Court Opinion

ID: 9770648
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-29 16:18:13.424412+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T15:37:36.164340
License: Public Domain

BARROW, Justice.
I respectfully dissent.
The judgment shows that the trial court sustained appellee’s special exceptions and then sustained appellee’s motion for judgment on the pleadings. Since no evidence was introduced, there can be no statement of facts and there can be no presumption that the trial court found such facts as necessary to support the judgment. Box v. Bates, 162 Tex. 184, 346 S.W.2d 317.
The judgment provides in part:
“On this the 14th day of May, A.D., 1963, came on to be heard upon special setting, the above styled and numbered cause and came the Plaintiff and its attorney of record, and both the Defendants, and their attorney of record and each and all announced ready; and thereupon Plaintiff urged its special exceptions to the answer of the Defendants and each and all paragraphs thereof and motion for judgment and requested and was granted permission to make and file the same by trial amendment, and the Court proceeded to hear such special exceptions and the facts and the law applicable thereto is of the opinion and finds that such exceptions should each and all be granted, and said motion for judgment granted, and
“It is accordingly ORDERED, ADJUDGED AND DECREED that each and all the exceptions made and submitted by Plaintiff, be, and the same are hereby in all things sustained and said motion for judgment granted.”
There is no evidence upon which the trial court could base any findings of fact and it is seen that the trial court found “that Plaintiff is entitled to judgment on its pleadings * * Any ambiguity in this recitation of what transpired is made abundantly clear by appellee’s statement of the nature of the case.1 It is seen that appellee *753does not assert that any witness was heard or any evidence was presented other than “a discussion of the facts” by counsel in connection with the presentation of appel-lee’s exceptions. Appellee’s motion for judgment provides that appellants’ “answer should be stricken as a whole, and judgment rendered for Plaintiff and by it prayed for, there being no legal defense thereto presented by Defendants.”
Appellants filed a sworn answer, in which they denied the allegations contained in paragraph 2 of appellee’s answer. This paragraph contains the appellee’s only allegations that appellants had executed and delivered the note sued on herein to appel-lee. Although this is not such a specific, categorical denial as contemplated by Rule 93(h), T.R.C.P., it is seen that appellee did not except to this conclusion. Any defects in the non est factum pleading were thereby waived. Hall v. Hall, Tex.Civ.App., 352 S.W.2d 765.
Irrespective of whether or not appellants’ pleadings raised the issue of non est factum, appellee was required to introduce the note in evidence. This point was squarely presented in Stanford, Inc., v. Franklin, Tex. Civ.App., 312 S.W.2d 703, which presents a case closely analogous to ours. The trial court there granted plaintiff’s motion for judgment on the pleadings, for the reason that defendant’s general denial was insufficient to raise a legal defense to plaintiff’s cause of action based upon notes. This was held to be error. The Court reversed and remanded the case and said: “Although a general denial does not put the plaintiff to proof of the execution of the instrument in suit, it requires him to produce the instrument and introduce it as evidence or show an excuse for not doing so.” See also Webb v. Reynolds, Tex.Comm.App., 207 S.W. 914; Hayward v. Duiker, Tex.Civ.App., 276 S.W.2d 320.
The appellant Robert B. Cruz, Sr., also pleaded that he entered into a new agreement with appellee after his son attained the age of twenty-one years, and this new agreement relieved Cruz, Sr., from future liability. A new agreement would be a valid defense. Commercial Credit Corp. v. Flores, Tex.Civ.App., 345 S.W.2d 432. Ap-pellee’s trial amendment, which was presented verbally and subsequently reduced to writing, excepted to this defense as being insufficient for failure of consideration. Ap-pellee urges that the trial court queried counsel for appellants as to what consideration he expected to prove, and found that same was insufficient. The only thing before the trial court at this time was the adequacy of appellants’ pleading and if it was inadequate, appellants should have been given the opportunity to amend.
Appellants’ general denial put in issue all matters pleaded by the appellee which were not required to be denied under oath. 9 Tex.Jur.2d 292. Appellee was required to prove that it is the owner or holder of the note. Jackson v. Means, Tex.Comm.App., 12 S.W.2d 167; Texas City Tire Shop, Inc. v. Alexander, Tex.Civ.App., 333 S.W.2d 690. Furthermore, appellee was required to show that the note is due and that it provides for attorney’s fees, which matters are not required to be denied under oath under the Negotiable Instruments Act, nor the Rules of Civil Procedure.
*754Therefore, it cannot be doubted that ap--pellee was required to introduce the note in evidence. A motion for judgment on the pleadings is a construction of the pleadings only. Stanford, Inc. v. Franklin, supra. A “discussion” of the probable evidence by counsel and even exhibition of the alleged note to the trial judge could not constitute a trial on the merits. Weems v. Henry, Tex.Civ.App., 375 S.W.2d 791. Appellee does not assert that this required proof was supplied by any discovery procedure.
The authorities cited by the majority relate solely to records which affirmatively show that evidence was heard and a review was sought of the findings, primarily formal findings of fact, made by the trial court. In none of them is it even asserted that evidence was not heard.
Appellants are entitled to their day in court. I would reverse and remand.

. “On setting May 14, 1963, all parties appeared in Court, and announced ready, and a demand for jury was made by Appellants. Before announcing ready to proceed with trial, Appellee announced in open court that it had exceptions to urge before proceeding to trial and presented its exceptions to Paragraph 5 as set out in Appellants’ First Supplemental Petition, Transcript Page 8, as -well as obtained permission of the Court to present orally exceptions to the remaining paragraphs and Answer of the Defendants and Motion for judgment, with the right to later reduce same to writing, leave of which was granted, and such Second Trial Amendment to Paragraph 1 of Plaintiff’s Supplemental Petition was reduced to *753writing and filed May 17, 1963, Transcript Pages 12-14. The judgment of the Court, Transcript Page 15, sets out permission being granted to file such special exceptions and Motion for judgment.
“The Court then heard and considered all such exceptions and reviewed the facts and the law with counsel for Appellants and counsel for Appellee, and counsel for Appellants was given opportunity to present and did present authority, and the Court having entertained a discussion of the facts and the law and cases and heard same found for Appellee, on its exceptions and the facts and in keeping with its note and chattel mortgage, marked ‘Plaintiff's Exhibit “1” CWG’ (Charles W. Grace, Judge Presiding), Transcript Pages 23-24, and rendered judgment for Appellee, Transcript Pages 15-17.”