Miller v. University Savings Assoc.

858 S.W.2d 33, 1993 Tex. App. LEXIS 1863, 1993 WL 232324
CourtCourt of Appeals of Texas
DecidedJuly 1, 1993
DocketB14-92-00746 CV
StatusPublished
Cited by20 cases

This text of 858 S.W.2d 33 (Miller v. University Savings Assoc.) 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
Miller v. University Savings Assoc., 858 S.W.2d 33, 1993 Tex. App. LEXIS 1863, 1993 WL 232324 (Tex. Ct. App. 1993).

Opinion

OPINION

DRAUGHN, Justice.

This is an appeal from a judgment in favor of appellees, and the denial of appellant’s summary judgment motion. In four points of error, appellant contends the trial court erred in granting appellees’ summary judgment motion based on their claim and appellant’s counter-claim of usury. Appellant also asserts the trial court committed reversible error in denying and failing to grant his motion for summary judgment. We affirm the judgment of the trial court.

This is the second time this case has been before us on appeal. See University Sav. Ass’n v. Miller, 786 S.W.2d 461 (Tex.App.-Houston [14th Dist.] 1990, writ denied). As the facts have not changed, and we are presented with some variations of the same issues decided in the first appeal, a brief recitation of the facts and procedural posture of this case is necessary.

On August 26, 1977, appellant entered into a guaranty agreement with appellee, University Savings Association (“University”), in conjunction with a loan by University Savings to Miller Warehouse of Houston. This loan was documented by a promissory note, and further secured by a deed of trust covering an apartment complex in Houston. The loan was for $2,740,000.00.

Miller Warehouse defaulted on the loan, beginning with the failure to pay the September 1, 1985 installment payment. On January 9, 1986, University Savings accel *35 erated the maturity of the note and made demand upon appellant, as guarantor, to make the payment required under the guaranty agreement. As of the date of acceleration, the amounts owed to University were as follows: 1) Unpaid principal balance $2,573,620.02; 2) unpaid accrued interest $130,718.51; 3) unpaid negative escrow balance owed for advances made by University for unpaid taxes due on the secured real property in the sum of $23,-807.15; and 4) $4,322.32 for unpaid accrued late charges, for a total of $2,732,468.00. The addition of ten percent attorney’s fees and foreclosure costs immediately preceding the foreclosure sale of the apartment complex made the total indebtedness owing to University $3,027,019.43. The apartment complex was bought by University at the foreclosure sale for $2,400,000.00, and the proceeds applied to the unguaranteed portion of the indebtedness.

In the original trial of this case, the trial court was faced with cross-motions for summary judgment. At that time, the trial court granted appellant’s motion for summary judgment and denied appellees’ motion for summary judgment, based upon that court’s interpretation of the guaranty agreement. Basically, the trial court found that the guaranty agreement, by its terms, terminated after the foreclosure sale. University appealed, both on the ground that Miller’s motion for summary judgment was improvidently granted, but also on the ground that the trial court improperly denied its motion for summary judgment. The appeal was limited to the summary judgment evidence based upon the construction of the guaranty agreement.

Upon the first appeal to this court, we held that not only was Miller’s motion for summary judgment improperly granted, but also that University had proven its entitlement to summary judgment relief as a matter of law. We reversed the judgment and remanded the case only for a determination of damages.

On remand, appellees, University, and Landmark Savings, the assignee of the note, filed a Motion for Entry of Judgment and provided the trial court with proof of the liquidated damages owed. Appellant, though not directly responding to appel-lees’ motion for entry of judgment/second motion for summary judgment, filed his own Motion for Summary Judgment, alleging, for the first time, that the interest charged against him was usurious. The trial court, in accordance with our previous opinion, entered judgment for appellees and awarded the appropriate, liquidated damages.

In this second appeal, appellant contends the trial court erred by entering the judgment in appellees' favor and in granting their motion for summary judgment on appellant’s counterclaim of usury. Appellant further asserts that the trial court improperly denied his motion for summary judgment. And, for the first time, appellant raises the issue that appellees’ failed to prove their entitlement to summary judgment relief, as a matter of law, in the original proceeding, based upon their alleged failure to send him notice of intent to accelerate the note. Appellant asserts this issue even though no defense to appellees’ first or second motions for summary judgment on the grounds of failure to send notice of intent was ever made.

In his first point of error, appellant claims the trial court erred in granting the appellees’ motion for summary judgment, even in light of our prior opinion remanding the case for entry of judgment in appel-lees’ favor and a determination of damages. Specifically, appellant contends our first decision on this case, rendering summary judgment relief for appellees, was in error, as appellees did not sustain their burden proving a right to such relief as a matter of law because they failed to prove the necessary requisites for accelerating the underlying note. In the alternative, appellant contends that the “law of the case” doctrine does not apply because substantially different facts now exist, namely, those giving rise to a claim of usury which arose on remand.

In support of his argument that ap-pellees’ did not prove their entitlement to judgment as a matter of law, appellant directs us to the case law regarding prom *36 issory notes and the requirements of acceleration. Generally, the holder of a note must perform three requirements before he can properly accelerate the maturity of a note, namely: 1) make presentment, or demand for payment upon the maker; 2) give notice of intent to accelerate, and; 3) notify maker of actual acceleration. Shumway v. Horizon Credit Corp., 801 S.W.2d 890, 892 (Tex.1991); Ogden v. Gibraltar Sav Ass’n, 640 S.W.2d 232, 233; Allen Sales & Servicenter v. Ryan, 525 S.W.2d 863, 865 (Tex.1975). However, this case does not involve a holder’s obligation to a maker. Instead, it involves the liability of a guarantor when the maker defaults on the loan. While we agree with appellant that Texas law requires a holder to notify a maker of his intent to accelerate a note, it does not require that notice of intent to accelerate be given to a guarantor. United States v. Little Joe Trawlers, Inc., 776 F.2d 1249, 1252 (5th Cir.1985). While a guaranty clause may incorporate certain terms and provisions of the underlying promissory note, it is a separate contract with separate ramifications and obligations imposed on those parties.

Even if we assume arguendo

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Bluebook (online)
858 S.W.2d 33, 1993 Tex. App. LEXIS 1863, 1993 WL 232324, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/miller-v-university-savings-assoc-texapp-1993.