Court Opinion

ID: 9833265
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-09-01 22:34:24.98322+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T07:44:01.063968
License: Public Domain

On Rehearing.
[6, 7] Appellant earnestly argues that we erred in affirming the judgment of the trial court; but, after a careful reconsideration of the issues, we feel constrained to adhere to our former opinion. Counsel, however, requests . a statement of our views concerning the issue raised by appellant’s fifth assignment of error, which was overruled, and not discussed in our opinion. Said assignment complains of the refusal Of the trial court to allow appellant, the guardian’s surety, as an offset to the judgment rendered against it, the statutory commissions of 5 per cent, on sums shown to have been expended in support and maintenance of ap-pellee. The general rule is that, when a guardian knowingly and wrongfully fails to account to his ward, he is not entitled to commissions in a suit to compel accounting. Thomas v. Hawpe, 35 Tex. Civ. App. 311, 80 S. W. 129. Whether the guardian has so knowingly and wrongfully failed to account is a question of fact. Crawford v. Hord, 40 Tex. Civ. App. 352, 89 S. W. 1097.
[8] Many reasons, depending for their force upon the situation of the parties, could be urged in support of the rule. In the instant case, appellee, due to the mismanagement of appellant’s principal, was driven to the necessity of suing, with the attending expense and consequent loss to the estate, which it was the guardian’s duty to preserve. We think it would be inequitable to further reduce the estate by allowing commissions to the guardian, by whose misconduct the loss was occasioned, and that the court was authorized, in balancing the equities of the proceeding, to offset the statutory commissions with the expense occasioned by the guardian.
We conclude therefore, the mismanage*807ment being in effect conceded, that the trial court did not err in refusing to allow the offset for the benefit of appellant.
The motion for rehearing is overruled.