Cammack the Cook, L.L.C. v. Eastburn

296 S.W.3d 884, 2009 WL 3050822
CourtCourt of Appeals of Texas
DecidedOctober 14, 2009
Docket06-09-00020-CV
StatusPublished
Cited by56 cases

This text of 296 S.W.3d 884 (Cammack the Cook, L.L.C. v. Eastburn) 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
Cammack the Cook, L.L.C. v. Eastburn, 296 S.W.3d 884, 2009 WL 3050822 (Tex. Ct. App. 2009).

Opinion

OPINION

Opinion by

Justice MOSELEY.

Cammack the Cook, L.L.C., Jason Cammack, Lauren Cammack, and Milton Cammack (collectively referred to as the Cammacks) appeal from a trial court’s summary judgment granted in favor of Marta Beyen Eastburn. The Cammacks contend that the trial court misconstrued the parties’ lease agreement in granting Eastburn’s motion for summary judgment and in denying the Cammacks’ partial motion for summary judgment. We affirm in part and reverse and remand in part for adjudication of the Cammacks’ remaining counterclaims.

1. Factual and Procedural Background

Eastburn leased several rooms in her interior decorating store to the Cammacks for use as a restaurant and catering facility. Despite the relatively short term of the lease, the Cammacks extensively remodeled the property in order to convert it into a functioning restaurant. 1 The remodeling took two months, cost between $60,000.00 to $70,000.00, and included changes made to the concrete structure, and plumbing and electrical systems. A “gigantic,” 1,500-gallon “grease trap was put in the backyard using a crane.” Holes were cut into: the ceiling and roof to attach equipment for exhaust fans, the floor and tile to install several eight-by-eight-inch floor drains and kitchen sinks emptying into the sewer system, and the walls to make space for gas and water pipes. Can lights were discarded and replaced with fluorescent lights, interior walls were removed and replaced with new drywall covered with FRP, 2 and stainless steel was mounted or glued on the wall behind the stove in order to shield it from heat.

The Cammacks were able to make timely rental payments for the first four months after the renovations were complete. However, late rental payments began in January 2006 and continued until August 2006. Exasperated with these late payments, Eastburn increased the Cam-macks’ initial security deposit of $3,115.00 to $6,230.00. The additional deposit failed to deter the Cammacks from making further late rental payments in September, October, and November 2006.

Pursuant to the lease, Eastburn immediately accelerated the due date of all rents. A written notification of default, notice of *888 acceleration, and demand for payment was sent to the Cammacks on October 12, 2006. They did not comply with the notice, the lease was terminated, and Eastburn claimed the Cammacks did not vacate the premises in a timely fashion. She filed a petition in county court for breach of lease of the holdover provision, failure to make timely rental payments, and failure to remove improvements and return the premises to its previous condition. Eastburn further alleged the Cammacks left the property in a “filthy, deplorable condition,” and, in violation of lease terms, failed to remove alterations, decorations, and additions in order to return the premises to the condition in which it previously existed. Included in the laundry list of complaints were: vents on the roof which were not removed, holes in the roof, missing or damaged molding, damaged tile and flooring, a damaged window, a grease trap in the backyard which had to be removed and required the ground to be restored, plumbing and gas fixtures which should have been capped and covered, abandoned items, and general failure to clean the premises.

The Cammacks’ answer denied holdover tenancy, arguing that the lease expired by its own terms on July 30, 2007, that all kitchen renovations were completed with Eastburn’s consent, that they had no duty to restore the premises, and that some of the repairs requested were not authorized by the lease. They also counterclaimed for return of the security deposit and alleged under Chapter 92 of the Texas Property Code, which only applies to residential leases, that Eastburn was retaliating against them for failure to repair air conditioning, despite the Cammacks’ repeated demands, and that they were entitled to attorney’s fees. Tex. Prop.Code ANN. §§ 92.331-333 (Vernon 2007).

The Cammacks next filed a motion for partial summary judgment arguing East-burn had no evidence to demonstrate they were holdover tenants. Also, since most of the work completed included permanent changes to the structure, and “[ljogic and reality dictates that these items cannot be removed without damage to either the property, the building or the premises,” the Cammacks argued that the lease provisions did not require them to restore the premises as Eastburn demanded. East-burn also filed a motion for summary judgment on her own claims, taking the obverse position. She provided bid proposals demonstrating that it would cost $19,155.00 to restore the premises and $16,914.06 to remove the grease trap and fill the hole in the ground. She attached the deposition of Jason Cammack, who testified no work was done to refurbish or restore the facility. He admitted that the lease required the Cammacks to take FRP off the walls and clean the space and that neither task was completed. Jason also admitted that he “had an obligation to remove all of my fixtures.” Next, he described the condition in which the Cam-macks left the property. Jason clarified cardboard covered a large hole in the ceiling leading to the attic because the vent was removed, that gas and water pipes were not capped and were visible in the wall, that an electrical conduit was coming out of the floor, and that the stainless steel wall shield was not removed. Last, Jason testified the 1,500-gallon grease trap still contained collections from the kitchen drains.

On December 5, 2008, the Cammacks filed amended counterclaims under Chapter 93 of the Texas Property Code, which applies to commercial leases. They alleged Eastburn wrongfully withheld the security deposit, wrongfully excluded them from the premises, and also alleged a cause of action called “failure of consideration,” seeking credit for the weeks of rent in which Eastburn allegedly failed to re *889 pair the air conditioning. On December 19, they filed a “Response to Eastburn’s [Partial] Motion for Summary Judgment Motion to Renew the Cammacks’ Motion for Partial Summary Judgment.” While the new counterclaims were briefly mentioned, no summary judgment was sought on the counterclaims. 3

The trial court considered the motions for summary judgment on December 30, 2008, and rendered final judgment awarding Eastburn $36,069.06. Consistent with the affidavit of attorney’s fees and costs, the trial court awarded $19,945.00 in fees and $1,067.10 in costs. On appeal, the Cammacks essentially argue, in a brief which challenges the reader, that the trial court erred because the unambiguous lease agreement did not require them to remove improvements made to the property and restore the premises and that Eastburn did not sufficiently prove damages and attorney’s fees.

The Cammacks also label the following as points of error: (1) “Appellants present an action against appellee pursuant to Texas Property Code § 93.011”; (2) “Appellants present an action against ap-pellee pursuant to Texas Property Code § 93.002”; (3) “Appellants present a breach of contract action against appellee and a defense of failure of consideration from appellee”; (4) “As a matter of law, appellee is barred from pursuing any holdover claim against appellants.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
296 S.W.3d 884, 2009 WL 3050822, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/cammack-the-cook-llc-v-eastburn-texapp-2009.