David McDavid Pontiac, Inc. v. Nix

681 S.W.2d 831, 1984 Tex. App. LEXIS 6805
CourtCourt of Appeals of Texas
DecidedOctober 31, 1984
Docket05-83-00787-CV
StatusPublished
Cited by53 cases

This text of 681 S.W.2d 831 (David McDavid Pontiac, Inc. v. Nix) 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
David McDavid Pontiac, Inc. v. Nix, 681 S.W.2d 831, 1984 Tex. App. LEXIS 6805 (Tex. Ct. App. 1984).

Opinions

WHITHAM, Justice.

Appellee, Frances Nix, brought this action under the Deceptive Trade Practices— Consumer Protection Act, TEX.BUS. & COM.CODE ANN. §§ 17.41-17.63 (Vernon Supp.1982-1983), against appellant, David McDavid Pontiac, Inc. The action arises out of a sale of an automobile. The jury answered all issues in Nix’s favor. Judgment in favor of Nix awarded actual damages and restoration of the consideration paid and trebled both and awarded Nix attorney’s fees. The trial court denied in-junctive relief against McDavid Pontiac. We conclude that the trial court correctly denied injunctive relief. We conclude that the trial court erred in awarding restoration of the consideration paid. We conclude that Nix is entitled to recover $1,080.60 pursuant to section 17.50(b)(1) of the Act. We conclude that the award of attorney’s fees was excessive. Accordingly, we affirm in part, reverse and render in part and suggest remittitur as to the award of attorney’s fees.

Liability

First, we consider McDavid Pontiac’s liability under the Act. McDavid Pontiac tells us in its brief that “[sjpecial issues No. 5, No. 7, No. 9, No. 12, No. 17(a & b) and No. 15 were the Special Issues submitted pursuant to § 17.46 and § 17.50a [of the Act].” We agree and treat these issues as the liability issues. McDavid Pontiac contends in numerous points of error that there was no evidence to support the jury’s findings to these issues. Therefore, we must determine whether there is any probative evidence to support the jury’s findings to any one or more of these issues in order to establish McDavid Pontiac’s liability under the Act. Virtually all of the facts in the present case are disputed and confusing. The record, however, contains certain undisputed facts. We focus on those undisputed facts to illustrate a situation in which reasonable minds can draw different inferences or conclusions from undisputed facts, thereby raising issues for the jury.

Nix testified that when she entered McDavid Pontiac’s place of business on September 13 she told the salesman that among other things she wanted a “green car.” Later that day, Nix agreed in writing to purchase a described automobile from McDavid Pontiac for $10,223.15. The contract detailed certain equipment, options or features of the automobile. That automobile was yellow. On a day in dispute, the parties abandoned purchase and sale of the yellow automobile because Nix wanted [834]*834a green automobile. McDavid Pontiac did not have a green automobile identical to the yellow automobile; however, McDavid Pontiac obtained a green automobile from another dealer and delivered it to Nix on September 19. Nix drove the green automobile away from McDavid Pontiac that day and kept it until mid or late October when she returned it to McDavid Pontiac after driving it 1200 miles. The selling price on a September 19 retail installment contract on the green automobile bearing Nix’s signature was $10,223.15 — the identical selling price of the yellow automobile on. the September 13 purchase contract. The green automobile lacked many of the features of, and options and equipment on, the yellow automobile.

Nix contends that under her agreement with McDavid Pontiac, the green automobile was to be identical to the yellow automobile described in the September 13 contract and that she was defrauded because the green automobile delivered to her was not identical to the yellow automobile. McDavid Pontiac concedes that the green automobile was not identical to the yellow automobile. McDavid Pontiac contends, however, that Nix agreed to purchase the green automobile because it is the automobile described in the September 19 retail installment contract. The jury, however, rejected most, if not all, of the evidence upon which McDavid Pontiac grounds its contention because the jury found that Nix did not accept delivery of the green automobile. McDavid does not challenge submission, instruction or finding as to the following special issue number three:

Do you find from a preponderance of the evidence that FRANCES NIX accepted delivery of the green Pontiac Bonneville, Vehicle Identification Number VIN 2069Y9P258582?
For purposes of answering this special issue you are instructed that “Acceptance” of goods occurs when the buyer: (1) After a reasonable opportunity to inspect the goods signifies to the seller that the goods are conforming or that he will take or retain them inspite of their non-conformity; or (2) Fails to make an effective rejection after he has had an opportunity to inspect the goods.

The jury answered “we do not.” Since there was no challenge to the jury’s finding that Nix did not accept delivery of the green automobile, we must accept that finding.

We now consider two of the liability special issues in light of the undisputed evidence of an identical selling price for both the yellow and green automobiles. Special issue number nine reads:

Do you find from a preponderance of the evidence that the Defendant David McDavid Pontiac, Inc. represented to Plaintiff that the green 1979 Pontiac Bonnevillé V.I.N. 2Q69Y9P258582 they were selling to Plaintiff had a characteristic or characteristics which it did not ultimately have?

The jury answered “Yes.” It is obvious that special issue number nine was submitted in light of the provisions of sections 17.50(a)(1) and 17.46(b)(5) of the Act (characteristics of the goods). Special issue number twelve reads:

Do you find from a preponderance of the evidence that Defendant David McDavid Pontiac, Inc., through its officers or employees, made an express warranty on September 13, 1979 to the Plaintiff that they would deliver to Plaintiff a green 1979 Pontiac Bonneville V.I.N. 2Q69X9P187663 equipped with a 350 V-8 engine with a 4-barrell carburetor, GR 78 white sidewalls, a heavy duty battery, certain specified gauges, power reclining seats, tungsten headlamps, vinyl top, air conditioning, fender guards, cruise control, tinted glass, visor mirror, sport mirror, power door locks, stereo 8-track, tilt wheel and wire wheel covers?

The jury answered “yes.” It is obvious that special issue number twelve was submitted in light of the provisions of section 17.50(a)(2) of the Act (express warranty). The automobile described in special issue number twelve described the yellow automobile but painted green.

[835]*835It is undisputed that McDavid Pontiac’s selling price' for the yellow and green automobiles was the same amount. That facts are undisputed does not always eliminate the right to a fact finding. If reasonable minds can draw different inferences or conclusions from undisputed facts, a fact issue is presented. Commercial Standard Insurance Co. v. Davis, 134 Tex. 487, 137 S.W.2d 1, 2 (1940). Although McDavid Pontiac points to evidence to explain why two admittedly dissimilar automobiles had the identical selling price, we conclude that such evidence raised issues properly for the jury to determine. We conclude that in the present case reasonable minds could draw different inferences or conclusions from undisputed facts. We reach this conclusion because, if the sales prices were identical, the jury could reasonably infer or conclude (1) that the green automobile was represented to have characteristics which it did not ultimately have, i.e.,

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Bluebook (online)
681 S.W.2d 831, 1984 Tex. App. LEXIS 6805, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/david-mcdavid-pontiac-inc-v-nix-texapp-1984.