Opinion ID: 1740046
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: The Order of August 17, 1979

Text: On July 20, 1979, Benitez and the parties to the suit entered into another agreement that the trial court embodied in an order signed on August 17, 1979. By that order relator Benitez was enjoined from receiving any monies of any kind be they in the form of payments, remunerations, in collection of any indebtedness and cease from dealing in all of the following described properties for a period of thirty (30) calendar days from this date to August 20, 1979, or as soon thereafter as Ordered by the Court. The order described and listed the real estate; designated the receiver as the only person with power to deal with the property; enjoined Benitez from making any contracts, conveyances, exchanges or in any way dealing with the property; and enjoined him from interfering with the receiver's duties. The court further ordered: that if within the 30 days covered by this Order Orlando L. Benitez presents evidence by way or [sic] recorded and certified copies of recorded releases having to do with the lands in question, and executed by Cecil McDonald, Cash and Carry Buildings Materials, Inc., and/or Laredo Cash and Carry Building Materials, Inc., El Rancho Palmito Estates and/or Palmito Estates, Inc., and that such releases are verified as having been executed by Cecil McDonald or said companies, on which he had authority to act, then and in that event, Orlando L. Benitez and his controlled corporations which he represents will be entitled to a Quit Claim Deed on those portions of land on which he presents authenticated releases as set out above. IT BEING FURTHER UNDERSTOOD that said releases must be approved by the Receiver and the attorneys for all parties of this suit excluding the intervenors; IT IS FURTHER AGREED AND ORDERED that such Quit Claim Deeds shall name the Receiver as grantee and as the stated consideration shall reflect that said deeds are given pursuant to this Order; On September 5, 1979, Johnny Morris and wife, who had previously intervened in the action and had participated in the agreed injunction orders of August 17, 1979, filed their motion for contempt and specified Benitez's violations in these words: 1. That ORLANDO L. BENITEZ did solicit, receive transfer and collect land and monies directly and indirectly from WILLIAM BRADLEY of Laredo, Webb County, Texas, on account of land located in Webb County, Texas, and subject to and in violation of said Order. 2. That ORLANDO L. BENITEZ, Individually and on behalf of his various business entities, has engaged in conduct calculated to harass, molest, injure and degrade the Court-appointed Receiver, the Honorable Argentina Cronfel; That at a hearing held in this Court on August 23, 1979, Defendant ORLANDO L. BENITEZ caused his attorney Humberto Juarez to state that ORLANDO L. BENITEZ had received and deposited various payments for third persons under Contract of Sale, which funds were not turned in to the Receiver; Furthermore, that Humberto Juarez delivered to the Receiver a xerox copy of a check made payable to the Receiver, together with copies of the payments received by Corona Air Conditioning, Inc., in reimbursement for said funds, but to date hereof the Receiver has not received the check, and information provided to the Receiver indicates that the account of Corona Incorporated No. 11-732-3, with the International Bank of Commerce, is overdrawn at this time. Attached hereto and made a part hereof as Exhibit B is an affidavit of Honorable Argentina Cronfel, Receiver in said Cause No. 31,129, the basis of the aforesaid allegations. 3. That there are numerous other acts of which Movants herein are unaware of, and that said acts are being engaged in by the said ORLANDO L. BENITEZ, and his respective business entities, all to the detriment of Movants and in violation of this Court's Order; that Movants have no adequate remedies at law, that unless the alleged conduct is enjoined and Defendants found in contempt of this Court's Order, Movants will suffer immediate permanent and irreparable harm for which they have no adequate remedy at law. It is apparent that the Motion for Contempt asserts violations of matters different from the commands of the August 17 order. On September 6, the judge issued a separate order to Benitez commanding him to appear and show cause why he should not be held in contempt for violation of the August 17, 1979, order. Attached to the show cause order was the motion for contempt which is quoted above. Thus, on September 6, the trial court issued two ordersone requiring Benitez to show whether he had purged himself of contempt of the 1976 agreed order as the contempt order of May 4, 1979, permitted him to do; and the other charging him with disobedience of the August 17, 1979, order. Both of these September 6 show cause orders were set for hearing on September 24, 1979.