x
.;\; /
\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.
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