Centex Corp. v. Dalton

810 S.W.2d 812, 36 Tex. Sup. Ct. J. 136, 1991 Tex. App. LEXIS 1786, 1991 WL 130224
CourtCourt of Appeals of Texas
DecidedMay 22, 1991
Docket04-90-00241-CV
StatusPublished
Cited by7 cases

This text of 810 S.W.2d 812 (Centex Corp. v. Dalton) 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
Centex Corp. v. Dalton, 810 S.W.2d 812, 36 Tex. Sup. Ct. J. 136, 1991 Tex. App. LEXIS 1786, 1991 WL 130224 (Tex. Ct. App. 1991).

Opinions

OPINION

BISSETT, Justice.1

This is an appeal by Centex Corporation (“Centex”), defendant in the trial court, from a summary judgment in favor of John Dalton (“Dalton”), plaintiff in the trial court, wherein Dalton was awarded $750,-000 as damages for breach of contract, plus prejudgment interest, costs, attorney’s fees and post-judgment interest. We affirm.

Dalton filed suit against Centex on July 27,1989, seeking to recover liquidated damages for alleged breach of contract. He later moved for summary judgment. Cen-tex defended by filing a plea to the jurisdiction and a plea in abatement, both of which were overruled, and by asserting an affirmative defense that the contract sued upon was illegal and void. Centex also filed a response to Dalton’s motion for summary judgment and further filed a cross-motion for summary judgment and declaratory judgment, which was denied.

The material facts are undisputed. The question presented is whether the trial court correctly applied the law to the undisputed facts. We answer that question in the affirmative.

The State of Texas was experiencing severely declining economic conditions during the latter part of 1988, and the Federal Home Loan Bank Board (hereafter either the “Bank Board” or “FHLBB” and the Federal Savings and Loan Insurance Corporation (“FSLIC”), as federal regulatory agencies, determined it was in the best interests of savings and loan borrowers, depositors, and other creditors to close, merge, liquidate or sell the insolvent insti[815]*815tutions under what came to be known as the “Southwest Plan.” Federal legislation in 1989 abolished, among other things, the FHLBB and the FSLIC and created the Office of Thrift Supervision (“OTS”), and gave the director of OTS all powers that had been formerly vested in the abolished agencies.

Centex, acting by and through Mr. David Quinn (“Quinn”), its executive vice-president, and Dalton came in contact with each other in November of 1988, and entered into discussions concerning the acquisition of certain savings associations known as the “Seguin Group.” Centex’s attempted acquisition of the Seguin Group was unsuccessful. However, during the discussions relating to that attempted acquisition, Dalton attended a meeting in Washington, D.C., in late November, 1988, where he learned that four savings and loan associations in central Texas, known as the “Lamb Package,” were available for purchase. Dalton communicated that information to Centex, and on December 23, 1988, Centex wrote a letter to Dalton, wherein it was stated:

In view of your experience in the savings and loan industry, including your operating experience, we will engage you as a consultant to work with us to consolidate and restructure the above-mentioned associations. Upon the condition that we acquire these associations on or before December 31, 1988, we will pay you at closing Three Hundred Thousand Dollars ($300,000) and thereafter pay to you One Hundred Fifty Thousand Dollars ($150,000) per year (payable 1/12 monthly) over a period of three (3) years, in exchange for which you will serve as a consultant to work with us to consolidate and restructure the associations. We have no obligation to close, and if we do not close, you will have no claim for any payment.

The offer made in the letter was accepted by Dalton on December 23,1988. It will hereafter be referred to as the “contract.”

Before the contract was signed, a meeting took place between Centex and the Bank Board, at which Centex advised representatives of the Board of Centex’ intention to pay fees to Dalton upon completion of the acquisition of the Lamb Package. The Bank Board’s representative told Cen-tex that “such a payment would not be a concern to the FHLBB (Bank Board) as long as it was made by Centex” and not by the acquired associations or the new association which Centex would be required to form to succeed to the assets and deposit liabilities of the constituent entities in the Lamb Package. However, on December 28, 1988, the night prior to closing of Cen-tex’ acquisition of the Lamb Package, Quinn learned for the first time that the Bank Board probably would not permit payment of fees to Dalton. Centex, nevertheless, went through with the acquisition of the Lamb Package, forming a wholly owned subsidiary known as Texas Trust Savings Bank, FSB (“Texas Trust”) as the actual acquiring entity. The acquisition of the Lamb Package was closed on December 29, 1988. The written approval of the acquisition of the savings and loan associations comprising the Lamb Package by the newly formed Texas Trust is evidenced by a resolution of the Bank Board, which contained the following prohibition:

No advisory fees, finders fees, investment banker’s fees or other fees incurred in connection with the acquisition shall be paid directly or indirectly by the New Federal (Texas Trust).

A transcript of portions of the discussion of the Bank Board’s Directors at the closed meeting of the Board on December 29, 1988, reveals that a “Mr. Brown” (whose identity is not otherwise given) stated with respect to the resolution which approved the acquisition:

It can be interpreted, I think, that [the Resolution] would cover the situation that the Dallas Bank has in fact discussed. However, if the Board would like more specificity on that particular provision to absolutely nail it down, if the Board would just simply authorize OGC [Office of General Counsel to OTS] to prepare a Minute Entry. And if the Board decides to approve the transaction, approve it subject to our preparing a Minute Entry, which would make abso[816]*816lutely crystal clear that it does cover the situation that the Dallas Bank has discussed.

There is no evidence that the Bank Board took any action on the suggestion of Mr. Brown at the meeting on December 29, 1988; however, an amendatory resolution concerning the acquisition by Texas Trust was adopted by the Bank Board on January 31, 1989. It stated:

The Bank Board determined that the prohibition on advisory fees, finders fees, investment bankers fees or other fees imposed upon Texas Trust Savings Bank, a Federal Savings Bank, Llano, Texas (“Texas Trust”), should be extended to any affiliates and subsidiaries of Texas Trust.

Dalton performed all services required of him pursuant to the contract and stood ready, willing and able to perform any additional services which might be required of him thereunder. Centex has never made any request of Dalton that he perform any additional services and does not claim nonperformance as a defense to payment under the contract. Centex has not made any payment to Dalton under the contract. The undisputed evidence shows that the only reason why Centex did not pay Dalton in accordance with the provisions of the contract was the prohibition imposed by the Bank Board in the resolution adopted when the acquisition was approved on December 29, 1988, as amended by the “minutes entry” by the Bank Board on January 31, 1989.

Centex contends in its first point of error that the trial court erred in overruling its plea to the jurisdiction because Dalton’s breach of contract claim involved a challenge to the ruling by the Federal Home Loan Bank Board, and exclusive jurisdiction for such challenge lies with the United States Court of Appeals.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
810 S.W.2d 812, 36 Tex. Sup. Ct. J. 136, 1991 Tex. App. LEXIS 1786, 1991 WL 130224, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/centex-corp-v-dalton-texapp-1991.