Allen v. National Bank of Conroe

884 S.W.2d 928, 1994 Tex. App. LEXIS 2494, 1994 WL 558855
CourtCourt of Appeals of Texas
DecidedOctober 13, 1994
DocketNo. 09-93-273 CV
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 884 S.W.2d 928 (Allen v. National Bank of Conroe) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals of Texas primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Allen v. National Bank of Conroe, 884 S.W.2d 928, 1994 Tex. App. LEXIS 2494, 1994 WL 558855 (Tex. Ct. App. 1994).

Opinion

OPINION

BROOKSHIRE, Justice.

Appeal from the granting of a summary judgment adverse to the Allens and favorable to the plaintiff below, National Bank of Con-roe (Bank). The summary judgment for the plaintiff Bank was granted in a suit based on four promissory notes.

The Bank brought this suit on three promissory notes made by Larry N. and Etoile S. Allen, appellants (Allens). A fourth promissory note was made and signed by Larry only. In granting the Bank’s motion for summary judgment, the trial court entered a judgment for the Bank and against the Al-lens on three notes in the amounts of $260.74, $1,025.75, and $30,977.51.

A separate, decretal part of the judgment in favor of the Bank was against Larry Allen [929]*929only on one note in the principal amount of $42,762.06. The Bank also recovered interest, attorneys’ fees, and court costs.

The Allens’ first point of error, in substance, argues that the trial court erred in granting the Bank’s motion for summary judgment because there are genuine issues of material facts raised within the pleadings and by the summary judgment proof and evidence which could not be disposed of by summary judgment proceedings, but actually require determination by a factfinder after trial on the merits.

At the threshold, we acknowledge the well-established standard of review in an appeal challenging a summary judgment. A comprehensive and inclusive statement of the standards of review as applicable here is set out clearly in Nixon v. Mr. Property Management, 690 S.W.2d 546 (Tex.1985). We quote from Nixon:

1. The movant for summary judgment has the burden of showing that there is no genuine issue of material fact and that the movant is entitled to judgment as a matter of law.
2. In deciding whether or not there is a disputed material fact issue precluding summary judgment, evidence favorable to the non-movant will be taken as true; and
3. Every reasonable inference must be indulged in favor of the non-movant and any doubts resolved in his favor.

Id., at 548-549; Turboff v. Gertner, Aron & Ledet, Inv., 763 S.W.2d 827, 829 (Tex.App.—Houston [14th Dist.] 1988, writ denied). Moreover, the usual presumption that the judgment is correct does not apply. See Montgomery v. Kennedy, 669 S.W.2d 309, 311 (Tex.1984); Great American R. Ins. Co. v. San Antonio Pl. Sup. Co., 391 S.W.2d 41, 47 (Tex.1965).

Justice Doggett speaking and writing for an unanimous Supreme Court of Texas in Acker v. Texas Water Com’n, 790 S.W.2d 299, 302 (Tex.1990), wrote and held as follows:

In the review of a summary judgment, the movant has the burden of showing that there is no genuine issue of material fact and that it is entitled to judgment as a matter of law. Evidence favorable to the non-movant will be taken as true when deciding whether a material fact issue exists. All reasonable inferences must be indulged in favor of the non-movant and any doubts resolved in its favor. Nixon v. Mr. Property Management Co., 690 S.W.2d 546, 548-49 (Tex.1985).

Notable and significant is the salient requirement that any and all doubts must be resolved in favor of the non-movants, the Al-lens.

An intermediate appellate court must take the summary judgment proof of the non-movants as true and correct. A somewhat lengthy affidavit of Larry is in the record. There are numerous exhibits attached thereto. In brief summary, the affidavit demonstrated for the purpose of this appeal—under the accepted rules of review— that Larry and Etoile had executed a promissory note on or about December 30, 1986, in the amount of $350,000 to the Bank. This first note represented purchase money of a homestead located in the Rancho Escondido, Section two, subdivision of Montgomery County.

Later in the extreme latter part of December 1989, Larry and Etoile executed and delivered a renewal and extension of the real estate note and Ken whereby the original $350,000 note was renewed and extended. Ad valorem taxes became due for the tax years of 1989 and 1990 in the approximate amount of $25,000.

Larry contacted the Bank and requested an additional loan to pay the delinquent taxes. The Allens at that time had a buyer for the property. The purchase price would have been sufficient to pay off the first Ken note as weU as the additional loan for the delinquent taxes. The bankers told the Al-lens, at least Larry, that the Bank, in its opinion, did not need to make any additional loan.

Shortly after this pronouncement from the Bank officers, Larry was advised by his own realtor that the locks on the property had been changed and that someone had bought the property at a foreclosure sale. Larry [930]*930tried to contact Mr. Sauer, the Bank’s president, and Mr. Nelson, a loan officer. Larry swears Mr. Nelson indicated that he knew about the foreclosure and that the Bank was preparing loan papers for the purpose of loaning to Larry and his wife the necessary funds to redeem the property and further, that the Bank had spoken to the buyer of the property. The banker indicated that as a result of the foreclosure proceedings there were additional penalties, interest and attorneys’ fees which added approximately 25 percent to the original sum of approximately $25,000 for the delinquent ad valorem taxes.

Larry stoutly maintains that the Bank had caused the additional penalties, interest, and attorneys’ fees. Mr. Nelson acknowledged this fact and represented to Larry that the Bank would either actually absorb the additional cost itself or would work it out in the settlement of the property upon its sale.

Then about December 6, 1991, the Allens executed another real estate lien note in the original principal amount of $36,000, payable to the Bank. This loan was for the purpose of redeeming the property. Shortly after the execution of the $36,000 note, it was learned that the buyer of the property at the foreclosure sale had also, in addition, paid the new, current taxes in the approximate amount of $9,000. This new $9,000 payment for ad valorem taxes was in addition to the $25,000.

Then, according to Larry’s sworn testimony — which we must accept as true — Mr. Nelson called Larry and told Larry that the property could not be properly redeemed unless the new, current taxes which had been paid by the buyer were also repaid or reimbursed by the Allens. Larry was advised that the Bank had convened a special board meeting and authorized yet another loan (as we interpret the affidavit) in the amount of $9,996.87 for the purpose of paying the new, current taxes. The new, current taxes were presumably for the year after 1990. Then, on December 17, 1991, the Allens executed a real estate lien note in the original principal amount of $9,996.87 payable to the Bank.

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884 S.W.2d 928, 1994 Tex. App. LEXIS 2494, 1994 WL 558855, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/allen-v-national-bank-of-conroe-texapp-1994.