L.L.M. v. Mayes

733 S.W.2d 642, 1987 Tex. App. LEXIS 8012
CourtCourt of Appeals of Texas
DecidedJune 10, 1987
Docket04-86-00393-CV
StatusPublished
Cited by11 cases

This text of 733 S.W.2d 642 (L.L.M. v. Mayes) 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
L.L.M. v. Mayes, 733 S.W.2d 642, 1987 Tex. App. LEXIS 8012 (Tex. Ct. App. 1987).

Opinion

OPINION

CHAPA, Justice.

This cause of action arose out of a series of automobile repairs performed from June 1983, through September 20,1983, by Naco Brake & Alignment on an automobile owned by Ronald B. Mayes and wife, Jay S. Mayes (hereinafter collectively referred to as Mayes). The original suit, alleging conversion and other causes of action, was filed by Mayes against Lester L. Munson d/b/a Naco Brake & Alignment on December 15,1983. On June 8,1984, Naco Brake & Alignment filed its original counterclaim. On January 21, 1986, Mayes filed their third amended petition naming for the first time L.L.M., Inc. d/b/a Naco Brake & Alignment as a defendant. The identical causes of actions were alleged against L.L.M., Inc. d/b/a Naco Brake & Alignment as had been alleged against Lester L. Munson d/b/a Naco Brake & Alignment, in the original petition. The case was tried to a jury and, based on the verdict, the trial court rendered judgment for Mayes against L.L.M., Inc. d/b/a Naco Brake & Alignment (hereinafter referred to as L.L.M.) on the theories of breach of express and implied warranties and conversion. A motion for new trial was overruled, and L.L.M. has appealed to this Court.

In point of error number one, L.L.M. contends the trial court erred in denying the application of the statute of limitations. L.L.M. asserts the two year statute of limitation bars any claim against L.L.M. because the corporation was not made a party defendant until two years had passed from the date the cause of action arose.

L.L.M. has appealed without a statement of fact, or findings of facts and conclusions of law. When an appellate court is called upon to revise the ruling of a trial court, it must do so upon the record before that court when such ruling was made. Gould v. City of El Paso, 440 S.W.2d 696 (Tex. Civ.App. — El Paso 1969, writ ref’d n.r.e.). Rulings of the court are presumptively correct, and an appellate court will consider only matters shown by the record. To procure reversal the appellant must bring up a record which affirmatively shows that an error was committed. Fenton v. Wade, 303 S.W.2d 816 (Tex.Civ.App. — Fort Worth 1957, writ ref’d n.r.e.). The burden is on the appellant to bring forward a record that demonstrates the ruling of the trial court complained of was erroneous. *644 Pruitt v. Morris, 517 S.W.2d 654 (Tex.Civ. App. — Tyler 1974, no writ).

TEX.R.CIV.P. 28 states:

Rule 28. Suits in Assumed Name
Any partnership, unincorporated association, private corporation, or individual doing business under an assumed name may sue or be sued in its partnership, assumed or common name for the purpose of enforcing for or against it a substantive right, but on a motion by any party or on the court’s own motion the true name may be substituted.

The appellate courts have interpreted this rule to toll the statute of limitations in suits involving assumed names. The Supreme Court of Texas first recognized the tolling effect of Rule 28 on the statute of limitations in cases involving assume name suits in Continental Southern Lines, Inc. v. Hilland, 528 S.W.2d 828 (Tex.1975). After recognizing the tolling effect of amended Rule 28 on the statute of limitations the Supreme Court denied the application of the rule because “the suit was not brought against the entity in its assumed or trade name,” and “the two year period of limitation would have run in March of 1970, — before the effective date of the amendment of the rule in [January 1] 1971.” Id. at 830.

In Cohen v. C.H. Leavell & Co., Inc., 520 S.W.2d 793 (Tex.App. — El Paso 1975, no writ) the plaintiff filed its original suit against C.H. Leavell & Co., Inc. d/b/a Kern Plaza. It was later discovered that C.H. Leavell & Co., Inc. was not the owner of Kern Plaza. After the statute of limitations had run, plaintiff filed an amended petition against Leavell Enterprises and Rio Grande Industries, Inc. d/b/a Kern Plaza, which were the correct owners of Kern Plaza at the time the cause of action arose. Leavell Enterprises and Rio Grande Industries invoked the running of the statute of limitations and moved for a dismissal. The El Paso Court of Appeals, in holding the statute of limitations was tolled by the application of rule 28 stated:

True, the application of the rule of law [Rule 28] permits a cause of action to be asserted against a separate entity after the statute of limitations has run, but this is not true as to just any entity but is limited to instances of doing business under an assumed name.

Id. at 795-96.

We conclude that in the case before us the suing of one corporation under the assumed name tolled the statute of limitations as to the other corporation operating that business under the same name.

Id. at 796. Cohen was endorsed and upheld in Howell v. Coca-Cola Bottling Co. of Lubbock, Inc. 595 S.W.2d 208 (Tex.App. —Amarillo 1980, writ ref’d n.r.e.) 599 S.W.2d 801 (Tex.1980). After recognizing the tolling effect of Rule 28 on the statute of limitations, the Amarillo court stated:

Rule 28 creates a procedure that permits suit by or against a business entity for the purpose of enforcing for or against it a substantive right in its partnership, assumed or common name. The rule does not, however, change any substantive rights. Cohen v. C.H. Leavell & Co., Inc., 520 S.W.2d 793 (Tex.Civ.App.— El Paso 1975, no writ). One of the purposes of the rule is to permit a plaintiff to sue a business entity or permit a business entity to sue, in the name by which it represents itself to the public. Obviously, however, the rule has no relevance to a case unless the suit is brought by or against the business entity in its assumed or common name. See e.g. Continental Southern Lines, Inc. v. Hillard, 528 S.W.2d 828, 830 (Texas.1975).

Howell, 595 S.W.2d at 211. However, because the suit had not been filed against a business entity in its assumed or common name, Rule 28 did not apply.

As in Cohen, in the case at bar the original suit was against Lester L. Munson d/b/a Naco Brake & Alignment. After the statute had run, Meyers filed an amended pleading against L.L.M., Inc. d/b/a Naco Brake & Alignment, the correct owner of Naco Brake & Alignment.

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Bluebook (online)
733 S.W.2d 642, 1987 Tex. App. LEXIS 8012, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/llm-v-mayes-texapp-1987.