Fretz Construction Co. v. Southern National Bank of Houston

626 S.W.2d 478
CourtTexas Supreme Court
DecidedJanuary 27, 1982
DocketB-9570
StatusPublished
Cited by85 cases

This text of 626 S.W.2d 478 (Fretz Construction Co. v. Southern National Bank of Houston) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Texas Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Fretz Construction Co. v. Southern National Bank of Houston, 626 S.W.2d 478 (Tex. 1982).

Opinions

McGEE, Justice.

Fretz Construction Company (Fretz), a general contractor, sued Southern National Bank of Houston (Bank), the interim lender on a construction project, for damages for breach of contract, breach of third-party beneficiary contract, promissory estoppel, and fraud. In answers to special issues, the jury returned findings favorable to Fretz on its breach of contract, third-party beneficiary, and promissory estoppel claims, but failed to find all the elements needed for Fretz’s fraud theory. The trial court disregarded the jury’s answers under the contract and fraud theories and rendered judgment in favor of Fretz based on promissory estoppel. Both parties appealed. The court of civil appeals reversed the trial court’s judgment on the promissory estoppel claim and rendered judgment for the Bank against all claims. 600 S.W.2d 878. Fretz has appealed to this Court claiming that there is evidence to support the jury’s findings on the contract, promissory estoppel, and fraud causes of action; that the element of fraud which the jury failed to find was conclusively established; and that damages and prejudgment interest thereon were conclusively proven. We reverse the judgment of the court of civil appeals and remand the cause to that court.

In 1972, Fretz was approached by Joe Ross Stutts (Mr. Stutts) about building a 6-story office building, now known as the Bank of Woodlake, in Houston, Texas. Fretz and Mr. Stutts entered into a construction contract in 1973, but because of delays in Mr. Stutts’ obtaining adequate financing, this contract was eventually can-celled. In 1974, Mr. Stutts secured a permanent loan commitment for the project in the name of Aqua-Con of South Texas, Inc. (Aqua-Con), of which Mr. Stutts was president. Mr. Stutts secured interim financing from the respondent Bank in the amount of $3,050,000.00. The Bank issued a letter of intent to make the loan on March 21, 1974, and Mr. Stutts, as president of Aqua-Con, signed loan documents bearing that date naming Fretz as general contractor. The Bank/Aqua-Con loan was “closed” around April 15, 1974.

During this time in 1974, Fretz was preparing to begin construction on the project. Fretz obtained a building permit on March 21 and moved onto the site on March 25. Fretz also received delivery of approximately $196,000 worth of steel for the project which it had ordered in 1973 under the previous construction agreement.

Since Aqua-Con was wholly owned by Mr. Stutts, Fretz was concerned about Aqua-Con’s ability to pay for the construction work in view of the trouble Mr. Stutts had previously had in obtaining financing. On March 20 Fretz met with its surety, Travelers Indemnity Company (Travelers), and it was determined that both Fretz and Travelers needed assurances from the Bank that Fretz would be paid. An employee of Fretz, Mr. Ben Hammerle, contacted Mr. H. H. Kuhlman, the Bank’s vice president in charge of real estate development, on March 22 or 25 and on other times thereafter. Mr. Hammerle testified that he expressed concern about getting paid for the construction work, and that Mr. Kuhlman assured him that $2,372,715.00 (the amount of the as yet unsigned construction contract between Fretz and Aqua-Con) would be set aside for Fretz and that no other costs or [480]*480fees would be paid out of that fund. There was also testimony that Travelers would require a letter from the Bank with those assurances before it would issue payment and performance bonds on Fretz. As a result, Mr. Kuhlman sent the following letter from the Bank to Travelers:

(LETTERHEAD OF SOUTHERN NATIONAL BANK)
April 2, 1974
Mr. L. L. Rhodes
Surety Department
Traveler’s Indemnity Company
P. 0. Box 1446
Houston, Texas 77001
Dear Mr. Rhodes:
Re: Payment and Performance Bonds Aqua-Con of South Texas, Inc., Houston, Texas — Owner Fretz Construction Company— Contractor.
This is to confirm that $2,372,715.00, which represents the bonded construction costs of the above-captioned project to be owned by Aqua-Con of South Texas, Inc., has been set aside by Southern National Bank of Houston to be paid to Fretz Construction Company (Contractor) in progress payments as set out in the loan documents and construction contract. No brokerage fees, inspection fees, taxes, insurance, interest, or any other costs or fees incurred by borrowers or lenders will be removed from the contract sum.
Yours very truly,
/s/ H. H. Kuhlman, III H. H. KUHLMAN, III Vice President
HHK:oc

The letter was picked up from Mr. Kuhl-man’s office by Mr. Hammerle, who read it, made a copy of it for his files, and delivered it to Travelers. After reading this letter, Fretz delivered to Aqua-Con the signed Fretz/Aqua-Con construction contract dated March 28, 1974 and the payment and performance bonds issued by Travelers. Fretz also made the Bank an additional beneficiary of the payment and performance bonds and signed a Subordination Agreement and the Affidavit of Owners and Contractors required by the Bank.

Upon substantial completion of the project, Fretz submitted to Aqua-Con a request for final payment of $274,604.30. Fretz was paid only $50,000.00, however, which was all that remained from the loan proceeds. Fretz then brought this suit against the Bank.

Texas has adopted the doctrine of promissory estoppel as set forth by the Restatement of Contracts § 90. Wheeler v. White, 398 S.W.2d 93 (Tex.1965). Section 90 provides:

A promise which the promisor should reasonably expect to induce action or for-ebearance of a definite and substantial character on the part of the promisee and which does induce such action or fore-bearance is binding if injustice can be avoided only by enforcement of the promise.

In answer to special issues, the jury found all the necessary elements of promissory estoppel were present and the trial court rendered judgment thereon in favor of Fretz. The court of civil appeals reversed this portion of the trial court’s judgment and rendered judgment for the Bank, holding that any promise made by the Bank was conditional and that the doctrine of promissory estoppel was not applicable.

Special Issue No. 9 was submitted to and answered by the jury as follows:

Do you find from a preponderance of the evidence that Southern National Bank promised Fretz Construction Company:
(a) That it would set aside the sum of $2,372,715.00 for the purpose of paying Fretz Construction Company for work on the Bank of Woodlake office building construction project?
Answer “we do” or “we do not.”
(b) That no brokerage fees, inspection fees, taxes, insurance, interest or any other costs or fees incurred by borrowers [Aqua-Con] or lenders [Bank] would be removed from such sum?
Answer “we do” or “we do not.”
[481]

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
626 S.W.2d 478, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/fretz-construction-co-v-southern-national-bank-of-houston-tex-1982.