Haynden v. American Honda Motor Co.

835 S.W.2d 656, 1992 Tex. App. LEXIS 2407
CourtCourt of Appeals of Texas
DecidedAugust 31, 1992
DocketNo. 12-90-00058-CV
StatusPublished
Cited by3 cases

This text of 835 S.W.2d 656 (Haynden v. American Honda Motor Co.) 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
Haynden v. American Honda Motor Co., 835 S.W.2d 656, 1992 Tex. App. LEXIS 2407 (Tex. Ct. App. 1992).

Opinion

OPINION ON APPELLEE’S MOTION FOR REHEARING

RAMEY, Chief Justice.

By opinion delivered by this Court on April 27, 1992, the order of dismissal of the trial court was reversed, and the cause remanded for proper disposition. Pervading Appellee’s rehearing motion is their interpretation of our opinion that it somehow affected the foreclosure of two specific tracts of property, which foreclosure was approved in our affirmance of The Apostolic Church v. American Honda Motor Company, Inc., 833 S.W.2d 553 (Tex. App. — Tyler, 1992, n.w.h.). We disagree with this interpretation.

This suit is not a collateral attack upon The Apostolic Church judgment; it was not so pled, tried or briefed on appeal by any of the parties. Our opinion recognized that the foreclosure of these two tracts was never in issue in this case.1

Next, Appellee undertook to distinguish the facts in the instant case from those in Dewsnup v. Timm, — U.S.-, 112 S.Ct. 773, 116 L.Ed.2d 903 (1992). Although factually distinguishable, Dewsnup was cited in the opinion, along with two other recent Supreme Court of the United States decisions, solely for the proposition that Appel-lee’s lien survived Appellants’ bankruptcy discharge. Farrey v. Sanderfoot, — U.S. -, -, 111 S.Ct. 1825, 1829, 114 [658]*658L.Ed.2d 337 (1991); Johnson v. Home State Bank, — U.S.-,-, 111 S.Ct. 2150, 2154, 115 L.Ed.2d 66 (1991).2

Next, in its rehearing motion, Appellee strongly argues that the legislative intent in enacting Sec. 52.021(a) was to restrict its application to homestead liens to facilitate the issuance of title insurance by the title company upon the debtor’s sale of the homestead after bankruptcy; a transcript of the hearing on the bill in the House Judiciary Committee was attached to Ap-pellee’s motion. This contention was not raised by Appellee’s pleadings or the evidence in the trial court nor in its brief on appeal. The question of the legislature’s intent in enacting these statutes may be developed on retrial below.

Appellee next argues that under res judi-cata principles, Appellants cannot indirectly attack the lien on the two tracts, because Apostolic in the second suit “had the right, opportunity and obligation to apply for discharge and cancellation under Section 52.-022(a).” We have consistently said that this suit does not affect these two tracts. However, in making this argument as to Apostolic’s duty to have invoked these statutes, Appellee impliedly recognizes that they are appropriate for application in non-homestead disputes.

Nevertheless, in response to Appellee’s Motion for Rehearing and by way of clarification of the effects of the bankruptcy discharge of Appellee’s 1985 judgment, we withdraw our former opinion herein and substitute the following:

This is an appeal from the trial court’s dismissal of the application under the Texas Property Code of Appellants, Billy Gun-ter Hayden and wife, Annie Louise Hayden, to discharge and cancel a pre-bankruptcy judgment and lien in favor of American Honda Motor Co., Inc., Appellee. Tex. Prop.Code Ann. §§ 52.021-024 (Vernon 1984). We will reverse the judgment of the trial court and remand the case for further disposition; Appellee’s counterpoint will be denied.

Appellee’s judgment against Appellants in the amount of $43,151.27, plus interest and costs, was rendered on January 29, 1985 (hereinafter “first suit”). Abstract of judgment was recorded and indexed on March 20, 1985. At that time Appellants owned three tracts of land in Shelby County. Two of the parcels were thereafter conveyed by deeds of gift to the Apostolic Church of Center, Texas (hereinafter “Apostolic”); the third was the site of Appellants’ residence and place of business.

On July 6, 1987, Appellants filed their voluntary petition for bankruptcy relief. By bankruptcy order dated November 16, 1987, the Haydens were discharged from personal liability for existing debts. In July of 1988, Appellee filed its cause of action against Apostolic to foreclose the lien on the two tracts previously conveyed to the church (hereinafter “second suit”). Presentation of evidence in this second suit was concluded on July 17, 1989.

The next day, Appellants filed this third suit against the Appellee judgment creditor to cancel the judgment in the first suit and the abstract of judgment filed thereon as authorized by sections 52.012-024 of the Property Code. The court initially granted Appellants’ requested relief after a trial on August 18, 1989, at which Appellee did not appear, because it, nor its counsel herein, had not been served with process giving notice of the pendency of the third suit. Within thirty days, a motion to vacate and set aside the judgment and for a new trial was filed by Appellee, which, in turn, was granted on October 20, 1989.

On December 14, 1989, the trial court signed a judgment in the second suit foreclosing the liens upon the two tracts. Today, this Court has, by separate opinion, affirmed that judgment.

On December 15, 1989, Appellee filed its amended answer in this third suit, which included a pleading denominated “Plea in Abatement,” praying for dismissal of Appellants’ cause of action, or alternatively, an abeyance, pending final disposition of the second suit. Two weeks later, at a pre[659]*659trial, non-evidentiary hearing on this plea in abatement, the trial court dismissed this third suit with prejudice.

Appellants bring two points of error. We will initially address their second point alleging that the trial court abused its discretion in granting Appellee's motion for new trial. The motion to vacate the judgment in this suit and for a new trial was filed while the court retained plenary power over that judgment. Tbx.R.Civ.P. 329b(e). Since that motion was filed during the period in which the trial court retained its plenary power, the order granting the motion to vacate and for a new trial was not subject to review, either by direct appeal or from a final judgment subsequently rendered. Cummins v. Paisan Construction Co., 682 S.W.2d 235, 236 (Tex.1984); Burroughs v. Leslie, 620 S.W.2d 643, 644 (Tex.Civ.App.—Dallas 1981, writ ref’d n.r.e.). We overrule Appellants’ second point.

Appellants’ first point of error asserts that the trial court erred in dismissing their application for discharge and cancellation, because there was no evidence, or insufficient evidence, of a prior suit involving the same controversy, subject matter, issues and relief as in this third suit. Res judicata precludes the litigation of all issues connected with a claim that has already been tried, provided that those issues, with the use of diligence, might have been adjudicated in the prior suit. Bonniwell v. Beech Aircraft Corp., 663 S.W.2d 816, 818 (Tex.1984).

Appellants argue that the trial court only considered the pleadings in the second suit, together with arguments of counsel, at the hearing on the plea in abatement of the third suit, and thus there was no evidence to support the dismissal.3

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Related

Guttchen v. Gabriel
49 P.3d 223 (Alaska Supreme Court, 2002)
C & H NATIONWIDE, INC. v. Thompson
903 S.W.2d 315 (Texas Supreme Court, 1994)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
835 S.W.2d 656, 1992 Tex. App. LEXIS 2407, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/haynden-v-american-honda-motor-co-texapp-1992.