Mackey v. Bradley Motors, Inc.

871 S.W.2d 243, 1994 Tex. App. LEXIS 81, 1994 WL 7761
CourtCourt of Appeals of Texas
DecidedJanuary 14, 1994
DocketNo. 07-93-0100-CV
StatusPublished
Cited by5 cases

This text of 871 S.W.2d 243 (Mackey v. Bradley Motors, Inc.) 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
Mackey v. Bradley Motors, Inc., 871 S.W.2d 243, 1994 Tex. App. LEXIS 81, 1994 WL 7761 (Tex. Ct. App. 1994).

Opinions

POFF, Justice.

Appellant David Mackey appeals from a default judgment rendered in favor of Bradley Motors, Inc., appellee. In his first point of error, Mackey contends that the trial court erred in entering the default judgment because he was not afforded a jury trial on the issue of unliquidated damages. In his second point of error, Mackey argues that the court’s default judgment was erroneous because the judgment failed to conform to the pleadings on file. In his third point of error, Mackey maintains that the trial court erred in failing to set aside the default judgment upon his motion for new trial. We will sustain points of error one and two. We will overrule point of error three. We will reverse the judgment of the trial court and remand the cause to that court for a trial solely on the issue of damages.

Bradley Motors brought suit against Mackey on August 27, 1991, alleging violations of the Deceptive Trade Practices-Consumer Protection Act (DTPA). Tex.Bus. & Com.Code Ann. §§ 17.41-17.854 (Vernon 1987 & Supp.1994). Mackey filed an answer as well as a counterclaim. Mackey also requested a trial by jury and paid the required jury fee.1 The case was set for trial on the jury docket on February 2, 1993. On January 28, 1993, Mackey’s attorney spoke to the trial judge and opposing counsel by means of a telephone conference call at which time he made an oral motion for continuance. That motion was denied.

The case was called for trial on February 2 as scheduled. Bradley Motors announced ready for trial but neither Mackey nor his counsel appeared. Mackey’s name was called both in the courtroom and in the hallway outside the courtroom and then the case proceeded to trial. Bradley Motors waived trial by jury, presented testimony and exhibits to the court, and made a record. On the basis of the record, the trial court entered judgment in favor of Bradley Motors for [246]*246$1,500 in actual damages and $4,500 in attorney’s fees. The court ordered that Mackey take nothing on his counterclaim. The court also entered other orders which we will address later in this opinion. Subsequently, Mackey filed a motion for new trial which was overruled by operation of law.

Because Mackey filed an answer to Bradley Motors’ petition, it is evident that the default judgment in this case was a post-answer default judgment, as opposed to a no-answer default judgment or a judgment nihil dicit. See generally Stoner v. Thompson, 578 S.W.2d 679, 682 (Tex.1979). Unlike a no-answer default judgment and a judgment nihil dicit, in the case of a post-answer default judgment it cannot be said that the non-answering party has admitted the facts pled and the justice of the opponent’s claim. “A post-answer ‘default’ constitutes neither an abandonment of defendant’s answer nor an implied confession of any issues thus joined by the defendant’s answer. Judgment cannot be entered on the pleadings, but the plaintiff in such a case must offer evidence and prove his case as in a judgment upon a trial.” Id.

Mackey recognizes that a trial court may properly enter a post-answer default judgment where the plaintiff has, as in the present case, offered evidence and proved his case at trial. See id.; Maldonado v. Puente, 694 S.W.2d 86, 91 (Tex.App. — San Antonio 1985, no writ). Mackey’s disagreement with the trial court’s judgment is based on his belief that, although the court was entitled to enter an interlocutory default judgment establishing liability, the court was still required to afford him a trial by jury on the amount of unliquidated damages since he requested a jury trial. Mackey’s position is grounded on Texas Rule of Civil Procedure 243 which provides:

If the cause of action is unliquidated or be not proved by an instrument in writing, the court shall hear evidence as to damages and shall render judgment therefor, unless the defendant shall demand and be entitled to a trial by jury in which case the judgment by default shall be noted, a writ of inquiry awarded, and the cause entered on the jury docket.

It is clear that the actual damages in the case at bar are unliquidated and cannot be proved by an instrument in writing.2 And it is a settled proposition that a claim for attorney’s fees is an unliquidated claim. Siddiqui v. West Bellfort Property Owners Ass’n, 819 S.W.2d 657, 659 (Tex.App. — El Paso 1991, no writ); Sunbelt Tectonics, Inc. v. Ramirez, 742 S.W.2d 771, 775 (Tex.App. — San Antonio 1987, no writ); First Nat’l Bank of Irving v. Shockley, 663 S.W.2d 685, 690-91 (Tex.App. — Corpus Christi 1983, no writ). Thus, the question of whether the trial court erred in rendering a judgment awarding Bradley Motors actual damages and attorney’s fees without affording Mackey a chance to contest the award before a jury is squarely before us.

A judgment by default does not dispense with the necessity for evidence of un-liquidated damages. Holt Atherton Indus. v. Heine, 835 S.W.2d 80, 83 (Tex.1992); Illinois Employers Ins. Co. of Wausau v. Lewis, 582 S.W.2d 242, 246 (Tex.Civ.App. — Beaumont), writ ref'd, 590 S.W.2d 119 (Tex.1979); Morgan Express, Inc. v. Elizabeth-Perkins, Inc., 525 S.W.2d 312, 314 (Tex.Civ.App. — Dallas 1975, writ ref'd). “After a default judgment is granted, the trial court must hear evidence of unliquidated damages.” Holt Atherton Indus. v. Heine, 835 S.W.2d at 86; see also Tex.R.Civ.P. 243; Morgan Express, Inc. v. Elizabeth-Perkins, Inc., 525 S.W.2d at 314. The Texas Supreme Court has referred to the hearing on liquidated damages as a “Rule 243 hearing,” an “assessment of damages hearing,” and a “damage assessment hearing.” Morgan v. Compugraphic Corp., 675 S.W.2d 729, 731 (Tex.1984). The law is clear that the defaulting party has the right to be present at such a hearing. As stated by our current Chief Justice Reynolds in 1976:

It is the Texas rule, as well as the general rule, that upon an inquiry into the amount of unliquidated damages after a default judgment, the defendant has the right to [247]*247be present, to interpose objections to testimony offered by plaintiffs witnesses and to cross-examine them in order that, by the exclusion of improper evidence, a proper judgment may be rendered on competent and sufficient evidence.

Rainwater v. Haddox, 544 S.W.2d 729, 733 (Tex.Civ.App. — Amarillo 1976, no writ); see also Helfman Motors, Inc. v. Stockman, 616 S.W.2d 394, 397 (Tex.Civ.App. — Fort Worth 1981, writ ref'd n.r.e.); Illinois Employers Ins. Co.

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Bluebook (online)
871 S.W.2d 243, 1994 Tex. App. LEXIS 81, 1994 WL 7761, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/mackey-v-bradley-motors-inc-texapp-1994.