Knopf v. Dallas-Fort Worth Roofing Supply Co.

786 S.W.2d 37, 11 U.C.C. Rep. Serv. 2d (West) 1188, 1990 Tex. App. LEXIS 708, 1990 WL 38032
CourtCourt of Appeals of Texas
DecidedFebruary 15, 1990
DocketNo. 05-89-00750-CV
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 786 S.W.2d 37 (Knopf v. Dallas-Fort Worth Roofing Supply 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
Knopf v. Dallas-Fort Worth Roofing Supply Co., 786 S.W.2d 37, 11 U.C.C. Rep. Serv. 2d (West) 1188, 1990 Tex. App. LEXIS 708, 1990 WL 38032 (Tex. Ct. App. 1990).

Opinion

OPINION

SMITH, Justice.

Sidney Knopf appeals from a summary judgment in favor of Dallas-Fort Worth Roofing Supply Company, Inc. (D-FW), ap-pellee, alleging that fact issues were raised and that the trial court erred in granting the appellee a summary judgment.

Knopf entered into a contract with Ed MacDonald and MacDonald Roofing Company, Inc., to re-roof Knopf’s building located in Dallas County, Texas, for $35,000. When MacDonald and the MacDonald corporation failed to complete the work pursuant to the terms of the contract, Knopf filed suit for his damages against the Mac-Donalds and their roofing material supplier, D-FW. The MacDonalds failed to answer, and a default judgment was entered against them. That judgment was severed from the cause of action, and the present appeal pertains only to Knopf’s cause of action against D-FW which is based on negligence, implied contract, implied warranty, fraud, fraudulent concealment, fraudulent conversion and conspiracy.

The basic facts of this case are fairly simple. After Knopf consummated his contract with MacDonald and MacDonald Roofing, he made his initial payment on the contract in the sum of $17,500. This payment was made by check, payable to “MacDonald Roofing Company, Inc., and D-FW Supply Company.” MacDonald took the check to D-FW and requested that it endorse it. MacDonald and MacDonald Roofing were cash customers of D-FW, and D-FW endorsed the check after ascertaining that it had no joint check agreement with Knopf pertaining to this project. Several days later, MacDonald made his first cash purchase of supplies for this project from D-FW. Knopf later issued another check made payable to MacDonald and DFW. This time MacDonald took the check to D-FW and requested that it not endorse the check. D-FW honored his request and [39]*39did not endorse the check. There is nothing in the record to indicate why this peculiar request was made.

Knopfs records show that he made several payments to MacDonald and MacDonald Roofing, which payments amounted to a total of $31,166. D-FW records show that MacDonald made four cash purchases of material for the Knopf project for a total of $7,956.90.

In his first point of error, Knopf alleges that the summary judgment proof before the trial court raised fact issues concerning D-FW’s negligence and that the trial court erred in granting a summary judgment.

Knopf argues that, when D-FW endorsed his check without contacting or making inquiry of him about why he placed D-FW’s name on the check and without making arrangements to supply materials for his project, D-FW was negligent and such negligence was the proximate cause of his damages.

Knopf’s argument presumes that D-FW had a legal duty to contact or make inquiry of him. He cites section 3.414 of the Texas Business and Commerce Code as authority for his position that D-FW had a legal duty to contact or make inquiry of him.

Texas Business and Commerce Code § 3.414 states:

(a) Unless the endorsement otherwise specifies (as by such words as “without recourse”) every indorser engages that upon dishonor and any necessary notice of dishonor and protest he will pay the instrument according to its tenor at the time of his indorsement to the holder or to any subsequent indorser who takes it up, even though the indorser who takes it up was not obligated to do so.
(b) Unless they otherwise agree indor-sers are liable to one another in the order in which they indorse, which is presumed to be the order in which their signatures appear on the instrument.

Tex.Bus. & Com.Code Ann. § 3.414 (Vernon 1968).

Section 3.414 does not support Knopf’s position. That section addresses only the effect of an endorsement with respect to the holder of an instrument and to other indorsers.

The wording of section 3.414 is clear and unambiguous, and it in no manner establishes any responsibility or liability of an indorser on a check to the maker of a check. It appears that Knopf is asking this court to expand or enlarge section 3.414 to extend its coverage of an endorser’s liability to the maker of a check. Such action is the prerogative of the legislature, not appellate courts. Appellate courts may not modify, repeal, or rewrite a statute to conform to its own notions of justice, policy, propriety, or wisdom. Franklin v. Pietzsch, 334 S.W.2d 214, 219 (Tex.Civ.App.—Dallas 1960, writ ref’d n.r.e.). We hold that section 3.414 imposes no duty on any individual indorser of a check (D-FW) to protect the maker of a check (Knopf).

Knopf also contends that it was the custom and standard in the roofing supplier industry that, when two-payee checks are issued for the purpose of purchasing supplies, such practice is for the protection of the property owner, and that D-FW was negligent in indorsing his check without an agreement from himself or a purchase of supplies from D-FW for the full amount of the check. He argues that this evidence raises a fact issue.

The standards for reviewing a motion for summary judgment are well established. The movant has the burden of showing there is no genuine issue of material fact and that it is entitled to a judgment as a matter of law. Guaranty Fed. Sav. Bank v. The Horseshoe Operating Co., 33 Tex.Sup.Ct.J. 150, 153 (Jan. 6, 1990). In deciding whether there is a disputed material fact issue precluding summary judgment, evidence favorable to the non-movant will be taken as true. Id. Every reasonable inference must be indulged in favor of the non-movant, and any doubts resolved in its favor. Id.

D-FW contends that no fact issue has been raised because the custom in the roofing supply industry is that if an owner of property desires to protect himself from his contractor misapplying funds that are alio-[40]*40cated for roofing supplies for a specific project, he should enter into some form of agreement with the supplier. D-FW asserts that this is usually accomplished by having the supplier as a party to the original contract between the owner and the contractor or by having a separate contract between the owner and the supplier. In either form of contract, D-FW states that the agreement is that the owner will make his check jointly payable to the supplier and the contractor, and, when the supplier is presented with the check, it will apply the funds to the purchase price of supplies. If there are any funds in excess of the purchase price of the supplies purchased, the supplier will retain such funds and apply them to later purchases made for the project.

D-FW asserts that it not only did not join into any type agreement with Knopf concerning this project, but it was never contacted or requested by Knopf to enter into an agreement. It further asserts that there is no evidence that contradicts its position.

We agree with the D-FW assertion that there is no evidence that Knopf ever contacted D-FW prior to his lawsuit, in any manner. We also agree with D-FW that no contract or agreement was ever entered into .between Knopf and D-FW. We disagree with its assertion that Knopf has not contradicted its statements concerning the custom, usage, and standard in the roofing supply industry, where a two-payee check is made payable to the contractor and supplier.

Attached to Knopf’s response to D-FW’s motion for summary judgment is the affidavit of Joe Fraser.

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786 S.W.2d 37, 11 U.C.C. Rep. Serv. 2d (West) 1188, 1990 Tex. App. LEXIS 708, 1990 WL 38032, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/knopf-v-dallas-fort-worth-roofing-supply-co-texapp-1990.