Court Opinion

ID: 4144390
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2017-02-18 03:44:37.849945+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T14:31:52.179803
License: Public Domain

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     \y                 OFFICE      OF THE ATTORNEY   GENERAL                   OF TEXAS
.                                              AUSTIN

             hnorablo     Osville     k.    Csrpenkr
             chufrnn aa Xmoutfre DlroOtor
             Tex6r Un*mploymePt Compen8atioo Co6ani8rlon
             P,uetin, Texan

             Dear Slir

                        #8~h8re rour req                                       lrpretation ot the law
             lpplloablq to the variou8 q                                       under tour tsot dtua-
             tlona outlined in mur lette

                                                                           0uZ letter read81

                                                                                8 not be8n 4.-
                  OlW4488.3                                                        814nten  into

                                                                    lu4ln the tialeot
                                                                    th. k&e 8graement nake8
                                                                    tal ot the bMiner8    18
                                                                     upon the ball18 ot h8r
                                                                    eOrf note, *lab18   in
                                                                    t   8qUd t0 One-h6ti Ot
                                                                         A ona raerota their

                                              part     ia   the   %ntel.or       dooorating bari-
                                           Z4OO@liM8        Et8   #M’Xlitl@8     ,Or plT4tit8
                                  er repar8to propert*. W i4prerent8   to
                  partntr8hfp Or4&i?&x8 thet 8h4 &nb. her 84p6r6t4 QmQ4XtJ
                  are 2lable tor bubinaS8 dobtr ot th,e partnership..A
                  and # h8VO 6iwB$W.h&4 8et4B &?4F4948 ifi their  W@iO~OILt,
                  while Y-, who I8 engaged La another bosine88   which b4
                  owaa a8 his 8Ogar6ti4 plWpf%f,  iii%8dWay8 4mpbr4d
                  tire inditldualr'i
            -..Cerpenter,
lhn. r;rvills                      page   SS

         me ~111 etste esch quecltlon and 8mm4r                   it a8 thsy 8pps6r
ir. your letter in numerlcai order.

          kueetlon (a): "Is 'M legally e partner with h in the
          interior deooretiq bU8ln688?*

          *Teohnleallyy, CL xmrrle6 womn may be a wsrehant or
treder 8t will, 60 far as the Immediate tmfl86OtiOtl of the bulli-
ne88 Is concemea.*      S66 23 Tax. Sur. p. 304. The authorltler
in Terss are generaiiy agreed tlst ths ltry naturo OS 4 msrtmntl~e
businesr i6 such that a cjarrl4d wma         QaPDOt be 0811b a p6rtner.
She, obviously, cannot    do ths thing8 ersmtla~ to a oomerolal
BUOBB86.    Gn the b6816 of the taot8 atat64, ~6 40 not think ti
16 iegdiy    n p&&NW    at the the    the bU6ln668       i8 fOlllcld,  aLthaugh
at th6t time ehe h68 borrow& moa6y at the bank to b8 paid bask
out of the prOfit frOP her bU8in488.          Profit8 Of th4 bUine88
are community property. b64 +eer’s         “hW    of Unite1 Et&@&t& in
‘i6V36a.  p. 967. C~U1668 them    i8 8 CielU    i.tlteIAtiOIl   tQ r4&tily
borrowed money out of reparato property the new MqUi8iti.Oa                 bo-
OOMP community.     See  also  Ypeer,  6Uplq    Seotlon       430  bn4 ~the  aa6e8
there cited. :Zc euoh lntantlon appear8 here.

          kUC8tiOIl (b):     *It not,     18   k36 partner with A in
          that bU6ln488?”

