Gray v. Entis Mechanical Services, L.L.C.

343 S.W.3d 527, 2011 WL 1843514
CourtCourt of Appeals of Texas
DecidedJune 16, 2011
Docket14-09-01076-CV
StatusPublished
Cited by17 cases

This text of 343 S.W.3d 527 (Gray v. Entis Mechanical Services, L.L.C.) 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
Gray v. Entis Mechanical Services, L.L.C., 343 S.W.3d 527, 2011 WL 1843514 (Tex. Ct. App. 2011).

Opinions

OPINION

JOHN S. ANDERSON, Justice.

Appellant, Andy Gray, appeals the trial court’s granting of a summary judgment in favor of appellee, Entis Mechanical Services, L.L.C. Because we conclude appellee failed to meet its summary judgment burden, we reverse and remand to the trial court for further proceedings in accordance with this opinion.

[528]*528Factual and Procedural Background

Appellant conducts business as Lighthouse Electric. From September 2008 until December 2008 appellant worked as an electrical subcontractor for appellee at a medical facility in Tomball (the “Tomball Property”).1 Appellant submitted invoices to appellee for the work performed but they were not paid. When his own efforts at collecting payment on the outstanding invoices were not successful, appellant retained an attorney to assist in the collection effort.

On March 16, 2009 appellant’s attorney sent notice to appellee of his intent to file a mechanic’s lien on the Tomball Property if the invoices were not paid. On March 25, 2009, when the invoices remained unpaid, appellant filed his lien affidavit in the Harris County property records. Appellant then sent appellee notice that he had filed the mechanic’s lien. Eventually, appellant filed a lawsuit in Harris County Court at Law Number 4 seeking to collect on the unpaid invoices, which totaled $80,894.90. The date this lawsuit was filed is not revealed in the appellate record.

On April 2, 2009 appellee mailed a $80,894.90 check to appellant. The check was made payable to both appellant and his attorney. In the memo line of the check appellant asserted that the amount was in full payment for all work performed by appellant on the Tomball Property. Appellant did not cash the check and refused to release the lien on the Tomball Property.

When appellant refused to negotiate the check, on April 21, 2009 appellee initiated its own lawsuit against appellant. Appel-lee alleged appellant had violated section 12.002 of the Texas Civil Practices and Remedies Code by filing a fraudulent-lien. In its original petition, appellee alleged appellant refused to release the lien unless appellee paid him an additional $5,790.00. This allegation is not supported by any evidence in the summary judgment record.

Appellant filed his answer on June 19, 2009. Included in appellant’s answer was the verified defense that there was already a suit pending between the same parties involving the same claim.

Soon thereafter, appellee filed a motion for traditional summary judgment on its fraudulent-lien cause of action. The summary judgment evidence consisted of two of appellant’s lien affidavits, one of which was the lien affidavit for the Tomball Property at issue in this litigation, appellant’s invoices supporting the Tomball Property lien affidavit, and an affidavit from Jason Bice, appellee’s manager. According to appellee, this evidence conclusively proved each element of its fraudulent-lien cause of action.

In response to the motion, appellant initially filed a motion for continuance, which was granted. The trial court reset the hearing on appellee’s motion to September 25, 2009. Ultimately, appellant did not file a response to appellee’s motion and for reasons not disclosed in the appellate record, his attorney did not appear at the hearing. The trial court granted appel-lee’s motion for summary judgment and awarded appellee $10,000.00 in damages as well as attorney’s fees. In addition, the trial court entered an order discharging appellant’s lien on the Tomball Property.

Appellant filed a motion for new trial, which the trial court denied. This appeal followed.

[529]*529Discussion

In seven issues on appeal appellant challenges the trial court’s granting of appel-lee’s motion for summary judgment. According to appellant, appellee failed to meet its summary judgment burden of conclusively proving each element of its fraudulent-lien cause of action.

I. The standard of review and applicable law.

A party moving for a traditional summary judgment must establish that no genuine issue of material fact exists and it is entitled to judgment as a matter of law. See Tex.R. Civ. P. 166a(c); Provident Life & Accident Ins. Co. v. Knott, 128 S.W.3d 211, 215-16 (Tex.2008). In particular, a plaintiff moving for summary judgment must conclusively prove all essential elements of its claim. Cullins v. Foster, 171 S.W.3d 521, 530 (Tex.App.-Houston [14th Dist.] 2005, pet. denied) (citing MMP, Ltd. v. Jones, 710 S.W.2d 59, 60 (Tex.1986)). If the movant’s motion and evidence facially establish its right to judgment as a matter of law, the burden shifts to the nonmovant to raise a genuine issue of material fact sufficient to defeat summary judgment. M.D. Anderson Hosp. & Tumor Inst. v. Willrich, 28 S.W.3d 22, 23 (Tex.2000). The nonmovant has no burden to respond to a summary judgment motion unless the movant conclusively establishes each element of its cause of action as a matter of law. Rhone-Poulenc, Inc. v. Steel, 997 S.W.2d 217, 222-23 (Tex.1999). The trial court may not grant summary judgment by default because the nonmovant did not respond to the summary judgment motion when the movant’s summary judgment proof is legally insufficient. Id. at 223. On appeal, the nonmovant need not have responded to the motion to contend the movant’s summary judgment proof is insufficient as a matter of law to support summary judgment. Id.

We review a summary judgment de novo. Valence Operating Co. v. Dorsett, 164 S.W.3d 656, 661 (Tex.2005). We take all evidence favorable to the nonmovant as true and indulge every reasonable inference and resolve any doubts in favor of the nonmovant. Id. On appeal, the movant still bears the burden of showing there is no genuine issue of material fact and the movant is entitled to judgment as a matter of law. Rhone-Poulenc, Inc., 997 S.W.2d at 223.

Appellee, as the party asserting that appellant’s lien was fraudulent, had the burden to prove the requisite elements of the statute. Walker & Assoc. Surveying, Inc. v. Roberts, 306 S.W.3d 839, 847 (Tex.App.-Texarkana 2010, no pet.) (citing Aland v. Martin, 271 S.W.3d 424, 430 (Tex.App.-Dallas 2008, no pet.)). The fraudulent-hen statute in effect at the time of the events underlying this litigation provides:

(a) A person may not make, present, or use a document or other record with:
(1) knowledge that the document or other record is a fraudulent court record or a fraudulent lien or claim against real or personal property or an interest in real or personal property;

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343 S.W.3d 527, 2011 WL 1843514, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/gray-v-entis-mechanical-services-llc-texapp-2011.