Beverick v. Koch Power, Inc.

186 S.W.3d 145, 2005 WL 3544256
CourtCourt of Appeals of Texas
DecidedMarch 13, 2006
Docket01-03-01300-CV
StatusPublished
Cited by164 cases

This text of 186 S.W.3d 145 (Beverick v. Koch Power, Inc.) 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
Beverick v. Koch Power, Inc., 186 S.W.3d 145, 2005 WL 3544256 (Tex. Ct. App. 2006).

Opinion

OPINION

GEORGE C. HANKS, JR., Justice.

Tim Beverick, appellant, sued Koch Power, Inc., Flint Hills Resources, L.P., and Entergy-Koch Trading L.P. (hereafter collectively referred to as “Koch”) for breach of contract, promissory estoppel, fraud, quantum meruit, and punitive damages after they failed to pay him the bonus they allegedly promised to pay him for legal services rendered. Beverick contends that the trial court erred in granting Koch’s motions for summary judgment. We affirm.

Background

Beverick, an attorney for Koch Power, Inc., alleges that Koch orally promised him a bonus of based on the savings for his work on the Pine Bend Power Project (“the Project”). The Project involved negotiating a new contract for the purchase of electricity over a 10-year period for Koch’s Pine Bend Refinery. The goal of the Project, as fellow attorney Bill Windle stated in testimony, was to “save money for the refinery.” According to Beverick, Koch promised that he and Windle would split a bonus of 10 to 15% of the net present value of the after-tax expected savings from the Project in a lump sum at the Project’s closing. 1 Koch failed to pay the bonus at closing, and, instead “proposed to Beverick that he would receive a bonus of approximately $400,000.” Bever-ick initially sued Koch Power under theories of breach of contract, promissory es-toppel, and fraud; later, he added a claim for quantum meruit. 2

Koch filed no-evidence and traditional motions for summary judgment and also filed a separate motion attacking Bever-ick’s claim for punitive damages. The trial court granted both of Koch’s summary judgment motions without specifying its grounds and rendered a take-nothing judgment against Beverick.

Standard of Review

We follow the usual standard of review for an order granting summary judgment without specifying grounds. See Dow Chem. Co. v. Francis, 46 S.W.3d 237, 242 (Tex.2001). When a trial court does not state the basis for its decision in its summary judgment order, as in this case, we must uphold the order if any of the theories advanced in the motion is meritorious. See Rogers v. Ricane Enters., Inc., 772 S.W.2d 76, 79 (Tex.1989).

When reviewing a trial court’s granting of a motion for summary judgment, we consider the evidence in the light most favorable to the non-movant and indulge every reasonable inference in the non-mov-ant’s favor. Tex.R. Civ. P. 166a(i); Flame-out Design & Fabrication, Inc. v. Pennzoil Caspian Corp., 994 S.W.2d 830, 834 (Tex.App.-Houston [1st Dist.] 1999, no pet). A summary judgment for the defendant that disposes of a plaintiffs entire case is proper only if the defendant can show that the plaintiff could not succeed on any of the theories pleaded. Wheeler v. Yettie Kersting Mem’l Hosp., 866 S.W.2d 32, 36 (Tex.App.-Houston [1st Dist.] 1993, no writ).

No-Evidence Motion for Summary Judgment

A rule 166a(i) motion for summary judgment is properly granted when a movant *149 establishes that, “[a]fter adequate time for discovery!,] • • • there is no evidence of one or more essential elements of a claim or defense on which an adverse party would have the burden of proof at trial.” Tex.R. Civ. P. 166a(i); see also Johnson v. Brewer & Pritchard, P.C., 73 S.W.3d 193, 207 (Tex.2002). A no-evidence summary judgment is, therefore, like a directed verdict. Flameout, 994 S.W.2d at 834. To defeat a no-evidence motion for summary judgment, the non-movant must produce summary judgment evidence raising a genuine issue of material fact. Tex.R. Crv. P. 166a(i); Ford Motor Co. v. Ridgway, 135 S.W.3d 598, 600 (Tex.2004). A genuine issue of material fact exists if the non-movant produces more than a scintilla of evidence establishing the existence of the challenged element. Fort Worth Osteopathic Hosp., Inc. v. Reese, 148 S.W.3d 94, 99 (Tex.2004); A.H. Beto Corp. v. Corcoran, 52 S.W.3d 375, 378 (Tex.App.-Houston [1st Dist.] 2001, pet. denied). More than a scintilla of evidence exists when the evidence “rises to a level that would enable reasonable and fair-minded people to differ in their conclusions.” See Burroughs Wellcome Co. v. Crye, 907 S.W.2d 497, 499 (Tex.1995).

Traditional Motion for Summary Judgment

To succeed in a motion for summary judgment under rule 166a(c), a movant must establish that there is no genuine issue of material fact so that the movant is entitled to judgment as a matter of law. Tex.R. Civ. P. 166a(c); Randall’s Food Mkts., Inc. v. Johnson, 891 S.W.2d 640, 644 (Tex.1995). In deciding whether there is a disputed issue of material fact, every doubt must be resolved in favor of the non-movant. Johnson, 891 S.W.2d at 644; Nixon v. Mr. Prop. Mgmt. Co., 690 S.W.2d 546, 548-49 (Tex.1985). Additionally, we take all evidence favorable to the non-movant as true. Lawson v. B Four Corp., 888 S.W.2d 31, 33 (Tex.App.-Houston [1st Dist.] 1994, writ denied).

Statute of Frauds

In their traditional motion for summary judgment, Koch asserted that Bever-ick’s causes of action for breach of contract, promissory estoppel, and fraud were barred by the statute of frauds because these claims were based upon an alleged oral promise that could not be performed within one year. 3 Beveriek argues that, because it was possible for the project to be completed within one year, the statute of frauds does not apply. We agree.

Whether a contract falls within the statute of frauds is a question of law. Iacono v. Lyons, 16 S.W.3d 92, 94 (Tex.App.-Houston [1st Dist.] 2000, no pet.); see also Niday v. Niday, 643 S.W.2d 919, 920 (Tex.1982) (stating that, if an agreement, either by its terms or by the nature of the required acts, cannot be performed within one year, it falls within the statute of frauds and must be in writing.) A contract that could possibly be performed within a year, however improbable performance within one year may be, does not fall within the statute of frauds. Hall v. Hall, 158 Tex. 95, 308 S.W.2d 12,15 (1957).

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Bluebook (online)
186 S.W.3d 145, 2005 WL 3544256, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/beverick-v-koch-power-inc-texapp-2006.