Case Name: MANSFIELD et al. v. SECURITY TRUST CO. OF HOUSTON
Court: Texas Courts of Civil Appeals
Jurisdiction: Texas
Decision Date: 1915-04-07
Citations: 175 S.W. 771
Docket Number: No. 5459
Parties: MANSFIELD et al. v. SECURITY TRUST CO. OF HOUSTON.
Judges: 
Reporter: South Western Reporter
Volume: 175
Pages: 771–772

Head Matter:
MANSFIELD et al. v. SECURITY TRUST CO. OF HOUSTON.
(No. 5459.)
(Court of Civil Appeals of Texas. San Antonio.
April 7, 1915.)
Judgment <@=»17 — Service of Process — Requisites for Default Judgment.
Nothing essential by statute to service of citation may be left to inference to sustain a default judgment, and where the return does not show that a true copy of the citation was delivered to each of the defendants, a default judgment against them will be reversed.
[Ed. Note. — For other cases, see Judgment, Cent. Dig. §§ 25-33; Dec. Dig. <®=>17.]
Appeal from Harris County Court, at Law; Clark C. Wren, Judge.
Action by the Security Trust Company of Houston against H. P. Mansfield and others. There was a default judgment for plaintiff, and certain of the defendants appeal.
Reversed and remanded.
O’Brien Stevens, of Houston, for appellants.

Opinion:
MOURSUND, J.
The Security Trust Company of Houston obtained a judgment by default against H. P. Mansfield, W. C. Moore, and C. F. Stevens. Mansfield and Moore seek, by this proceeding, to set aside such judgment; their contention being that the return on the citation is insufficient to authorize a judgment by default against them.
Under the rule that nothing essential by statute to the service of a citation should be left to inference in order to sustain a judgment by default, we hold that the return in this case is insufficient to show that a true copy of the citation was delivered to each of the defendants Moore and Mansfield. The judgment against said two parties is reversed and the cause remanded.
<§^>For other cases see same topic and KEY-NUMBER in all Key-Numbered Digests and Indexes