Horton v. Robinson

776 S.W.2d 260, 1989 Tex. App. LEXIS 1950, 1989 WL 86131
CourtCourt of Appeals of Texas
DecidedAugust 2, 1989
Docket08-89-00096-CV
StatusPublished
Cited by38 cases

This text of 776 S.W.2d 260 (Horton v. Robinson) 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
Horton v. Robinson, 776 S.W.2d 260, 1989 Tex. App. LEXIS 1950, 1989 WL 86131 (Tex. Ct. App. 1989).

Opinion

OPINION

OSBORN, Chief Justice.

This appeal is from a judgment based upon a jury verdict awarding damages to a party who had entered into a written agreement with two of the Appellants to form a corporation for the purpose of engaging in certain financial transactions. The Appel-lee alleged he was entitled to damages for breach of contract, breach of fiduciary duties and because of a conspiracy between the individual Appellants. The trial court’s judgment reduced the actual damages found by the jury from $160,000.00 to $67,-488.33 and awarded $125,000.00 in exemplary damages against Horton and Seville and $50,000.00 in exemplary damages against Griggs and Seville, plus attorney’s fees of $30,000.00, and interest and costs. We reform and affirm the judgment.

The three individuals entered into a written agreement on December 1, 1983, in which they were to form a financial services company to be composed of Seville Financial, Inc., and other companies. Each of the three parties were to own twenty percent of the parent company with the remaining forty percent to be available to attract other personnel and capital for the company. The agreement provided “profits are to be distributed pro-rata, 33⅛ each.”

Robinson contended that Horton and Griggs decided at a meeting on February 18, 1984 to oust him from Seville. After that date, his requests for his share of the profits of the company were refused and he was not permitted to inspect the company books and records. Finally, in May 1984, he left Seville and obtained other employment.

The jury found (2) that Horton and Griggs failed to perform pursuant to the written agreement; (3) which proximately caused Robinson’s damages; (6) a fiduciary relationship existed between Horton and Robinson; (7) Horton violated his fiduciary duties (8) which proximately caused damage to Robinson; (9) such violation was done willfully and maliciously; (10) Griggs entered into a civil conspiracy with Horton to violate fiduciary duties to Robinson; (11) such conspiracy proximately caused damage to Robinson; (12) she acted with malice in her conduct; (13) actual damages of $160,000.00; (14) exemplary damages as to Horton of $125,000.00 and as to Griggs of $50,000.00; (16) that Seville Financial, Inc. ratified (a) the failure to perform the written agreement (b) the violation of fiduciary duties and (c) the civil conspiracy. In the first question, the jury failed to find that Robinson waived his rights under the written agreement.

*263 The Appellants present thirty-six points of error and the Appellee has one cross-point. Initially, Appellants assert that Appellee has failed to plead a cause of action for which he can recover in his individual capacity. They argue that Appellee, as a corporate stockholder, has no individual cause of action for personal damages caused solely by a wrong done to the corporation, even if he is injured by that wrong. Clearly, individual stockholders have no cause of action to recover damages sustained by a corporation. Commonwealth of Massachusetts v. Davis, 140 Tex. 398, 168 S.W.2d 216 (1942); Group Medical and Surgical Service, Inc. v. Leong, 750 S.W.2d 791 (Tex.App.—El Paso 1988, writ denied). But, an exception exists “where the wrongdoer violates a duty arising from contract or otherwise, and owing directly by him to the stockholder.” Commonwealth, 168 S.W.2d at 222. The court recognized the exception is applied most often in cases where there was a fiduciary relationship which required the wrongdoer to protect the interest of the stockholder and this duty was violated. Also see Stinnett v. Paramount-Famous Lasky Corporation of New York, 37 S.W.2d 145 (Tex. Comm’n App.1931, holding approved); Morrison v. St. Anthony Hotel, San Antonio, 295 S.W.2d 246 (Tex.Civ.App.—San Antonio 1956, writ ref’d n.r.e.). In the Morrison case, Justice Pope noted the general rule but said, “in a proper case, where a majority stockholder has abused its discretion and has maliciously suppressed the payment of dividends, a stockholder may assert a cause of action for damages and may compel the declaration of dividends.”

In this case, the Appellee alleged violations of his own individual rights. He claimed the Appellants Horton and Griggs breached a contract to which they were all parties and further that Horton breached independent fiduciary duties owed to him and Griggs conspired with Horton to breach those duties. Such pleading is sufficient to support a recovery in one’s individual capacity.

Appellants also question Appellee’s standing to file this suit. If that be an issue, the Appellants were required to raise the issue by a special exception or plea in abatement in the trial court. Group Medical and Surgical Service, Inc. v. Leong, 750 S.W.2d 791. That was not done and the issue may not now be raised for the first time on appeal. Neither did the Appellants file a sworn pleading under Tex.R. Civ.P. 93(2) to contest the Appellee’s capacity to bring this suit. Appellants have waived their right to complain. Pledger v. Schoellkopf 762 S.W.2d 145 (Tex.1988). Point of Error No. One is overruled.

The next four Points of Error attack the legal and factual sufficiency of the evidence to support the award of damages and particularly the jury finding of actual damages of $160,000.00. Question No. Thirteen inquired as to, “What sum of money, if any, if paid now in cash would fairly and reasonably compensate Glen Robinson for damages, if any?” There was no instruction with the issue. The Appellant does not present any point of error which attacks the form of this issue. The primary evidence on damages came from Willard Brown, a certified public accountant, who had examined various financial documents relating to Seville, including tax returns and monthly financial statements. He prepared a spread sheet analysis summarizing Seville’s financial records for the end of each fiscal year from 1984 to 1986. This was undated to include the period ending July 31, 1987.

Brown defined net income, or profit, as the total income of the company less reasonable, ordinary and necessary business expenses. He reached the conclusion that Seville had $486,240.00 in profits available for distribution to the three stockholders during the period of his analysis, which would equal $162,080.00 to each of the three owners. The total figure included $111,742.00 of net income shown on Seville’s financial records, $202,465.00 paid in excessive directors’ fees, $160,000.00 paid as salaries to Horton and Griggs in 1987, along with income tax refunds and penalties of $12,033.00. The jury found this testimony credible and answered Special Issue No. Thirteen within the bounds set *264 by the accountant. His testimony was sufficient to support the verdict under the standards set forth in both Garza v. Alviar, 395 S.W.2d 821 (Tex.1965) and In re King’s Estate, 150 Tex. 662, 244 S.W.2d 660 (1951). Points of Error Two through Five are overruled.

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Bluebook (online)
776 S.W.2d 260, 1989 Tex. App. LEXIS 1950, 1989 WL 86131, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/horton-v-robinson-texapp-1989.