Kody Kothmann v. Clint Cook

CourtCourt of Appeals of Texas
DecidedJune 27, 2003
Docket07-02-00138-CV
StatusPublished

This text of Kody Kothmann v. Clint Cook (Kody Kothmann v. Clint Cook) 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
Kody Kothmann v. Clint Cook, (Tex. Ct. App. 2003).

Opinion

NO. 07-02-0138-CV



IN THE COURT OF APPEALS



FOR THE SEVENTH DISTRICT OF TEXAS



AT AMARILLO



PANEL E



JUNE 27, 2003



______________________________



KODY KOTHMANN, APPELLANT



V.



CLINT COOK, APPELLEE



_________________________________



FROM THE 237TH DISTRICT COURT OF LUBBOCK COUNTY;



NO. 93-543,094; HONORABLE SAM MEDINA, JUDGE



_______________________________



Before REAVIS and CAMPBELL, JJ., and BOYD, S.J. (1)

OPINION

This is an appeal from a take-nothing summary judgment dismissing appellant Kody Kothmann's (Kothmann) breach of fiduciary suit against appellee Clint Cook (Cook). In pursuing the appeal, Kothmann presents four issues for our decision. All of those issues are related to the question of whether the matters involved in a May 13, 1993 hearing before the Hays County District Court and Kothmann's presence at that hearing were sufficient to entitle Cook to the summary judgment on the basis of res judicata. We reverse the judgment of the trial court.

History

The suit underlying this appeal has been before this court previously and its history is set out in some detail in this court's opinion in Scanio v. McFall, 877 S.W.2d 888 (Tex.App.-Amarillo 1994, no writ). Kothmann was formerly married to Elizabeth Tuttle. That marriage was dissolved in Lubbock County in 1988. In the decree dissolving the marriage, the trial court divided the community property, appointed Tuttle managing conservator of the parties' two minor children and ordered Kothmann to make child support payments for their benefit. Subsequently, Kothmann filed a motion to modify the divorce decree in that court. In response to that motion, Tuttle filed a motion to transfer the case to Hays County, where she and the children were residing at the time. The case was transferred to the 274th District Court of Hays County where it was presided over by Judge Linda Rodriquez.

On April 30, 1992, Judge Rodriquez ordered Kothmann to pay child support and half of all health care expenses incurred by or on behalf of the couple's minor children. Kothmann made the payments as ordered for several months, but failed to make the full payments during the last three months of 1992. As a result of that failure, Tuttle filed a motion to enforce the court's order. On February 25, 1993, after a hearing on Tuttle's motion, the court held Kothmann in contempt for his failure to pay child support and medical expenses. Cook represented Kothmann in the motion to modify child support and the contempt motion. At the time of the hearing, Kothmann had paid all of the past due child support and all but $13.94 of the medical expenses. Kothmann was ordered confined for 179 months in the Hays County Jail, but the commitment was suspended and he was placed on probation for 36 months. Terms of Kothmann's probation included his 1) continuing to pay $1,092 per month in child support; 2) continuing to pay 50% of the health care expenses of his children; 3) paying $9,089.75 in attorney's fees to Tuttle in 12 monthly installments of $757.48; and 4) purchasing health insurance for the children within 30 days of the court order.

Kothmann failed to pay his monthly installments for attorney's fees in April and May of 1993 and failed to obtain health insurance as ordered. Because of that failure, Tuttle filed a motion to revoke the suspension of Kothmann's jail commitment. The trial court set that motion for hearing on May 13, 1993, and issued a capias directing Kothmann be brought before the court to show cause for his failure to comply with the terms and conditions of his probation. Additionally, the court entered a turnover order by which Paul Titzell, an agent of Shearson Lehman Brothers, was directed to turn over to the Lubbock County Sheriff's Department "[a]ny and all cash, stock certificates, bonds or other securities" held in the name of, or for the benefit of Kothmann. Kothmann was also directed to appear with all stock certificates in which he owned an interest other than those subject to the control of Titzell, as well as any proceeds resulting from the sale of such stock.

Although the plea is not included in the record, it seems to be uncontested that Cook filed a plea of intervention on behalf of his law firm, Ward, Freels & Cook, L.L.P., in which he sought possession of the items to be turned over to the Lubbock County Sheriff's Office to the extent of the attorneys' interest in those items. Cook averred that Kothmann owed at least $5,993.03 in attorney fees and had executed a security agreement giving the attorneys a secured interest in certain of the stock held by Shearson Lehman Brothers.

On May 10, 1993, Kothmann was arrested in Lubbock and placed in the county jail. At the May 13, 1993 hearing in Hays County, the court heard evidence and arguments concerning the proper disposition of $9,712.82 obtained from Kothmann's Shearson Lehman Brothers account. Kothmann appeared at the hearing, but was not represented by an attorney. Cook appeared on behalf of his law firm and emphasized that fact. On May 14, 1993, the court issued an order entitled "Order Aiding in Satisfaction of Judgment," in which it found that Cook's law firm was entitled to $5,993.03 pursuant to its security agreement with Kothmann and that Tuttle was entitled to the remaining $3,719.79 in partial satisfaction of the prior judgments against Kothmann for attorney fees incurred by Tuttle. The court also found that Tuttle was to recover $1199 in additional attorney fees from Kothmann.

The May 13 hearing did not address the motion to revoke the suspension of Kothmann's commitment and a hearing was scheduled on those matters for June 10, 1993. It appears that no such hearing was ever held. On June 8, 1993, Kothmann, now represented by counsel, filed the suit underlying this appeal in Lubbock County against Cook, Michael Scanio (Tuttle's attorney), Judge Rodriquez and Tuttle. Apparently, no further action has been taken in Hays County on matters pending in that county.

We are now only concerned with the suit insofar as it affected Cook. In his fourth amended original petition, Kothmann made claims against Cook for alleged breach of fiduciary duty and violations of the Deceptive Trade Practices Act. On May 11, 2000, Cook filed his motion for summary judgment on the basis that Kothmann's claims were in the nature of compulsory counterclaims to Cook's quest for attorney fees and because they were not raised at the May 13, 1993 hearing, they are barred by res judicata.

Discussion

To prevail on a motion for summary judgment, a movant must establish there is no genuine issue as to any material fact and that he or she is entitled to judgment as a matter of law. Tex. R. Civ. P. 166a(c).

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Kody Kothmann v. Clint Cook, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/kody-kothmann-v-clint-cook-texapp-2003.