Court Opinion

ID: 9832939
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-09-01 22:18:59.929732+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T07:43:55.902468
License: Public Domain

On Rehearing.
The only portion of the motion for rehearing which it is deemed necessary to comment upon is that which complains of the ruling that the jury’s findings do not determine whether the agreement of the bank to look only to the assets of the refinery for the payment of its debt was express or implied. It is contended the only issue submitted upon this phase of the case was whether such agreement was express. This contention is predicated upon an instruction given by the court, upon request of appellant as follows:
“In connection with special issue No. 1, you are instructed that mere knowledge is not sufficient to amount to an agreement, but that there must be the mutual intention of the parties, expressed at the time the alleged agreement is made, that the bank would look only to the assets of said refinery for the payment of its said indebtedness.”
It is asserted this instruction eliminated the issue of an implied agreement. We do not so construe the same. As shown by the original opinion, in an express contract the agreement is expressed orally or in writing. In contracts implied in fact, the agreement is shown by the surrounding facts and circumstances; the difference between the two classes of contracts being in the proof thereof.
The charge in question did not say that the “mutual intention of the parties” must have been “expressed” in writing or orally. Under the charge.as given, the jury were at liberty to consider all of the surrounding facts and circumstances in determining whether the bank agreed to look only to the assets of thet refinery for the payment of its debt. In order for the charge to have had the effect contended for it by appellant, such charge must have limited the jury to the consideration of evidence showing such an agreement expressed orally or in writing, and this it did not do.
The motion is overruled.