Manon v. Solis

142 S.W.3d 380, 2004 WL 1153676
Court of Appeals of Texas·Decided September 9, 2004·No. 14-03-00463-CV·Published·Cited by 51 cases

Opinion

OPINION

ADELE HEDGES, Chief Justice.

Appellant Lorraine M. Mahon appeals from the trial court’s January 23, 2003 order granting judgment to appellee Manuel E. Solis on all claims. This case arises from a dispute concerning the information appellee disclosed during his recruitment of appellant for an attorney position at his law firm. Appellant alleges that appellee made fraudulent and negligent misrepresentations during the course of pre-em-ployment negotiations between the parties. 1 The trial court initially granted summary judgment in favor of appellee, but the Eleventh Court of Appeals reversed the trial court’s judgment and remanded the case for trial. 2 On remand, a *386 jury found appellant’s allegations to be unfounded. This appeal followed.

The Issues

Appellant raises seven issues in this appeal: (1) whether she has proeedurally established her claims as a matter of law, (2) whether the evidence conclusively establishes her claims, (3) whether there is no evidence to support appellee’s affirmative defenses, (4) whether the trial court erred in denying her motion for judgment notwithstanding the verdict, (5) whether the trial court erred in denying her motion for new trial, (6) whether the trial court erred in denying her motion to seal records, and (7) whether the trial court erred in failing to impose sanctions upon appel-lee. Because appellant’s second and fourth issues implicate the same arguments and authorities, we address them together. We also discuss appellant’s sixth and seventh issues together. We affirm.

Procedural Establishment of Claims as a Matter of Law

In her first issue, appellant argues that she has proeedurally established her claims as a matter of law. In connection with this issue, she raises a number of grounds upon which this assertion is based, including: (1) the trial court lacked jurisdiction/plenary power, (2) the law of the case doctrine, (3) waiver/election of remedies doctrine, (4) statutory bar (citing section 10.006 of the Texas Civil Practice and Remedies Code), and (5) judicial es-toppel. 3 Appellant’s basis for grounds (1) through (4) is that the trial court’s initial finding that no genuine issue of material fact exists remains binding even after the Eleventh Court of Appeals reversed that finding. Consequently, she argues, appel-lee cannot now contest any facts before the trial court upon remand. We disagree. The general rule, of course, is that when an appellate court reverses and remands a case for further proceedings and the mandate is not limited by special instructions, the effect is to remand the case to the lower court for a new trial on all issues of fact, and the case is reopened in its entirety. Hudson v. Wakefield, 711 S.W.2d 628, 630 (Tex.1986). The opinion and mandate issued by the Eleventh Court of Appeals do not provide any special instructions to the trial court upon remand; therefore, the case was remanded for a new trial on all issues of fact, and the case was reopened in its entirety. Appellant’s arguments concerning the trial court’s lack of jurisdiction/plenary power, the law of the case doctrine, waiver/election of remedies, and statutory bar are thus without merit.

Moreover, the doctrine of judicial estoppel is inapplicable in this case as well. Judicial estoppel applies if all of the following elements are present: (1) a sworn, prior inconsistent statement was made in a judicial proceeding, (2) the party now sought to be estopped successfully maintained the prior position, (3) the prior inconsistent statement was not made inadvertently or because of mistake, fraud, or duress, and (4) the statement was deliberate, clear, and unequivocal. Spera v. Fleming, Hovenkamp & Grayson, P.C., 25 S.W.3d 863, 871 (TexApp.-Houston [14th Dist.] 2000, no pet.). While appellee’s motion for summary judgment was initially granted by the trial court, the Eleventh Court of Appeals reversed that judgment; therefore, appellee did not successfully maintain his initial position. Because, at a minimum, the second element has not been *387 satisfied, the doctrine of judicial estoppel does not apply. Accordingly, appellant’s first issue is overruled.

Conclusive Establishment of Claims and Judgment Notwithstanding the Verdict

In her second issue, appellant argues that her claims are conclusively established by the evidence. In her fourth issue, she argues that the trial court erred in denying her motion for judgment notwithstanding the verdict. A motion for judgment notwithstanding the verdict should be granted when the evidence is conclusive and one party is entitled to judgment as a matter of law. Mancorp, Inc. v. Culpepper, 802 S.W.2d 226, 227-28 (Tex.1990). Because these two issues raise essentially the same question (i.e., whether appellant is entitled to judgment as a matter of law), we address them together here.

We review a denial of a motion for judgment notwithstanding the verdict under a legal sufficiency standard. Navarette v. Temple Independent School Dist, 706 S.W.2d 808, 309 (Tex.1986). We view the evidence in the light most favorable to the trial court’s findings, considering only the facts and inferences that support them. Id. If more than a scintilla of evidence exists supporting the trial court’s findings, the motion for judgment notwithstanding the verdict was properly denied. Culpepper, 802 S.W.2d at 228. Evidence supporting a finding amounts to more than a scintilla if reasonable minds could arrive at the finding given the facts proved in a particular case. Burroughs Wellcome Co. v. Crye, 907 S.W.2d 497, 499 (Tex.1995). Our review of the evidence below yields the conclusion that reasonable minds could arrive at the trial court’s findings as to fraud, fraud by omission, negligent misrepresentation, and breach of fiduciary duty. 4

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Manon v. Solis, 142 S.W.3d 380, 2004 WL 1153676 (Tex. Ct. App. 2004).

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