Jacksboro National Bank v. City National Bank in Wichita Falls

592 S.W.2d 672
CourtCourt of Appeals of Texas
DecidedDecember 27, 1979
DocketNo. 18110
StatusPublished
Cited by2 cases

This text of 592 S.W.2d 672 (Jacksboro National Bank v. City National Bank in Wichita Falls) 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
Jacksboro National Bank v. City National Bank in Wichita Falls, 592 S.W.2d 672 (Tex. Ct. App. 1979).

Opinions

OPINION

SPURLOCK, Justice.

The Jacksboro National Bank appeals from an order of the trial court granting the City National Bank in Wichita Falls’, motion for new trial unless the Jacksboro Bank files what the trial court characterized as a remittitur. The question on appeal is whether the action of the trial court is in fact a remittitur or whether the trial court, in ordering remittance of part of the judgment, improperly disregarded portions of the jury’s verdict in the case.

We affirm as modified.

This case originated with three separate cattle sales. The cattle were sold by City Bank. The Jacksboro Bank claimed to have had a lien on the cattle sold. The first sale involved 88 head of cattle and was called the Wichita Sale. The second sale, called the Vernon sale, involved 139 head. The third sale came to be known as the “Big Roundup”. The case was tried to a jury. [674]*674By its answers to the special issues submitted the jury found that the Jacksboro Bank had a lien on 88 head of cattle sold in the Wichita sale and that the reasonable cash market value of the cattle at the time of sale was $13,535.61. It found that the Jacksboro Bank had a lien on 139 head sold in the Vernon sale and that the reasonable cash market value of the cattle was $27,-800.00. The jury failed to find that the Jacksboro Bank had a lien on any of the cattle sold in the “Big Roundup”.

The City Bank filed a motion to disregard the jury’s answers finding that the Jacks-boro Bank had a lien on the cattle sold in the Wichita and Vernon sales. It also filed a motion for judgment non obstante vere-dicto. The Jacksboro Bank filed a motion for judgment on the verdict. The trial court rendered judgment on the verdict. It therefore overruled City Bank’s motions to disregard and for judgment n. o. v. The trial court’s judgment provided that the Jacksboro Bank recover from City Bank $51,198.60.

The City Bank filed an amended motion for new trial seeking a new trial and alternatively a remittitur. City Bank’s motion for new trial did not request or provide any basis for the trial court to render a judgment disregarding or notwithstanding the jury’s verdict.

The trial court made the following order:

“ORDER GRANTING DEFENDANT’S MOTION FOR NEW TRIAL UNLESS REMITTITUR MADE
“On the 16th day of June, 1978, the Court heard the amended motion for new trial filed by the City National Bank in Wichita Falls, Defendant in the above styled and numbered cause.
“The motion was presented to the Court in due time and manner with due notice, and the Court after hearing and considering the same and argument of counsel is of the opinion that the same is well taken as to the $13,535.61 awarded Plaintiff for the sale of 88 cattle at the Wichita Auction sale on May 14, 1975, and Plaintiff is ORDERED to make a remittitur for said sum of $13,535.61, and
“That said motion is well taken as to the sale of 47 head of cattle in the Vernon Feed Lot at $200.00 per head, which were not covered by nor included in Plaintiff’s mortgage, and Plaintiff is ORDERED to enter a remittitur for said sum of $9,400.00.
“That if such remittitur is filed on or before the 17th day .of July, 1978, the sum of $22,935.61 ($13,535.61 plus $9,000.00) shall stand as eliminated and the judgment vacated to that extent, and as to the remainder of said judgment, that is the sum of $18,400.00, plus interest from October 9, 1975, said motion is overruled. “That if Plaintiff fails to enter remittitur as set forth above, the judgment of April 25,1978, shall be and hereby is vacated in its entirety and the Defendant’s motion for a new trial granted, and the cause set for trial on its merits.”

ON APPELLEE’S MOTION TO DISMISS THE APPEAL

City Bank filed a motion to dismiss the Jacksboro Bank’s appeal. It claims that because the Jacksboro Bank made the re-mittitur ordered by the trial court, the Jacksboro Bank cannot appeal unless it, the party benefited by the remittitur, perfects its appeal. The City Bank did not perfect an appeal. The Jacksboro Bank filed what it claims is a “ ‘Remittitur’ Under Protest”. The Jacksboro Bank claims the action of the trial court does not constitute a remitti-tur. It characterizes the action of the trial court as an improper attempt to disregard portions of the jury’s verdict.

It is clear that if the action of the trial court was indeed a remittitur we should grant City Bank’s motion to dismiss the appeal. City Bank correctly states the general rule pursuant to Tex.R.Civ.P. 328 that before a party making a remittitur may appeal from the order requiring a re-mittitur, the party for whose benefit the remittitur is made must appeal. Tex.R. Civ.P. 328 does provide for appeal of the remittitur by the party making it upon [675]*675appeal by the party benefited by the remit-titur. Presumably the propriety of the re-mittitur would be challenged by the party making it by cross-point of error.

Neither party has cited any authority which provides guidance for the determination of whether the action of the trial court is truly a remittitur. We have found no authority which serves a precedent for making this determination. The cases cited by City Bank involve situations where the damages were found to be excessive. The classic case for remittitur is a situation where the jury through prejudice, passion, or the consideration of an improper element returns a verdict for damages which is clearly excessive in amount. However, the facts at bar do not constitute such a case.

The Jacksboro Bank characterizes the action of the trial court in this case as expunging liability by disregarding jury issues thereon rather than remitting excessive damages. It cites McDonald, Texas Civil Practice Sec. 18.22-C, at 301 (1971). We find the following statement from McDonald instructive. “If it be clear from the whole record that the excessive award was influenced, consciously or unconsciously, by improper considerations, but that the effect thereof is limited to the issues as to amount and does not taint the findings upon the issues as to iiability, full relief may be given by conditioning the refusal of the new trial upon the remittitur of an amount, set by the judge, which will reduce the award to a proper sum.” (Emphasis ours.)

We conclude that where a remittitur ordered by the trial court alters liability found by the jury it is improper. Remitti-tur is designed to correct a verdict in which the amount of damages is excessive. The use of remittitur to alter the jury’s verdict on issues of liability is tantamount to the trial court’s substitution of its opinion on liability issues for the jury’s. Under these circumstances any such substitution is clearly erroneous.

Applied to the facts of this case we conclude the order of the trial court was not a remittitur. Note that, in its order, the trial court stated in effect that the Jacks-boro Bank did not have a lien on 47 of the 139 head of cattle involved in the Vernon sale. The jury had found that the Jacks-boro Bank had a lien on all 139 head. The jury also found that the value of the 139 head was $27,800, or $200 per head. Note that the trial court in ordering the remitti-tur used the same value per head as found by the jury. Also we note that the trial court ordered the Jacksboro Bank to remit the entire value of the cattle, as found by the jury, involved in the Wichita sale.

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Related

City of Garland v. Vasquez
734 S.W.2d 92 (Court of Appeals of Texas, 1987)
City National Bank in Wichita Falls v. Jacksboro National Bank
602 S.W.2d 511 (Texas Supreme Court, 1980)

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592 S.W.2d 672, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/jacksboro-national-bank-v-city-national-bank-in-wichita-falls-texapp-1979.