Hot Rod Hill Motor Park v. Triolo

276 S.W.3d 565, 2008 Tex. App. LEXIS 9040, 2008 WL 5091774
CourtCourt of Appeals of Texas
DecidedDecember 3, 2008
Docket10-06-00092-CV
StatusPublished
Cited by17 cases

This text of 276 S.W.3d 565 (Hot Rod Hill Motor Park v. Triolo) 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
Hot Rod Hill Motor Park v. Triolo, 276 S.W.3d 565, 2008 Tex. App. LEXIS 9040, 2008 WL 5091774 (Tex. Ct. App. 2008).

Opinion

OPINION

FELIPE REYNA, Justice.

Hot Rod Hill Motor Park is a race track located on Roger Deewayne Brown’s property. Donmichael Lucas Triolo sued Brown and Hot Rod Hill, alleging that the track constitutes a nuisance. The trial court granted a temporary restraining order prohibiting races and subsequently issued a temporary injunction that allowed Brown to conduct races, but ordered that races end by 11:00 p.m. and imposed noise level restrictions.

A jury later determined that the track constitutes a nuisance and awarded Triolo $3,000 in damages for loss and enjoyment of his property, but no damages for loss of market value. The trial court entered a final judgment permanently enjoining Brown from conducting any races of motorized vehicles for either competition or practice. Brown and Hot Rod Hill challenge the permanent injunction on grounds that (1) the trial court failed to properly balance the equities before issuing the injunction; and (2) the injunction is more restrictive than justified by the evidence. We affirm.

BALANCING THE EQUITIES

In his first issue, Brown contends that the trial abused it discretion by imposing a permanent injunction because: (1) the trial court failed to balance the equities; and (2) the equities do not support a permanent injunction.

Whether the Trial Court Failed to Balance the Equities

Question two of the jury charge asked whether Brown and Hot Rod Hill should be permanently enjoined from “directly or indirectly conducting or allowing any races of motorized vehicles, both practice and competitive,” to which the jury answered, “Yes.” According to Brown, this was an issue for the trial court, not the jury, but the trial court merely adopted the jury’s finding without balancing the equities. Triolo concedes that the question was improper, but argues that (1) Brown failed to preserve the issue for appeal, having failed to object to the question at trial; and (2) the record does not support a finding that the trial court failed to balance the equities.

Regardless of whether the question was proper or the issue was preserved, the record is devoid of evidence indicating that the trial court issued an injunction without balancing the equities. See Winfield v. Lamoyne, No. 05-94-01851-CV, 1995 WL 634161, at *13, 1995 Tex.App. LEXIS 2553, at *15 (Tex.App.-Dallas Oct.16, 1995, writ dism’d) (not designated for publication) (Winfield alleged that the trial court failed to balance the equities, but provided no evidence of such a failure, arguing instead *568 that he “suffers more harm from the injunction than LaMoyne suffers from the violations”); see also Estancias Dallas Corp. v. Schultz, 500 S.W.2d 217, 221 (Tex.Civ.App.-Beaumont 1973, writ ref'd n.r.e.) (“[Tjhere is an implied finding that the trial court balanced the equities in favor of plaintiffs by entering the judgment granting the injunction.”). Neither did Brown seek a hearing or request findings of fact. See Lee v. Bowles, 397 S.W.2d 923, 924 (Tex.Civ.App.-San Antonio 1965, no writ) (trial court held a separate hearing on the issue of balancing the equities); see also Sixth RMA Partners, L.P. v. Sibley, 111 S.W.3d 46, 52 (Tex.2003) (“When neither party requests findings of fact and conclusions of law, it is implied that the trial court made all fact findings necessary to support its judgment”); Operation Rescue-Nat’l v. Planned Parenthood, 937 S.W.2d 60, 82 (Tex.App.-Houston [14th Dist.] 1996), aff'd as modified by 975 S.W.2d 546 (Tex.1998) (“"When part of a cause is decided by a jury and part by the court, the party appealing the court-decided issue should request findings of fact and conclusions of law.”). The record before us does not establish that the trial court failed to balance the equities.

Whether the Equities were Properly Balanced

Abatement of a nuisance is a “discretionary decision for the judge after the case has been tried and the jury discharged.” Schneider Nat’l Carriers, Inc. v. Bates, 147 S.W.3d 264, 286 (Tex.2004). The trial court must balance the equities before issuing an injunction, considering injury to (1) the defendant and the public were the injunction granted and (2) the complainant were the injunction denied. See Storey v. Cent. Hide & Rendering Co., 148 Tex. 509, 226 S.W.2d 615, 618-19 (1950). An injunction will ordinarily be denied if the “injury to the complainant is slight in comparison to the injury caused the defendant and the public.” Id. at 619. Conversely, an injunction may issue if the injury to the defendant and the public is slight when compared to injury suffered by the complainant. See id. “Public convenience or necessity, economic burden to the defendant, and the adequacy of a legal remedy may affect this balance.” McAfee MX v. Foster, No. 02-07-080-CV, 2008 WL 344575, at *2, 2008 Tex.App. LEXIS 968, at *8 (Tex.App.-Fort Worth Feb. 7, 2008, pet. denied), petition for cert. filed, No. 08-639 (U.S. Nov. 12, 2008). We review a trial court’s decision to grant a permanent injunction for abuse of discretion. See Operation Rescue-Nat’l v. Planned Parenthood of Houston and Se. Tex., Inc., 975 S.W.2d 546, 560 (Tex.1998).

Factual Background

In 1999, Brown began building Hot Rod Hill, a sole proprietorship, working twelve to sixteen hours a day for three years to complete it. He sold rental properties and racing equipment to fund construction. He purchased other equipment that he had to repair to build the track.

The track is affiliated with the International Motor Contest Association. The racing season begins in March and ends in October. Races are held on nineteen or twenty dates out of thirty-two potential dates, approximately 160 hours of racing per year. Sixty to eighty cars usually participate, but there can be up to one hundred.

Triolo’s current home is about one-half to three-quarters of a mile from the track. "When suit was filed, he resided in a home located half a mile from the track. He testified that races run as late as 1:30 a.m. and resume around 7:30 a.m. on Sunday. Triolo complained that the noise is loud, excessive, irritating, annoying, constant, *569 sounds like it is in his backyard, prevents him from sleeping or enjoying dinner with his family, and requires him to increase the volume of the television. He hears motors revving and cars backfiring. He cannot escape the noise and can hear it any day of the week.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
276 S.W.3d 565, 2008 Tex. App. LEXIS 9040, 2008 WL 5091774, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/hot-rod-hill-motor-park-v-triolo-texapp-2008.