Commercial Standard Ins. Co. v. Lowrie
Decision Date | 16 March 1932 |
Docket Number | No. 8777.,8777. |
Citation | 49 S.W.2d 933 |
Parties | COMMERCIAL STANDARD INS. CO. v. LOWRIE. |
Court | Texas Court of Appeals |
Appeal from District Court, Live Oak County; T. M. Cox, Judge.
Suit by W. L. Lowrie against the Commercial Standard Insurance Company. Judgment for plaintiff, and defendant appeals.
Reversed and remanded.
Touchstone, Wight, Gormley & Price and W. P. Bondies, all of Dallas, for appellant.
Samuel Belden, Grover C. Morris, and Joe L. Hill, all of San Antonio, for appellee.
Appellee sued appellant in Live Oak county, alleging that about February 5, 1930, he was employed by the C. C. Moore Construction Company in the town of George West, Live Oak county, as a laborer at a regular wage of $17.50 per week; that on or about said date, in the course of his employment, plaintiff was severely and painfully and permanently injured in his back, spine, right side, and several other internal injuries by being knocked off a bridge by another employee. Appellee alleged that his employer, C. C. Moore Construction Company, was a subscriber under the terms and provisions of the Employer's Liability Act of the State of Texas, and had procured from appellant, Commercial Standard Insurance Company, an insurance policy, which was in full force and effect at the time of appellee's injury; and that in accordance with the terms of said policy and its provisions the appellant became bound and obligated to pay appellee such sums as might become due and payable as compensation and for medical and hospital expenses under the Employers' Liability Act of the State of Texas (Rev. St. 1925, arts. 8306-8309 as amended).
That for the purpose of defrauding and cheating appellee, the appellant induced appellee to go to Dallas, and while there obtained from him his signature to a compromise agreement, through its physician and other agents, on their representation to him that such instrument was a receipt for compensation then due appellee in the sum of $200.
Appellee, among other things, alleges:
To this pleading the appellant filed a plea of privilege and a sufficient answer.
The plea of privilege sought to transfer the cause of action to Dallas, the place where the alleged fraud was committed, which plea and all exceptions to the pleading were overruled.
While it is true the case may have been tried where the fraud was alleged to have been committed, still it was properly brought in Live Oak county, where the injury occurred. Mingus v. Wadley, 115 Tex. 551, 285 S. W. 1084; Savage v. H. C. Burks & Co. (Tex. Civ. App.) 270 S. W. 244; San Jacinto Life Ins. Co. v. Boyd (Tex. Civ. App.) 214 S. W. 482; Lumbermen's Reciprocal Ass'n v. Day (Tex. Com. App.) 17 S.W.(2d) 1043, 1045; Day v. Lumbermen's Reciprocal Ass'n (Tex. Civ. App.) 8 S.W.(2d) 709; Todd v. Southern Casualty Co. (Tex. Civ. App.) 18 S.W.(2d) 695; Yates v. State (Tex. Civ. App.) 3 S.W.(2d) 114, 117.
The insurance company was a foreign corporation and suit was properly brought in Live Oak county. Article 1995, R. S.; San Jacinto Life Ins. Co. v. Boyd, supra; Yates v. State, supra. We think, under the law, that the suit was properly brought and tried in Live Oak county.
The appellant filed no motion for a new trial and cannot now be heard to complain of the action of the court in overruling the motion.
We think the evidence was sufficient to show that when appellant induced appellee to go to Dallas he was sick and had no means of making a livelihood; that he was permanently injured and would never recover so as to be able to do manual labor; that the statements made by the agents and representatives of appellant were in law false and fraudulent; and that the settlement was procured by fraud. The trial court found the facts against appellant and that the settlement was procured by fraud. International & G. N. R. Co. v. Shuford, 36 Tex. Civ. App. 251, 81 S. W. 1189, 1190; Johnson v. Gulf, C. & S. F. R. Co., 36 Tex. Civ. App. 487, 81 S. W. 1197.
The evidence clearly established a permanent injury, and that the settlement was made through fraud and imposition perpetrated upon appellee, who in fact did not know that he was signing a full release of his claim.
The appellee suffered pain and anguish and spent money for medical treatment and hospital fees. All these facts were found by the trial court in favor of appellee. Appellee testified that he would not have signed the paper if he had known that it was a full release. The testimony upon the point is very full and complete.
The assignments have all been read and considered. They are without merit and are overruled.
There was ample evidence as to the nature and result of the injury to support the court's findings, and believing the case fairly tried and substantial justice done, the judgment is affirmed.
On Motion for Rehearing.
Appellee sustained compensable injuries as an employee under the terms of the Workmen's Compensation Act (Rev. St. 1925, arts. 8306-8309 as amended). Subsequently he settled his claim against appellant, the insurer, for the sum of $200 cash, which settlement was submitted to and approved by the Industrial Accident Board as fair and just.
Subsequently appellee filed a claim with the board for compensation, but the board declined to hear it, upon the ground that it had lost jurisdiction thereof.
Appellee then filed this suit in Live Oak county, in which he received the injuries complained of. He alleged that he was induced to make the compromise by the fraud of appellant's agents committed in Dallas county, prayed that that agreement be set aside, and that he have judgment for compensation as under the...
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