Vahlsing v. Collier Cobb & Associates of Dallas, Inc.
Opinion of the Court
Collier Cobb & Associates of Dallas, Inc., sued F.H. Vahlsing, Jr. & Vahlsing Contracting Corporation on an indemnity agreement, alleging defendant’s obligations under the agreement had been assigned to plaintiff Cobb by Commercial Union Insurance Company. The trial court rendered summary judgment against Vahlsing and his corporation, and both appealed. We reverse and remand the case for trial.
The sole question on this appeal is whether Cobb’s failure to produce its alleged assignment from Commercial Union Insurance Company precluded the rendition of summary judgment. Cobb maintains that production of the assignment was unnecessary because Vahlsing did not dispute the assignment by filing a sworn pleading under rule 93(i) of the Texas Rules of Civil Procedure. We disagree. Absence of a sworn denial under rule 93(i) only effects waiver of challenge to the genuineness of an assignment which has otherwise been produced; it does not dispense with proof of the existence of the transfer.
Rule 93 requires certain matters in pleadings to be verified by affidavit. Subdivision (i), the rule requires verification of
*117 A denial of the genuineness of the in-dorsement or assignment of a written instrument upon which suit is brought by an indorsee or assignee and in the absence of such a sworn plea, the indorsement or assignment thereof shall be held as fully proved . . . [Emphasis added]
Cobb’s final argument is that attachment of the assignment was unnecessary because its terms had been admitted by Yahlsing’s failure to answer Cobb’s requests for admission.
Reversed and remanded.
. Those requests for admission detailed the terms of the instrument which was allegedly assigned, and those terms were admitted when the trial court struck Vahlsing’s answers to the requests before rendering summary judgment. See Tex.R.Civ.Proc., Rule 169.
070rehearing
ON MOTION FOR REHEARING
On rehearing, Cobb argues that summary-judgment proof of an assignment was unnecessary because, as an insurance broker, Cobb could sue in its own name as assignee. In support of this connection, Cobb cites Holmes v. Thomason, 25 Tex.Civ.App. 389, 61 S.W. 504 (1901, no writ), which holds that an insurance broker can sue in its own name when it procures the policy for the insured and pays the premium. We cannot accept this argument. Even assuming the viability of the Holmes rationale, there is no summary-judgment proof that Cobb has paid the premium in this case.
Motion for rehearing overruled.
Reference
- Full Case Name
- F. H. VAHLSING, Jr. and Vahlsing Contracting Corporation, Appellants, v. COLLIER COBB & ASSOCIATES OF DALLAS, INC., Appellee
- Cited By
- 11 cases
- Status
- Published