Carbajal v. Ford Motor Credit Co.

658 S.W.2d 281, 1983 Tex. App. LEXIS 5042
CourtCourt of Appeals of Texas
DecidedSeptember 8, 1983
Docket13-82-356-CV
StatusPublished
Cited by9 cases

This text of 658 S.W.2d 281 (Carbajal v. Ford Motor Credit Co.) 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
Carbajal v. Ford Motor Credit Co., 658 S.W.2d 281, 1983 Tex. App. LEXIS 5042 (Tex. Ct. App. 1983).

Opinion

OPINION

BISSETT, Justice.

This is an appeal from a judgment granted against appellant Alonzo Carbajal, in favor of appellee Ford Motor Credit Company (FMCC). Carbajal sued FMCC for alleged violations of the Texas Consumer Credit Code, Article 5069-7.01, et seq., Tex. Civ.Stat.Ann. (Vernon Supp.1982-83), in a retail installment contract that he had signed in connection with the purchase of a motor vehicle. The trial court found no violations of the Code.

Carbajal contracted with Duval Motor Company on April 3, 1976 for the purchase of a new 1976 Ford. Carbajal executed a document entitled Texas Automobile Retail Instalment (sic) Contract, which is a form FMCC contract. The retail contract was subsequently assigned to FMCC. In connection with the purchase of the same motor vehicle, Carbajal executed a document entitled Agreement to Provide Insurance. Suit was initiated on the above mentioned contract on April 3, 1980.

The parties stipulated: 1) as to reasonable attorney’s fees; 2) that Carbajal did, in fact, sign a document entitled “AGREEMENT TO PROVIDE INSURANCE,” at the time of execution of the retail installment contract; and, 3) that Marcel Greenia was Carbajal’s attorney of record until October 8, 1981.

The first issue that must be resolved is whether the suit was filed timely under Art. 5069-8.04(a), wherein it is provided that “actions may be brought within four years from the date of the loan or retail installment transaction.... ” As the suit was initiated four years to the date after the contract in question was executed, the question becomes, is the suit timely or did the cause of action expire at midnight April 2,1980? We hold that the action was timely-

Rule 4, Tex.RCiv.P., provides: “In computing any period of time prescribed or allowed by these rules, by order of court, or by any applicable statute, the day of the act, event, or default after which the designated period of time begins to run is not to be included.” “By ‘applicable statute’ is meant a statute prescribing the time within which an act is to be done in connection *283 with a civil action wherein the procedure is regulated by statute.” Nann v. New, 148 Tex. 443, 226 S.W.2d 116 (1950). Since the day the contract was executed is not counted in determining the expired time, appellant’s cause of action was timely filed.

While appellant specifically assigns as error, his contention that “the trial court erred in holding that appellant filed suit against appellee more than four years from the date of the retail installment transaction,” we can find nothing in the record which would indicate that the trial judge made such a determination. Accordingly, appellant’s fifth point of error is overruled. However, we do address appellant’s remaining points of error, recognizing that the cause of action was timely filed.

Appellant’s first point of error attacks the constitutionality of Art. 5069-8.01(c), Tex.Rev.Civ.Stat.Ann. (Vernon Supp.1982-83) in that it constitutes an impairment of the obligation of contracts. We have carefully considered this contention and find it to be without merit. Appellant’s first point of error is overruled.

Appellant’s second and third points of error relate to the inclusion in the retail installment contract of an offensive phrase, and appellee’s efforts to cure this defect under Art. 5069-8.01(c). Specifically, appellant complains “the trial court erred in holding that appellee actually discovered, on May 6,1981, that the language contained in paragraph 19 of the Retail Installment Contract signed by appellant violated TEX. REV.CIV.STAT.ANN. art. 5069-7.07(4),” and that “the trial court erred in holding that appellee sent a correction notice to appellant’s attorney within sixty days after appellee actually discovered its violation of TEX.REV.CIV.STAT.ANN. art. 5069-7.-07(4), since the evidence showed that appel-lee actually discovered said violation more than sixty days before it sent the notice.”

The asserted offensive clause, in the contract before us, provides:

“Any personalty in or attached to the Property when repossessed may be held by Seller without liability and Buyer shall be deemed to have waived any claim thereto unless written demand by certified mail is made upon Seller within 24 hours after repossession.”

On May 6, 1981, the Texas Supreme Court handed down an opinion in which it found the waiver portion of the above clause to be both violative of public policy and the Texas Consumer Credit Code. Zapata v. Ford Motor Credit Co., 615 S.W.2d 198 (Tex.1981). Prior to this time, a conflict existed among the Courts of Appeals as to the validity of this clause. See Ford Motor Credit Co. v. Zapata, 605 S.W.2d 362 (Tex.Civ.App.—Beaumont 1980); Tradewinds Ford Sales, Inc. v. Caskey, 600 S.W.2d 865 (Tex.Civ.App.—Eastland 1980) (finding no violation in the clause); Ford Motor Credit Co. v. McDaniel, 613 S.W.2d 513 (Tex.Civ.App.— Corpus Christi 1981, writ ref’d n.r.e.); and, Ford Motor Credit Co. v. Brown, 613 S.W.2d 521 (Tex.Civ.App.—Corpus Christi 1981, writ ref’d n.r.e.) (finding a violation).

The record reflects that on May 6, 1981, appellee mailed to appellant’s attorney of record, Marcel Greenia, a document entitled “CORRECTION NOTICE,” which served as notice of the defect in the retail installment contract. Article 5069-8.01, supra, provides in pertinent part:

“(c)(1) A person has no liability to an obligor for a violation of this Subtitle or of Chapter 14 of this Title if within 60 days after having actually discovered such violation such person corrects such violation as to such obligor by performing the required duty or act or by refunding any amount in excess of that authorized by law; provided, notice to such obligor of such violation prior to such obligor having given written notice of or having filed an action alleging such violation of this Subtitle or of Chapter 14 of this Title.
As used herein, the term ‘actually discovered’ shall not be construed, interpreted, or applied in such manner as to refer to the time or date when, through reasonable diligence, an ordinarily prudent person could or should have discovered or known as a matter of law or fact of the violation in question, but such term shall *284 be construed, interpreted, and applied to refer to the time of the discovery of the violation in fact, provided, however, that the actual discovery of such violation in one transaction may constitute actual discovery of the same violation in other transactions if the violation actually discovered is of such nature that it would necessarily be repeated and would be clearly apparent in such other transactions without the necessity of examining all such other transactions.”

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Bluebook (online)
658 S.W.2d 281, 1983 Tex. App. LEXIS 5042, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/carbajal-v-ford-motor-credit-co-texapp-1983.