CORUM MANAGEMENT CO. INC. v. Aguayo Enterprises, Inc.

755 S.W.2d 895, 1988 WL 93238
CourtCourt of Appeals of Texas
DecidedJuly 20, 1988
Docket4-87-00589-CV
StatusPublished
Cited by9 cases

This text of 755 S.W.2d 895 (CORUM MANAGEMENT CO. INC. v. Aguayo Enterprises, Inc.) 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
CORUM MANAGEMENT CO. INC. v. Aguayo Enterprises, Inc., 755 S.W.2d 895, 1988 WL 93238 (Tex. Ct. App. 1988).

Opinion

OPINION

CHAPA, Justice.

This is a suit brought under the DTPA 1 involving the alleged misrepresentation of a lease entered into by appellee, Aguayo Enterprises, Inc., and appellants, Corum Management Company, Inc. (Corum), Texas Commerce Bank (Bank), and Rosa T. Kahn Trust (Trust). Pursuant to a jury verdict, the trial court entered judgment against appellants. We affirm.

The issues common to all appellants are as follows:

(1) whether the evidence is sufficient to support the jury finding on actual damages;
(2) whether the trial court erred in failing to disregard the jury finding on actual damages because the finding was “immaterial”;
(3) whether the evidence is sufficient to support the jury finding on additional damages;
(4) whether the evidence is sufficient to support the jury findings on misrepresentation; and
(5) whether the evidence is sufficient to support the jury finding on attorney’s fees.

Appellants, Bank and Trust, raise the following additional issues:

(1) whether the jury finding on rental payments is against the great weight and preponderance of the evidence;
(2) whether the trial court committed reversible error by rendering judgment in favor of appellee despite appellee’s *897 failure to comply with TEX.PROP.CODE § 115.015; and
(3) whether the award of attorney’s fees was proper.

In November 1982, Kermit Aguayo, a representative of appellee, met with appellants’ representative, Abe Charski, to inquire into the availability of a particular commercial space which appellee wanted to lease for use as a restaurant. 2 The two met a second time in March 1983. At this meeting, Aguayo and Charski discussed specific details of the restaurant. Aguayo informed Charski that the restaurant would sell sandwiches, hot dogs, french fries, sausage, and ice cream at the outset, and pizza within three to four months of opening. Charski informed Aguayo that the plan would be fine with him; that ap-pellee would have to bear the expense for any necessary installations for the operation of the “Sandwich Shop”; and that the use of “Sandwich Shop” in the use clause of the lease would be broad enough to include the sale of pizza. A lease was subsequently prepared and executed with the term “Sandwich Shop” in the use clause of the lease.

Several months later, appellee took possession of the premises. In November 1983, however, Charski informed appellee that the restaurant would not be allowed to sell pizza. Thereafter, appellee moved out of the premises and initiated this suit.

The case was tried to a jury on special issues. The jury found, inter alia, that appellants misrepresented the lease; that the misrepresentations were a producing cause of appellee’s damages; that appel-lee’s actual damages were $12,309.33; that appellant committed the representations knowingly; that additional damages were $36,927.99; that attorney’s fees were $11,-000.00, and that no rental payments were due from appellee. Based upon these findings, the trial court entered judgment against appellants and awarded appellee $36,927.99, plus attorney’s fees.

In point of error one 3 , appellants contend that there is no evidence or, alternatively, insufficient evidence to support the jury finding on actual damages.

Appellants contend that the evidence does not support the finding on actual damages because there is no evidence or insufficient evidence that appellee’s expenses and cost of repairs were reasonable and necessary. Appellants state the general rule that in order to recover for expenses and costs of repair it must be shown that the expenses and costs of repairs were both reasonable and necessary. See GATX Tank Erection Corporation v. Tesoro Petroleum Corporation, 693 S.W.2d 617 (Tex.App.—San Antonio 1985, writ ref’d n.r.e.). However, in Jacobs v. Danny Darby Real Estate, Inc., 750 S.W.2d 174 (Tex.1988) (Kilgarlin, J., concurring), Justice Kilgarlin wrote:

The [DTPA] statute itself imposes no such requirement [of proof of reasonableness and necessity], nor should we engraft one where the legislature has refused to do so_ The present statute simply requires that the defendant’s conduct “constitute a producing cause of action damages.” DTPA § 17.50(a)(1). Compare section 17.50(d) (permitting recovery of “court costs and reasonable and necessary attorneys’ fees:) (emphasis supplied). The legislature obviously knows how to require proof of reasonableness and necessity, yet it has declined to do so with respect to actual damages recoverable by consumers. This is at least consistent with the legislature’s mandate that the DTPA be liberally construed and applied to promote its underlying purposes, which include protecting consumers against misleading and deceptive business practices and providing efficient and economical proce *898 dures to secure such protection. DTPA § 17.44.

Jacobs, supra at 176.

Although Justice Kilgarlin’s reasoning exhibits logic and substance, as in the majority opinion in Jacobs, we need not address the issue of whether proof of reasonable and necessary expenses and cost of repairs is required under the DTPA.

If such proof is required under the DTPA, we hold there was sufficient evidence in the instant case.

In determining a no evidence point, appellate courts consider only the evidence supporting the jury’s finding in its most favorable aspect and give effect to all reasonable inferences which may be properly drawn therefrom. In determining factually insufficient evidence points such courts consider the evidence supporting the jury finding and determine whether its probative effect is of sufficient strength to support the finding. And further, in determining factual insufficiency all evidence will be considered by courts of appeals to determine whether the jury’s finding is so contrary to the great weight and preponderance of the evidence as to be unjust. Dolenz v. Continental National Bank of Fort Worth, 620 S.W.2d 572, 576 (Tex.1981); Elliott v. Great National Life Insurance Co., 611 S.W.2d 620, 621 (Tex.1981); In Re King’s Estate, 150 Tex. 662, 244 S.W.2d 660, 661 (1951); Calvert, “No Evidence” and “Insufficient Evidence” Points of Error, 38 TEX.L.REV. 361 (1960).

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755 S.W.2d 895, 1988 WL 93238, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/corum-management-co-inc-v-aguayo-enterprises-inc-texapp-1988.