City of Dallas v. Cornerstone Bank, N.A.

879 S.W.2d 264, 1994 Tex. App. LEXIS 1838, 1994 WL 247381
CourtCourt of Appeals of Texas
DecidedJune 2, 1994
Docket05-93-00053-CV
StatusPublished
Cited by52 cases

This text of 879 S.W.2d 264 (City of Dallas v. Cornerstone Bank, N.A.) 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
City of Dallas v. Cornerstone Bank, N.A., 879 S.W.2d 264, 1994 Tex. App. LEXIS 1838, 1994 WL 247381 (Tex. Ct. App. 1994).

Opinion

OPINION

ROSENBERG, Justice.

This appeal arises out of a suit to determine the priority of two competing liens against personal property and the amount of taxes, penalties, and interest secured by a tax lien on the personal property. The City of Dallas, the Dallas Independent School District, and the County of Dallas (Tax Authorities) appeal from a summary judgment rendered in favor of Cornerstone Bank (Cornerstone).

The Tax Authorities bring two points of error challenging the trial court’s disposition of the parties’ opposing motions for summary judgment. Cornerstone filed a motion to dismiss the appeal, contending that we should dismiss the Tax Authorities’ appeal as untimely. Further, in one cross-point of error, Cornerstone contends that the trial court erred in denying its claims for actual and exemplary damages, attorney’s fees, and interest. We deny Cornerstone’s motion to dismiss. We sustain the Tax Authorities’ points of error. Because of our disposition of the Tax Authorities’ points of error, we do not reach Cornerstone’s cross-point of error. We reverse the trial court’s judgment in favor of Cornerstone and render judgment in part for the Tax Authorities. We remand this cause to the trial court for further proceedings.

FACTUAL BACKGROUND

Cornerstone has a security interest in jewelry, precious stones, and other items owned by Kassees Precious Jewels, Inc. (Kassees). Kassees defaulted on its loan with Cornerstone. Before Cornerstone could foreclose on its security interest, the Tax Authorities seized the jewelry pursuant to tax warrants issued for the payment of Kassees’s delinquent taxes, penalties, and interest for the tax years 1986, 1987, 1988, and 1989. The Tax Authorities published notice that they would offer the property for sale. The value of the property seized by the Tax Authorities is $52,663.00.

Cornerstone brought suit against the Tax Authorities and Kassees requesting that the trial court (1) determine the amount of the tax lien so Cornerstone could pay that amount, extinguish the tax lien, and then foreclose on the jewelry; (2) render judgment against Kassees for all amounts Kas-sees owed Cornerstone and for foreclosure; and (3) find that the Tax Authorities converted the jewelry and were liable to Cornerstone for actual and exemplary damages, attorney’s fees, interest, and costs.

The Tax Authorities filed an answer and counterclaim against Cornerstone. The Tax Authorities sought an order extinguishing Cornerstone’s liens and claims against the jewelry and an order permitting them to proceed with the sale of the property.

PROCEDURAL BACKGROUND

Cornerstone moved for partial summary judgment, addressing only the first of its three claims. Cornerstone sought a summary judgment that determined the amount of the tax lien. Further, Cornerstone wanted the summary judgment to provide that once Cornerstone paid that amount, the payment would extinguish the Tax Authorities’ tax liens, that Cornerstone’s lien would then be superior to any other liens, and that Cornerstone would be free to foreclose upon the jewelry.

On May 8, 1991, the trial court signed a summary judgment captioned, “FINAL JUDGMENT.” The trial court found that the Tax Authorities’ lien was superior to Cornerstone’s lien only to the extent of the taxes due upon the property seized. The trial court found that the taxes on the property seized were $2,911.15. The trial court ordered that Cornerstone could extinguish the Tax Authorities’ lien by tendering $2,911.15 into the court’s registry. The trial court found that Cornerstone’s lien then would be superior over any other liens. This part of the summary judgment disposed of the first of Cornerstone’s three claims. Although not addressed in Cornerstone’s motion for summary judgment, the trial court also granted Cornerstone judgment against *267 Kassees for $179,692.34, postjudgment interest, and foreclosure. This disposed of Cornerstone’s second claim. The trial court’s judgment concluded with a Mother Hubbard clause providing that “[a]ll relief not specifically granted herein is denied.”

The Tax Authorities filed a notice of appeal on June 14, 1991. They nonsuited their counterclaim on July 3, 1991. Cornerstone moved to dismiss the appeal, arguing that the May 8 judgment was the final judgment and that the appeal was untimely. We denied Cornerstone’s motion to dismiss. We determined that the May 8 judgment did not dispose of all of Cornerstone’s claims. We sent the parties jurisdictional letters informing them that the judgment they were trying to appeal was interlocutory and unappeala-ble. The letters directed the parties to file a supplemental transcript containing an order disposing of Cornerstone’s claims for actual and exemplary damages and for post-judgment interest. We sent two more jurisdictional letters informing the parties that the judgment they sought to appeal was interlocutory, each time directing them to file a supplemental transcript with an order disposing of the remaining claims. The parties did not respond to any of these jurisdictional letters. On July 17, 1992, we dismissed the appeal. Mandate issued on September 21, 1992.

On August 5, 1992, the Tax Authorities moved for summary judgment in the trial court. The Tax Authorities sought a summary judgment that determined that their lien under the tax code was a “floating” lien against all property and that the property seized was subject to sale for all the taxes due by Kassees, not for just the taxes due upon each item of seized property. Further, the Tax Authorities wanted the summary judgment to provide that Cornerstone was not entitled to damages or attorney’s fees. The trial court denied the Tax Authorities’ motion for summary judgment on September 30, 1992. The trial court determined that its May 8, 1991 summary judgment was a final judgment. It concluded that it had lost plenary jurisdiction and was powerless to rule upon any further motions.

The Tax Authorities moved to modify the trial court’s September 30, 1992 order. On November 16, 1992, the trial court granted the motion to modify. The trial court again ruled that the May 8, 1992 summary judgment was a final judgment, but added the following language: “All additional relief sought by plaintiff, including all claims for actual damages and exemplary damages and attorney[’]s fees, is DENIED.”

CORNERSTONE’S MOTION TO DISMISS

Cornerstone filed a motion to dismiss this appeal arguing that the May 8 judgment was the final judgment and that we should dismiss the appeal as untimely. In a February 17, 1993 presubmission opinion, this Court denied Cornerstone’s motion to dismiss and held that the November 16, 1992 judgment was the final and appealable judgment. We directed the parties to file their briefs.

In its brief, Cornerstone continues its argument that we do not have jurisdiction over this appeal. Cornerstone requests that we reconsider the issue and allow the parties an opportunity to brief the applicable law and facts. Additionally, Cornerstone filed its second motion to dismiss the appeal in light of a recent Texas Supreme Court decision 1 addressing the issue of whether a “Mother Hubbard” clause in an order granting summary judgment makes an otherwise partial summary judgment final for appeal purposes.

Cornerstone contends that the supreme court’s holding in Mafrige v. Ross

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879 S.W.2d 264, 1994 Tex. App. LEXIS 1838, 1994 WL 247381, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/city-of-dallas-v-cornerstone-bank-na-texapp-1994.