          We think   not.   E hr     in   no   way   recognized     or   taken   part
 in 8tartlng the p4rtnersbip bwine88.       6 be8 r4pre64Bt6d     t4 her
'are4ltora tbet 6h4 6214 her rapante     property 4re liable tot the
 partnership debt. She borrow66 th4 money upcn the b86lr.ot her
own oredit. Certainly @4 ha6 not bo~n4 H by her groai8e          to r4pay
 the bank the,aroney borrowed.    The iaW i8 ~42.2 Bettba     in thi8
 state that. the Wite.aan Only bla4 the hu8b8nd     ror  neO886ari48.
 The money borrowed wa8 tor 8p4auiation in busln688.         B m8y not be
 6de a Q6rlX6r in tbir bu6ine88 8g4in8t hi8 de6lr8 an4 6on84nt
 evea though be may hare a community lntere8t In the pwtnerrhlp
 beoaust of the natum ot tha capital lnve8teU. & 6048 basso an
 intem8t ia the Qartnar6hip in tb6 8M8e that,~he        rOtid 8hare in
 tha comsmlty profit6 but bs oan not be -de,& partner           is tha
 6triDt legal    64n6e against hi8 own will 4n4, OOZi8ent. 818 lntere8t
 16 a legal   lwident   ma not aontraotual.
          ,UO6tiOn(a) I *If I3 I6 a partnnr with A, 16 P In the
          sgploym6nt or the partne6hlp  0r fI 6nd A9"

        L~lnae se have answered the nart preotilng que8tion In
the negative, thl8 inquiry  need not bs answar44, Bowever, the
Eiou.Crvilie L. Capenter, ptige 3

6tatu6 Of 0, a married woman fe likened tc thet of a creditor
of the partnership by the suthorltlas of this M,ste. See 23
Tax. Jur. p. 307 and the authorities there cited.

        Luesticn (a) : “If b-i is in the employffientof the
        partnerehlp of E and k, wtat la the mealiure of
        oontrlbutlon with respect to x.6 empIoymont?w

        An 6nswer to thle question 16 obviated by our reply thst
E 16 not employed In the partnergbip.

        ;;u86tiOU (6): "If i; 16 Iegelly 8 partner, are bar
        earnings or profita from the interior decorating
        buainesa community property subject to the oontrol
        of 81'

        w'e think, under the fact6 given, the earning6 or prorlt6,
if you have used these word6 synonymou6ly, are oommunlty property
and are Bubject  to the control of if. Thi6 is true whether ii 16 a
partner or not in the absence  or a  irt oi t&e prOriL8 by H.
                                     24) 911; A. E. Fslcbard4 Yea.
Schwethsln ~6. Schwethelrt, 1s. 'k. (i:
Co. vs. Jennings, E83 S. A. 296; i6t &tlonal Bank YO. ka‘iihorter,
i79 5. h. 1147.

        C;uestlon if): 'CM E iS&aiiy sir.5 t0 ib6ii    ot     hi6
        and the oommunity lntereret in her future or   pmfit8
        rroni the partnership?
        PO6tntiptiai contracts 6re not tarored by the aourts ot
thla state, but they will be antoraed  when they are patently
just and talr and do not withdraw the funds from exletlng aredltora,
see Creenv. Fergueon, 69 Tex. fiep. SW; Cox v. killer, 54 %3x.
hp. 16.

         E and ;: cannot by agreement bstween   theIL68Ile6 change the
oharacter Of their property 80 66 to OOnVert the oommunlty into
6ep6rst.e. or the eeparate into aommunltp. Se-e 93 Tex. Jur. p. e8~
&eDonalU v. Stevenson, SC 5. a. 777. They are free to nrake
  lit6 of their property, of either aless,    to each other. 23 Tex.
k      tea. 18, also sec. 49.

        iueetlon (g): "In the abaenoe ot 6uah e gift, whst
        i8 the ownership Of 8tOOk6 of gOO46 bought out ot
        the partnership eernia&8 to replenish the 6helYe8
        end there comingled wlth other goods in sueh’a way
        as not to be l$entliiable?*

        The ownership or.euch goo,ae is in A cud In B and X a8
husband an4 wire 66 commumlty property.   ~ahwetheIm Y. SahwetbeIm,
L s.          (2d) 9li; 1st hatlonai Benk vs. 6-:~o?ihorter,
                                                          179 2. L.
LlC7.ti   -