Liberty Enterprises, Inc v. Moore Transportation Co.

679 S.W.2d 779, 40 U.C.C. Rep. Serv. (West) 773, 1984 Tex. App. LEXIS 4754
CourtCourt of Appeals of Texas
DecidedNovember 15, 1984
Docket2-83-141-CV
StatusPublished
Cited by3 cases

This text of 679 S.W.2d 779 (Liberty Enterprises, Inc v. Moore Transportation 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
Liberty Enterprises, Inc v. Moore Transportation Co., 679 S.W.2d 779, 40 U.C.C. Rep. Serv. (West) 773, 1984 Tex. App. LEXIS 4754 (Tex. Ct. App. 1984).

Opinions

OPINION

JOE SPURLOCK, II, Justice.

Appellant, Liberty Enterprises, Inc. (“Liberty”), a Kansas corporation, was sued by appellee, Moore Transportation Company, Inc. (“Moore”) for freight charges on shipments of oilfield tubular goods which Liberty had purchased from appellee Fort Worth Pipe Company (“Fort Worth Pipe”). In a nonjury trial, Moore recovered judgment against Liberty for stipulated freight charges, prejudgment interest, and attorney’s fees. Liberty took nothing on an indemnity claim against Fort Worth Pipe. Liberty complains the court erred in asserting jurisdiction over them; ruling its claim against Fort Worth Pipe was barred by the statute of frauds, the parol evidence rule and the doctrine of lach-es; finding that there was a contract between Liberty and Moore; and awarding attorney’s fees to Moore.

We affirm in part and reverse in part and remand.

In its first point of error Liberty complains that the court erred in granting Moore’s motion to deem Liberty’s conduct as a general appearance, thus asserting [781]*781personal jurisdiction over Liberty in violation of article 2031b TEX.REV.CIV.STAT. ANN. (the Texas “Long Arm-Jurisdiction Statute”) and the Fourteenth Amendment to the Constitution of the United States. A discussion of the sequence of events is necessary.

On September 30, 1981 Moore sued Liberty for freight charges in the 17th District Court of Tarrant County. Liberty was served through the Secretary of State of Texas pursuant to TEX.REV.CIV.STAT. ANN. art. 2031b, sec. 4 (Vernon Supp. 1984), but filed no answer. Moore secured a default judgment on November 16, 1981. Liberty filed on December 9, 1981, its Special Appearance and, subject to same, its Original Answer. Later that same day, Liberty filed a Motion to Set Aside Default Judgment and to Grant a New Trial.

A new trial was granted, by agreed order, to Liberty on December 22, 1981. On February 25, 1982, Moore filed a “Motion to Vacate Agreed Order Granting New Trial And Reinstating Default Judgment Or In The Alternative to Deem Defendant’s Conduct As A General Appearance.” Upon hearing the motion, the court sustained the alternative plea. On April 12, 1982 the court ordered “that as a matter of law, Defendant has made a general appearance and that a further hearing in the Defendant’s Special Appearance is unnecessary and will not be allowed.”

On June 4,1982 Liberty received leave to file its Original Third-Party Action against Fort Worth Pipe seeking indemnity for the freight charges and other damages engendered by Fort Worth Pipe’s failure to pay such charges. Moore and Fort Worth Pipe sought summary judgments against Liberty.

At final hearing on June 6, 1983, the parties stipulated the amount of freight charges and pre-judgment interest. The court heard evidence on attorney’s fees and rendered judgment against Liberty for $7,866.88 freight charges, $1,244.04 prejudgment interest, and $3,530.00 in attorney’s fees. The balance of the hearing was directed to the question of Fort Worth Pipe’s liability to Liberty, resulting in a final judgment that Liberty take nothing from Fort Worth Pipe by way of indemnity.

The threshold question requires us to determine if the trial court erred in deeming Liberty’s conduct as a general appearance, without holding a hearing to allow Liberty to present its contest to the jurisdiction. A party who claims not to be amenable to process issued by the courts of this state may enter a special appearance objecting to the jurisdiction of the court over its person or property as provided by TEX.R.CIV.P. 120a.

Liberty’s entrance in this cause came only after Moore had obtained a default judgment against it. Thereafter an agreed new trial was granted to Liberty. Moore contended and the trial court found that Liberty’s agreement to the new trial order constituted a general appearance which served as a bar to its continued objection to the jurisdiction. Moore argues that any appearance after judgment is not covered by rule 120a, with the necessary implication that there can be no special appearance after judgment.

Liberty contends that a party does not enter a general appearance when it files a motion for new trial and has a hearing thereon, so long as such motion for new trial is filed subject to the special appearance, citing Stegall and Stegall v. Cohn, 592 S.W.2d 427 (Tex.Civ.App.—Fort Worth 1979, no writ); Pardue v. Confederate Air Force, 615 S.W.2d 233 (Tex.Civ.App.—Dallas 1980, writ dism’d); and Long v. Gonzales, 650 S.W.2d 173 (Tex.App.—San Antonio 1983, no writ).

Rule 120a(l) states that:

A special appearance may be made as to an entire proceeding or as to any severable claim involved therein. Such special appearance shall be made by sworn motion filed prior to motion to transfer venue or any other plea, pleading or motion; provided however, that a motion to transfer venue and any other plea, pleading, or motion may be contained in the same instrument or [782]*782filed subsequent thereto without waiver of such special appearance.

TEX.R.CIV.P. 120a(l) (emphasis added). Subpart (2) of rule 120a states that, “[a]ny motion to challenge the jurisdiction provided for herein shall be heard and determined before a motion to transfer venue or any other plea or pleading may be heard.” The rule clearly requires the court to proceed to hear the plea to jurisdiction before it may make any other orders in the case, especially before it hears a “motion” to deem an appearance as a waiver of a “special appearance”. Subpart (3) of rule 120a states that:

If the objection to jurisdiction is overruled, the objecting party may thereafter appear generally for any purpose. Any such special appearance or such general appearance shall not be deemed a waiver of the objection to jurisdiction when the objecting party or subject matter is not amenable to process issued by the courts of this State. [Emphasis added.]

It is well settled law of this state that a motion for new trial or to set aside or vacate a default judgment does not act as a general appearance so as to foreclose the subsequent consideration of a plea of privilege. “Neither does such a motion serve as a waiver of a plea of privilege.” Pardue 615 S.W.2d at 234. See Donald v. Agricultural Livestock Finance Corporation, 495 S.W.2d 592 (Tex.Civ.App.—Fort Worth 1973, no writ); and Yell v. Prock, 238 S.W.2d 238 (Tex.Civ.App.—Fort Worth 1951, writ dism’d). The question to be decided is whether a motion to set aside a default judgment which does not act as a general appearance for the purpose of a plea of privilege would so act for the purpose of a challenge to the jurisdiction. This rule in reference to the plea of privilege has been held applicable even where the plea of privilege is filed subsequent to the motion to set aside. Pardue, 615 S.W.2d at 234.

In the present case, all of appellant’s pleadings and motions were filed subsequent and subject to its special appearance. The appellant complied with the requirements of rule 120a.

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Related

Liberty Enterprises, Inc. v. Moore Transportation Co.
690 S.W.2d 570 (Texas Supreme Court, 1985)
Liberty Enterprises, Inc v. Moore Transportation Co.
679 S.W.2d 779 (Court of Appeals of Texas, 1984)

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679 S.W.2d 779, 40 U.C.C. Rep. Serv. (West) 773, 1984 Tex. App. LEXIS 4754, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/liberty-enterprises-inc-v-moore-transportation-co-texapp-1984.