Court Opinion

ID: 9641660
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-22 17:37:19.108562+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T18:10:38.997745
License: Public Domain

On Appellees’ Motion for Rehearing
HUGHES, Justice.
In addition to the order appointing Mr. Metcalfe (made on plaintiff’s motion and not contested) to survey the boundary lines involved set out in the opinion of Chief Justice ARCHER, the Court below on June 12, 1956, entered an order setting a hearing for June 25 for the purpose of “fixing and determining the fee to be allowed and taxed as costs for the compensation of the surveyor” and the Court’s final judgment recited and decreed as follows:
“And ■ also, came the parties and Orín E. Metcalfe the surveyor appointed by the Court to make the survey *267herein, and the Court heard the parties and the surveyor in respect to a reasonable allowance to be allowed surveyor for his work, and to be taxed as costs herein, and the court having heard such matter is of the opinion and finds that $500.00 is a reasonable sum to be allowed the surveyor and taxed as costs herein.”
Mr. Metcalfe testified:
“Q. All right. Now, this order which appointed you, Mr. Metcalfe, ■ says that you are to be allowed your usual and customary charges therefor. Now, are these hourly rates and the mileage rates that you have set up here, are they for the period in question your usual and customary charges, or are they not? A. Customary charges.
“Q. Do you charge everybody else the same. A. Yes, sir.
* * * * * *
“Q. And are you familiar with what other Surveyors, competent Surveyors in Central Texas, have charged and do charge for the period in question? A. Not perfectly familiar.
“Q. I don’t mean perfectly familiar, but are you generally familiar with what your competitors charge? A. Best Surveyors charge about the same as I do.
“Q. In other words, you are saying that these charges are not only customary with you, but they are customary with other Surveyors of like ability? A. Yes, sir.
“Q. In your opinion, are these charges reasonable? A. Yes, sir.”
Mr. W. E. Seaholm, a consulting engineer of Austin, testified that the pay scale used by Mr. Metcalfe for himself and crew were usual and reasonable.
Mr. Metcalfe also testified, without dispute, that he considered himself as being employed by all parties and as giving evidence for all parties.
We have read the statement of facts and find no evidence that the fees and expenses charged by Mr. Metcalfe were unreasonable or were not his usual and customary fees and charges. On the contrary, we find the evidence to be undisputed that the fees and charges were his usual and customary fees and charges and that they were reasonable. If, as appellee asserts in his motion, there is conflicting evidence on this issue then we believe he is duty bound to brief it.
As to the $51 charge for testifying and travel expense it is our opinion that this item or issue was either within the scope of the order of Mr. Metcalfe’s appointment or that it was tried by consent of the parties, and in the absence of any objection thereto either in the trial court or in this Court that we should not delete it.
Appellee says there are no pleadings to support the judgment. There were no objections made below or in appellee’s brief herein to any lack of pleadings on the issues presented and in our opinion it is too late to make them now. Rule 90, Texas Rules of Civil Procedure.
We think it wholly immaterial that the surveying expenses were “taxed” as costs. When collected as costs or by execution they belong to Mr. Metcalfe and the result is the same. Johnson v. Universal Life and Accident Insurance Company, 127 Tex. 435, 94 S.W.2d 1145.
The motion is overruled.
Motion overruled.