Brooks Fashion Stores, Inc. v. Northpark National Bank

689 S.W.2d 937, 1985 Tex. App. LEXIS 6738
CourtCourt of Appeals of Texas
DecidedApril 3, 1985
Docket05-84-00429-CV
StatusPublished
Cited by39 cases

This text of 689 S.W.2d 937 (Brooks Fashion Stores, Inc. v. Northpark National Bank) 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
Brooks Fashion Stores, Inc. v. Northpark National Bank, 689 S.W.2d 937, 1985 Tex. App. LEXIS 6738 (Tex. Ct. App. 1985).

Opinion

DEVANY, Justice.

Brooks Fashion Stores, Inc., sued North-park National Bank for loss of a bag of jewelry deposited with the bank. Brooks *939 alleged violation of the Deceptive Trade Practices Act and later also claimed breach of contract and conversion. The trial court granted summary judgment for the bank based on the statutes of limitations. We agree that the summary judgment was proper with respect to the claims for deceptive trade practices and conversion, but we reverse and remand for trial of the cause of action for breach of contract.

I. Facts

Because Brooks appeals the trial court’s rendition of summary judgment, we accept as true all evidence tending to support its position. Fisher v. Beach, 671 S.W.2d 63, 66 (Tex.App.—Dallas 1984, no writ); Morgan v. Pool Co., 641 S.W.2d 370, 371 (Tex.App.—Dallas 1982, writ ref’d n.r.e.). Brooks, which owns several dress stores, maintains an outlet at Dallas’ Northpark Mall. On January 16, 1981, two Brooks employees placed certain jewelry items in a night deposit bag and delivered it to one of the tellers at the bank during normal business hours. The teller accepted the bag, agreed to keep it until Brooks requested it, and issued a written receipt. 2 Six days later, 3 the bank notified Brooks that the jewelry could not be located.

The bank then filed a claim with its insurer to reimburse Brooks for the jewelry’s value. Responding to the bank’s letter requesting information about the loss, a Brooks representative stated that the jewelry was removed from the store “solely for safekeeping.” In September 1981, the bank notified Brooks that it would not pay for the lost jewelry.

The following year, the supplier of the jewelry sued Brooks in Florida to recover its value. The record does not reveal this action’s outcome; however, on March 4, 1983, Brooks demanded in writing that the bank pay Brooks for the value of the jewelry and its legal expenses resulting from the jewelry’s loss. The bank refused and Brooks initiated the present suit on May 24, 1983, alleging that the bank breached express warranties and made false, misleading representations in violation of section 17.46(b) of the Deceptive Trade Practices — Consumer Protection Act. 4 TEX. BUS. & COM.CODE ANN. § 17.46(b) (Vernon Supp.1985).

The bank answered with a general denial and the affirmative defense that limitations barred Brooks’ D.T.P.A. action. It later moved for summary judgment on the basis of this affirmative defense. Brooks then supplemented its petition to allege that the bank breached the night depository service contract and converted the jewelry. After filing the supplemental petition, Brooks responded to the bank’s summary judgment motion.

The trial court ordered a November 9 hearing on the motion. The record does not reflect whether the trial court entertained the bank’s motion on that date. Brooks did not contest the bank’s argument that trial court heard its motion on that date. Both agree that another hearing was held on January 10, 1984. On December 30, 1983, Brooks filed its first amended original petition alleging for the first time that the bank breached a bailment contract in addition to the breach of the night deposit contract, conversion and D.T.P.A. actions pleaded in its original and supplemental petitions. Four days later, Brooks filed its affidavit opposing the rendition of summary judgment. On January 10, 1984, the trial court again heard the *940 bank’s motion and thereafter rendered summary judgment.

II. Issues and Evidence Presented

The bank contends that the trial court could not properly consider Brooks’ amended petition alleging for the first time that the bank breached an oral bailment contract or its affidavit opposing the summary judgment motion because both were filed after the November 9 hearing without the trial court’s permission. We disagree. The trial court’s judgment recites that it heard the motion on January 10,1984, rather than November 9, 1983. In the absence of a nunc pro tunc order, we must consider the hearing to have been held on the date recited in the judgment. Horne v. Charter National Insurance Co., 614 S.W.2d 182, 184 (Tex.Civ.App.—Fort Worth 1981, writ ref’d n.r.e.).

When January 10 is taken as the day of the hearing, the amended petition, filed December 30, was untimely under Dallas’ local rules. DALLAS CIY.CT.R. 1.9. Also, the opposing affidavit, filed January 7, was untimely under rule 166-A(c). TEX.R. CIV.P. 166-A(c). However, the bank did not file a motion to strike either of these documents, nor did the court strike them sua sponte. Consequently, the bank may not now contend that they were not properly before the trial court when it ruled on the bank’s motion. Jones v. Houston Materials Co., 477 S.W.2d 694, 695-96 (Tex.Civ.App.—Houston [14th Dist.] 1972, no writ); see also Amoco Production Co. v. Thompson, 657 S.W.2d 824, 827-28 (Tex.App.—Corpus Christi), rev’d on other grounds sub nom. Ideal Lease Service, Inc. v. Amoco Production Co., 662 S.W.2d 951 (Tex.1983).

The bank next argues that, even if the amended petition was timely filed, we could not reverse its summary judgment on the ground that limitations did not bar Brooks’ action for breach of an oral bailment contract because Brooks did not raise that issue in its response to the motion as required by Rule 166-A(c). This contention is without merit because a “non-movant needs no answer or response to the motion to contend on appeal that the grounds expressly presented to the trial court by the movant’s motion are insufficient as a matter of law to support summary judgment.” City of Houston v. Clear Creek Basin Authority, 589 S.W.2d 671, 678 (Tex.1979) (emphasis in original).

Accordingly, even if Brooks had filed no response, it would still be entitled to argue on appeal that the bank’s motion is insufficient to show that the actions presented to the trial court were barred by limitations. Since the amended pleading was before the trial court, Brooks may contend on appeal that limitations did not preclude any cause of action alleged in its amended petition.

III. Limitations

We now turn to the issue of whether the bank’s grounds for summary judgment are insufficient as a matter of law to support the trial court’s judgment. This motion rested on two grounds. The bank first contended that, because Brooks’ action was for “detaining personal property ... or taking its goods and chattels, it ... must be brought within two years after the cause of action accrued.” TEX.REY.CIV.STAT. ANN. art. 5526 (Vernon Supp.1985). The bank also argued that Brooks’ D.T.P.A.

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Bluebook (online)
689 S.W.2d 937, 1985 Tex. App. LEXIS 6738, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/brooks-fashion-stores-inc-v-northpark-national-bank-texapp-1985.