OFFICE OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL OF TEXAS 

AUSTIN1 

Bmomblo cUll8A B. lkZW0 

Coacp Attorney 

ssac&8~e~xit’ 

8 

Et%zr slrt Opialon IFo. O-6695 

Rer Whothor D comt 

In ontitlod to 

cad with PO 

St the CoAtrActor for 

g a cloti under the coninpowd~ tie reminder of the 

e contzmtor by the Mlghvay Deed by Article f3160 OS the r?avlsed 

%ometiae later the contractor came before the 

Comlsaloners Court and mdo 8 sattlmeat of hl?ia account owlq to tha County by aelllng to the County a 

piece of his road build- eqQnaent for an tuimmt 

excoedlng the claim, the Couatg payIns the dl.fYarcaco 

IA Cash to the COAt+,OP. At the time the settlemmt 

_ I 
., 

i 

., 

_. 

. 

. 

vaa made, I vas prepiarWa to Intervono %.A behalf of 

tho county In 8 @ult, vhlch I undbmt9od had been 

filed by soclo of’ tho croditora of tta Contractor, 

a~4 had dane rmo YG& on a tr%al brief, fiupplozientI.% a siailar brlol that jl b&d previously prepmed 

ill 8 siidlar auLt. Slouw0r, I had not actwllg ftled 

the alit. i 

"The propooitioa DE which I vocld U.ke to bfwe 

an opsnton r’sxm your depcrrtrz?nt io vhet~.or or cot 

as County Attorccy I au entltled to a~ ccanL~3ion on 

the cmmt ot” the claim a$&mt the contractor, radm the prc+~~lsloae of Article 335 of tho Revised 

Civil ttataitds. 

"Thus rap I have not preacnteti E bill to the 

Comiasionure Court, exd. I. d.o not vant to do ao UILiasa Z aiz clearly cntltled to the ntatutory comls3iOA. Ifo;tersr, f 80 sure that the Commtnoiorrers 

Comt wlllmdce no objection to pzzgi~g the coml~- 

aLon 51 14x22 lemllg entttled to it. 

"fi'ho uhole qUbCtt%OA, a8 ?: view it, depnnds OA 

M interprotatlon or the, word *collected9 aa used ’ 

In Article 3%; ti it lo dLfTicult for me to &3- 

v:se a malo t~lit uill apply Ln all altuatlons 80 

as to follow the Latent OT the statute. It occur6 

to me, homver, that, arts? the Commsssionors Court 

has nttmpted to collect a claim wxlng the County aad, 

hav& faLled, pkacoo it %A the hand3 o,C the County 

Attornby for Uquidatian, the latter officer i6 entitled to the statutory Omission F0gAI'd1066 OS how 

the alain ia finelly settled. This is the usual intorpretaticn In tmtten between the sttormoy and 

&Lent in pmrats b~uuiness. Often In prlimta pawtice a debtor upon being notitied by an sttorneg 

that he lx13 been employed in the natter of a claim, 

pays the indebto&csa direct to the creditor; but 

thW6 ha6 AbVQr bobA l%Ay Ql05ttOA Ln 8 6itUXtia 

of thLe kind but vhat the attorney employed on o. 

cantlngmt h~Z.8 iu ontitled to hia foe. 

‘Aa 1 Vl0W It, the f%lilQ Of Su:it 18 AOt eQsent&&l to earnine: the CoumissSon provided b7 Artitle 335; at most Lt 5.0 only evia0Ace that aollectl.oa ua6 aifeut?d by the effgpti, of the Comity 

I 
Eonomble Cullen B. Vanco,‘p~~o 3 

Attonoy. Xorcover, it would mm that it Is not 

ncccsrcrry that tho cmey collected actwl1.y be paid 

to and roaotvcd by the County Attorney; for to 60 

hqld vould Caag hZm my coz~on~~tlon ti thoao inst.?r.cca vhom ho illed suit Ez4d ob*taiCJ juQxxtt 

c3a.tb w25y 10 Oitb0~ p3id ci~~lg to t2o C0tuty 

or la collected by the 3horiff or of2xw officer =;=I 

der czecutlon’ or othvr proccoa. Xt ie, thorefom, 

my conclasion that th vo?d ‘collactod’, ao used 

iii A?tiClO 335, St?SQly ClbiXS th%t l%qUbkLtbA Wl8 

eccmliched by the oSrorta of the County Attorney 

eftor the alala bad been placed %n his ha&o. 

‘In- the Inntant t35tcation the ‘marmy vcs not 

colleated by tse ia the umso that ‘it acttmllg pzsmd 

through up hods. Eowve?, the cloti or&e liquid&ted 

through ~?y Mfortn, ml tho County accept& property 

IA lieu of .momy aftor It h?xl been plao& vlth ~$8 QS 

County Attorney for o@llcctlon, o;ld suit if 'noc0668ry. 

Xu our oplnto~ Fo. Ci*35c&, whit21 Ye here adopt, YO had 

urder conaZdomt2on vhgtb$r a Comty attorney vbo had been dlrocted 

to brihz ouit a~ainnt tua Inclvlci~l for &zmqos $tmo to property 

be1ongf.r~~ to the county Vns entit&d to the CO~oo~onn prescribed 

- by Article 33Tr Vernon18 Annotated Civil Stututocs. Ve thoro hold : 

thfst, 6inCe thbP0 VS.3 A0 PtfitUte &l~OOiU~ UjMll tb0 COUUty 8ttOlTl8y 

. ..i’ tho duty to ropreeent the. county in 0 autt bmu&t to racovor 

.: % d.zztges done to'propcrty bolor@ng to the county, anld Article 335 

..’ .I tad no applicstlon tad the crouuty attorney VW not entitled to :i .~ . :sati commias~ons fbr b2.s eorvle0s. It v.26 furthor hold, hmever, 

that the cosnloslonora~. Court ccald 1e~lIy contnct vith the county 

attorney to bring eati sxlt and-pay h2u a xymomblo caPrp@nsation 

for hla said eervlcer as ~%y be agoed upon betuoen hLm and tha 

Commi8sloners o Court. We enolose~harevlth 6 Copy Or said OptAtOA. 

It is our oplnlen, thrsrbfom, that oince them la no 

statute irtpoelng upoza you an county sttornoy the duty to handlo ’ 

the twstters set out in your rcquoat, you arb not entitled to the 

cou@ssiona,px-ovided Sor ln o&d &tlcle 335 or Vernon’s Annotated 

ctv11 3tatutes. You are entitled, hovtmw, to be paid such 

roaaonable com~ensatlon fop pow YerVbes as nary be agreed upoa 

betmen you snd the Camlosioners’ ,Court. 

He also -enclose for your l.AformStioA cODle8 Of tXW epiniQA8 80s. O-5306, O-3656, and o-6%. 

- Your0 vor7 truly,