**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 

### Inontitlodto

cad with PO

St 

### theCoAtrActor for g a cloti under the con

### inpowd~ tiereminder of the e contzmtor by the Mlghvay Deed by Article f3160OSthe r?avlsed

%ometiae later the contractor camebefore the 

### ComlsalonersCourtandmdo 8 sattlmeat ofhl?iaaccountowlq to 

### thaCounty 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

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### vaamade,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&dpreviously prepmed ill 8 siidlar auLt. **Slouw0r,** I had not actwllg ftled the alit. i "The propooitioa DEwhich I **vocld U.ke**  **to bfwe**  an opsnton r’sxm

### yourdepcrrtrz?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 

### Article335 of tho Revised Civil ttataitds. "Thus rap I have not 

### preacnteti E bill to the Comiasionure Court, exd. I. d.onot 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~gthe coml~- aLon 51 14x22

lemllg entttled to it. "fi'houhole 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 Lnall 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 %Athe hand3o,Cthe 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 lx13been 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 Vl0WIt, the f%lilQ Of Su:it 18 AOt eQsent&&l to earnine: the 

### CoumissSon provided b7 Artitle 335; at most Lt 5.0only evia0Ace that aollectl.oa ua6 aifeut?d by the effgpti, of the Comity IEonomble 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 CaaghZm 

### my coz~on~~tlon ti thoao 

### inst.?r.cca vhom ho illed suit Ez4d ob*taiCJjuQxxtt 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,** myconclasion that th vo?d ‘collactod’, ao used iii A?tiClO 335, St?SQlyClbiXS th%t l%qUbkLtbA Wl8 eccmliched by the oSrorta of the County Attorney eftor the alala bad been placed %nhis ha&o.

‘In- the Inntant t35tcation the ‘marmyvcs not colleated by tse ia the umso that ‘it acttmllg pzsmd through up hods. Eowve?, the cloti or&eliquid&ted through ~?yMfortn, ml tho County accept& property IA lieu of .momy aftor It h?xl been plao& vlth ~$8 QS County Attorney for o@llcctlon, o;ld suit if 'noc0668ry. Xu our oplnto~ Fo. Ci*35c&,whit21Ye here adopt, YOhad urder conaZdomt2on vhgtb$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 

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

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

### doneto'propcrty **bolor@ng** to the county, anld Article 335

**.. ’**  .I tad no applicstlon tad the crouutyattorney VW not entitled to :i .~ .:sati commias~onsfbr 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 ~%ybe agoed upon betuoen hLmand tha Commi8slonerso Court. Weenolose~harevlth 6 Copy Or said OptAtOA.

It is our oplnlen, thrsrbfom,that oince them la no statute irtpoelng upozayou 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 narybe agreed upoa betmen you snd the Camlosioners’ ,Court.

Healso -enclose for your l.AformStioA cODle8 Of tXWepiniQA8 80s. O-5306, O-3656, and o-6%.

- Your0 vor7 truly,