Doncaster v. Hernaiz

161 S.W.3d 594, 2005 Tex. App. LEXIS 773, 2005 WL 235752
CourtCourt of Appeals of Texas
DecidedFebruary 2, 2005
Docket04-04-00324-CV
StatusPublished
Cited by114 cases

This text of 161 S.W.3d 594 (Doncaster v. Hernaiz) 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
Doncaster v. Hernaiz, 161 S.W.3d 594, 2005 Tex. App. LEXIS 773, 2005 WL 235752 (Tex. Ct. App. 2005).

Opinion

OPINION

Opinion by

PHYLIS J. SPEEDLIN, Justice.

Anita Doncaster appeals from a final judgment against her on a suit for collection of a debt. We affirm the judgment of the trial court.

Factual and Procedural Background

Gloria and Enrique Hernaiz were longtime customers of the Union National Bank in Laredo, Texas. As such, they had developed a relationship with Anita Don-caster, the bank representative responsible for their accounts. Over the course of their almost 30-year relationship with Doncaster, Mr. and Mrs. Hernaiz authorized three loans to be made to or through her, although the characterization of these transactions is disputed by the parties.

*600 Two of these transactions are directly relevant to the underlying lawsuit and occurred in March and July 1994. Doncaster maintains that she solicited $70,000 in March and another $30,000 in July from Mr. and Mrs. Hernaiz on behalf of a third person, Carlos Garza, as an investment opportunity for Mr. and Mrs. Hernaiz. It is undisputed that the money was not repaid. Doncaster then signed a “Carta de Compromiso” in February 1998. That document provides:

I, Anita S. Doncaster, ... obligate myself to pay to Mrs. Gloria Rey de Her-naiz, of Mexico, D.F. the sum of $100,000 by April 30, 1998 or before that date with an interest rate of 7% when due. This amount shall be paid to cover the present debt of Mr. Chale Garza d/b/a Chale Garza Investments, Inc. to Mrs. Gloria Rey Hernaiz. To date Mrs. Gloria Rey Hernaiz has a promissory note from Mr. Chale Garza, which is for the same amount. When I pay this promissory note I will receive said document (original). Signed Anita S. Doncaster. Accepted: Signed Gloria Rey Hernaiz.

Again, the money was not repaid. Gloria Hernaiz eventually presented Doncaster with a demand letter. After receiving no response to her demand, Hernaiz filed suit on the debt in March 2002.

On November 14, 2003, Hernaiz filed a traditional motion for summary judgment. In support of her motion, Hernaiz filed six exhibits: (1) a copy of the Carta de Com-promiso signed by Doncaster and Hernaiz on February 12, 1998, in Spanish with an English translation; (2) an affidavit from Hernaiz outlining the history of the transactions with Doncaster; (3) an affidavit from Luz Josefina Hernaiz Pardave, executrix of the estate of Enrique Hernaiz, outlining the history of the parties’ relationship; (4) a transcript of the deposition of Doncaster; (5) an affidavit from Jeffrey Czar on the issue of attorney’s fees; and (6) a second affidavit from Luz Pardave on the issue of Doncaster’s failure to pay the debt established in the Carta de Compro-miso.

Doncaster filed objections and a response to Hernaiz’s motion for summary judgment, as well as a cross-motion for a no evidence summary judgment. In support of both her response and her motion for summary judgment, Doncaster filed four exhibits: (1) her affidavit describing her relationship and the transactions with Mr. and Mrs. Hernaiz; (2) a translation of an earlier 1992 promissory note to Enrique Hernaiz signed by Doncaster with an accompanying affidavit of the translator; (3) a translation of the 1998 Carta de Compro-miso with an accompanying affidavit of the translator; and (4) a translation of a 1999 document signed by Gloria Hernaiz and Doncaster with an accompanying affidavit of the translator.

Hernaiz then supplemented her motion for summary judgment with five additional exhibits: (1) an affidavit from the court interpreter who had translated the Carta de Compromiso; (2) a transcript of the deposition of Carlos Garza; (3) a copy of the 1992 promissory note from Doncaster to Enrique Hernaiz with an accompanying translation and affidavit of the translator; (4) a copy of the 1999 document signed by Gloria Hernaiz and Doncaster with an accompanying translation and affidavit of the translator; and (5) a copy of a February 1998 check from Doncaster payable to Gloria Hernaiz in the amount of $30,000.

An initial hearing was held on January 21, 2004, at which time the trial court postponed deciding Hernaiz’s motion for summary judgment for one week to give Doncaster time to respond to the recent supplements to Hernaiz’s motion. On January 28, 2004, the court heard argument on Hernaiz’s motion for summary judg *601 ment. The trial judge made only one explicit ruling on Doncaster’s objections to Hernaiz’s summary judgment evidence before granting a partial summary judgment in favor of Hernaiz on the debt. A bench trial was held on the issue of attorney’s fees on February 6, 2004. The final judgment signed on February 11, 2004 awarded $123,667 to Hernaiz as principal and interest on the debt and $35,800 in attorney’s fees, plus additional attorney’s fees in the event of appeal. This appeal was timely filed by Doncaster.

Hernaiz’s Summary Judgment

Summary Judgment Evidence

In her fourth issue on appeal, Doncaster contends that the summary judgment was not supported by any competent, admissible evidence, and re-asserts her objections to the summary judgment evidence. Summary judgment evidence must be admissible under the rules of evidence. United Blood Serv. v. Longoria, 938 S.W.2d 29, 30 (Tex.1997); see Tex.R. Civ. P. 166a (f). The admission or exclusion of evidence, however, is generally a matter within the trial court’s discretion and we review the trial court’s ruling for an abuse of discretion. Owens-Coming Fiberglas Corp. v. Malone, 972 S.W.2d 35, 43 (Tex.1998). To warrant reversal, the appellant must show that the trial court’s erroneous admission or exclusion of evidence was harmful — that it was calculated to cause and probably did cause the rendition of an improper judgment. Tex.R.App. P. 44.1; Owens-Coming Fiberglas Corp., 972 S.W.2d at 43. Error on questions of evidence is generally not reversible unless the appellant can show that the whole case turns on the particular evidence admitted or excluded. Interstate Northborough P’ship v. State, 66 S.W.3d 213, 220 (Tex. 2001); Atl. Mut. Ins. Co. v. Middleman, 661 S.W.2d 182,185 (Tex.App.-San Antonio 1983, writ ref d n.r.e.).

At the trial court level, Doncaster objected to the admission of the Carta de Compromiso on the basis that Hernaiz failed to comply with the rules of evidence for admission of a foreign language document; specifically, Doncaster asserts that a translator’s affidavit was not submitted with the document at least 45 days before the hearing. Tex.R. Evid. 1009. Rule 1009 provides that a translation of a foreign language document is admissible upon the affidavit of a qualified translator when the affidavit, translation, and foreign language document are served on all parties 45 days prior to trial. See Tex.R. Evid. 1009(a). It is undisputed by the parties that Hernaiz did file a copy of the Carta de Compromiso with a translation with her initial summary judgment motion, but failed to attach the translator’s affidavit. Later, in response to Doncaster’s objections, Hernaiz supplemented her motion with an affidavit from the translator as required by Rule 1009.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
161 S.W.3d 594, 2005 Tex. App. LEXIS 773, 2005 WL 235752, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/doncaster-v-hernaiz-texapp-2005.