Insight Investments, LLC v. Stonebriar Commercial Finance LLC

Court of Appeals of Texas·Decided March 7, 2025·No. 15-24-00133-CV·Published

Opinion

ACCEPTED 15-24-00133-CV FIFTEENTH COURT OF APPEALS AUSTIN, TEXAS 3/7/2025 4:28 PM No. 15-24-00133-CV CHRISTOPHER A. PRINE CLERK FILED IN 15th COURT OF APPEALS

In the AUSTIN, TEXAS 3/7/2025 4:28:43 PM

Fifteenth Court of Appeals CHRISTOPHER A. PRINE Clerk

Austin, Texas Insight Investments, LLC Appellant

v.

Stonebriar Commercial Finance, LLC Appellee

On appeal From the 380th Judicial District Court, Collin County, Texas Cause No. 380-06242-2022

Appellant’s Brief

Thomas C. Wright Rachel H. Stinson Kyle C. Steingreaber WRIGHT CLOSE & BARGER, LLP One Riverway, Suite 2200 Oral Argument Requested Houston, Texas 77056 (713) 572-4321 (Phone) (713) 572-4320 (Facsimile) Counsel for Appellant Insight Investments, LLC IDENTITY OF PARTIES AND COUNSEL

Plaintiff/Appellee Stonebriar Commercial Finance, LLC

Trial & Appellate LeElle B. Slifer Counsel State Bar No. 24074549 Dylan French State Bar No. 24116393 WINSTON & STRAWN LLP 2121 North Pearl St., Ste 900 Dallas, Texas 75202 Telephone: (214) 453-6500 Facsimile: (214) 453-6400 lslifer@winston.com dfrench@winston.com

Defendant/Appellant Insight Investments, LLC

Trial Counsel Mark W. Stout State Bar No. 24008096 mstout@padfieldstout.com Jeffrey V. Leaverton State Bar No. 24078840 jleaverton@padfieldstout.com Owen C. Babcock State Bar No. 24104585 obabcock@padfieldstout.com PADFIELD & STOUT, L.L.P. 100 Throckmorton Street, Suite 700 Fort Worth, Texas 76102 (817) 338-1616 – Telephone (817) 338-1610 – Facsimile

Appellate Counsel Thomas C. Wright State Bar No. 22059400 Rachel H. Stinson State Bar No. 24037347 Kyle C. Steingreaber State Bar No. 24110406

ii WRIGHT CLOSE & BARGER, LLP One Riverway, Suite 2200 Houston, Texas 77056 (713) 572-4321 - Telephone (713) 572-4320 - Facsimile wright@wrightclosebarger.com stinson@wrightclosebarger.com steingreaber@wrightclosebarger.com

iii TABLE OF CONTENTS

IDENTITY OF PARTIES AND COUNSEL..............................................ii INDEX OF AUTHORITIES ..................................................................... vi STATEMENT OF THE CASE ................................................................. ix REQUEST FOR ORAL ARGUMENT ....................................................... x ISSUES PRESENTED ............................................................................. xi STATEMENT OF FACTS ......................................................................... 1 SUMMARY OF THE ARGUMENT ........................................................ 11 ARGUMENT ........................................................................................... 12 I. Stonebriar did not conclusively prove any element of its breach-of-contract claim or its entitlement to specific performance. ................................................................................... 12 A. The July 27 specification’s integration clause and the parol evidence rule bar enforcement of the July 25 letter. ..................................................................................... 13 B. Further, Stonebriar did not conclusively prove its entitlement to specific performance. .................................... 19 1. Insight only agreed to indemnify Stonebriar; Stonebriar admits, though, that delayed receipt of the landlord waiver caused Stonebriar no harm or damage. ........................................................................ 20 2. Insight delivered the landlord waiver within the reasonable time Texas law afforded it, so it did not violate the July 25 letter. ............................................. 22 3. Stonebriar did not show that it lacks a remedy at law. ............................................................................... 25 C. Stonebriar did not conclusively prove that it can convey the lease to Insight. ................................................... 26

iv II. Because the judgment purports to require Insight to repurchase the lease pursuant to an extrinsic promissory note, and because the lease at issue had previously been rejected by a bankruptcy court, the judgment is unenforceable, unduly vague, and indefinte. ................................ 27 III. Insufficient evidence supports the trial court’s award of attorneys’ fees to Stonebriar. ......................................................... 34 PRAYER .................................................................................................. 38 CERTIFICATES ...................................................................................... 40

v INDEX OF AUTHORITIES

Cases Baroid Equip., Inc. v. Odeco Drilling, Inc., 184 S.W.3d 1 (Tex. App.—Houston [1st Dist.] 2005, pet. denied) ........................................................................................... 14 Bd. of Regents of Univ. of Texas Sys. v. IDEXX Labs., 691 S.W.3d 438 (Tex. 2024) ................................................................. 20 Brook Mays Organ Co., Inc. v. Sondock, 551 S.W.2d 160 (Tex. App. 1977, writ ref’d n.r.e.) .............................. 29 Christus Health Se. Tex. v. Hall, No. 09-07-074-CV, 2008 WL 2759785 (Tex. App.—Beaumont July 17, 2008, no pet.) (mem. op.) ................. 35 CHSPSC v. Hansen, 525 S.W.3d 671 (Tex. 2017) ................................................................. 21 Criswell v. European Crossroads Shopping Ctr., Ltd., 792 S.W.2d 945 (Tex. 1990) ................................................................. 21 DeClaire v. G & B McIntosh Fam. Ltd. P’ship, 260 S.W.3d 34 (Tex. App.—Houston [1st Dist.] 2008, no pet.) ..... 17, 18 Digiuseppe v. Lawler, 269 S.W.3d 588 (Tex. 2008) ................................................................. 26 Dresser Indus., Inc. v. Page Petroleum, Inc., 853 S.W.2d 505 (Tex. 1993) ........................................................... 20, 22 Edascio, L.L.C. v. NextiraOne L.L.C., 264 S.W.3d 786 (Tex. App.—Houston [1st Dist.] 2008, pet. denied) ............................................................................... 14, 17, 18 Fein v. R.P.H., Inc., 68 S.W.3d 260 (Tex. App.—Houston [14th Dist.] 2002, pet. denied) ........................................................................................... 16 FPL Energy, LLC v. TXU Portfolio Mgmt. Co., L.P., 426 S.W.3d 59 (Tex. 2014) ................................................................... 19 Great Hans, LLC v. Liberty Bankers Life Ins. Co., No. 05-17-01144-CV, 2019 WL 1219110 (Tex. App.—Dallas Mar. 15, 2019, no pet.) (mem. op.) ....................................................... 33

vi Howell v. Mauzy, 774 S.W.2d 274 (Tex. App.—Austin [3rd Dist.] 1989, writ denied) .......................................................................................... 31 In re 24R, Inc., 324 S.W.3d 564 (Tex. 2010) (per curiam) (orig. proceeding) ............... 14 Int’l Sec. Life Ins. Co. v. Spray, 468 S.W.2d 347 (Tex. 1971) ................................................................. 30 Intercontinental Grp. P’ship v.

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