Mobil Producing Texas & New Mexico, Inc. v. Cantor

93 S.W.3d 916, 2002 WL 31835498
CourtCourt of Appeals of Texas
DecidedJanuary 30, 2003
Docket13-00-634-CV
StatusPublished
Cited by18 cases

This text of 93 S.W.3d 916 (Mobil Producing Texas & New Mexico, Inc. v. Cantor) 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
Mobil Producing Texas & New Mexico, Inc. v. Cantor, 93 S.W.3d 916, 2002 WL 31835498 (Tex. Ct. App. 2003).

Opinions

OPINION

Opinion by Justice RODRIGUEZ.

Appellant, Mobil Producing Texas & New Mexico, Inc. (Mobil), appeals from an order granting its motion for summary judgment. By four issues, Mobil contends the trial court erred in limiting damages to two years, denying its request for prejudgment interest and attorneys’ fees, and apportioning court costs. In the alternative, by its fifth issue, Mobil urges that the trial court erred in entering a final judgment. We affirm.

I. Background

This is an oil and gas ease. The dispute arises out of a reworking operation on the Borchers-Hilbrieh-Gardien Unit Well No. 1 in Gonzales County, Texas (the well). In November 1992, Mobil, the operator of the well, sued appellees, Robert Cantor, Eddie Cantor and Royce Scott, to recover overpayment of revenues appellees received from production, after they elected to non-consent to the proposed reworking operations on the well.1 Mobil filed suit against appellees for breach of contract and, in the alternative, unjust enrichment.

Mobil and appellees filed motions for summary judgment. The trial court granted Mobil’s motion and denied appel-lees’ motions. However, the court limited Mobil’s recovery to $6,348.85, revenues received by appellees during the two years preceding the suit. Mobil moved to modify the judgment to include revenues received by appellees for four years prior to the filing of the petition, an amount totaling $197,062.03 (after credits), plus prejudgment interest, attorneys’ fees, and court costs. Alternatively, Mobil moved for a new trial. Mobil’s post-judgment motions were denied by operation of law.

II. Standard of Review

Because the correctness of a summary judgment is a question of law, we review the trial court’s decision de novo. Natividad v. Alexsis, Inc., 875 S.W.2d 695, 699 (Tex.1994). The standards for reviewing a motion for summary judgment are well established: (1) the movant has the burden of showing that no genuine issue of material fact exists and that it is entitled to judgment as a matter of law; (2) in deciding whether there is a disputed material fact issue precluding summary judgment, evidence favorable to the nonmovant will be taken as true; and (3) every reasonable inference must be indulged in favor of the nonmovant and any doubts resolved in its favor. Nixon v. Mr. Prop. Mgmt. Co., 690 S.W.2d 546, 548-49 (Tex.1985); see Tex.R. Civ. P. 166a(c). “[Gjrounds for summary judgment must be expressly presented in the summary judgment motion itself.” McConnell v. Southside Indep. Sch. Dist., 858 S.W.2d 337, 338 (Tex.1993). However, “[g]rounds may be stated concisely, without detail and argument. But they must at least be listed in the motion.” Id. at 339 (quoting Roberts v. Southwest Tex. Methodist Hosp., 811 S.W.2d 141, 146 (Tex.App.-San Antonio 1991, writ denied) (op. on reh’g)). The summary judgment is affirmable on appeal if any ground asserted in the motion for summary judgment is a valid ground for rendering summary judgment. Cincinnati Life Ins. Co. v. Cates, 927 [919]*919S.W.2d 623, 626 (Tex.1996); Tex. Workers’ Comp. Ins. Fund v. Rodriguez, 953 S.W.2d 765, 768 (Tex.App.-Corpus Christi 1997, pet. denied).

III. Damages

The trial court granted Mobil’s summary judgment and awarded damages calculated on a two-year statute of limitations, a limitations period applicable to an action based on unjust enrichment. See HECI Exploration Co. v. Neel, 982 S.W.2d 881, 885 (Tex.1998) (two-year statute of limitations for unjust enrichment claim); see also Tex. Civ. Phac. & Rem.Code § 16.003 (Vernon Supp.2002).

By its first and second issues, Mobil challenges the trial court’s application of a two-year statute of limitations, rather than the four-year statute which would apply to a breach of contract claim. See Pitman v. Lightfoot, 937 S.W.2d 496, 510 (Tex.App.San Antonio 1996, writ denied) (four-year statute of limitations for breach of contract action); see also Tex. Civ. PRAC. & Rem.Code Ann. § 16.004 (Vernon Supp.2002); Haliburton v. City of San Antonio, 974 S.W.2d 779, 784 (Tex.App.-San Antonio 1998, no pet.) (where periodic payments are contractually required, statute of limitations will bar only those payments due more than four years before filing suit, even though breach may have occurred more than four years before suit filed). Mobil contends the calculation was incorrect because the only basis argued in its motion for summary judgment was breach of contract.

However, our review of Mobil’s motion for summary judgment shows that both issues were asserted. The motion provided that each defendant failed and refused to repay revenues from the well that were received in error. It expressly stated that “[sjuch failure is a breach of contract by Defendants and constitutes unjust enrichment to the Defendants.” Furthermore, the motion referenced the brief filed in support of the motion wherein Mobil presented argument and authorities on its breach of contract claim and on its unjust enrichment claim. In response, while conceding Mobil had a claim for restitution or unjust enrichment, appellees argued the summary judgment evidence raised several genuine issues of material fact on that claim. Appellees farther contended Mobil’s summary judgment proof could not establish a claim for restitution or unjust enrichment as a matter of law.2

Based on our review of the record, we conclude Mobil listed a second ground as a basis for summary judgment, that being it was entitled to judgment as a matter of law because no genuine issue of material fact existed on its unjust enrichment claim. See McConnell, 858 S.W.2d at 339. Accordingly, because unjust enrichment was asserted in the motion for summary judgment and is a valid ground for rendering summary judgment, the summary judgment is affirmable on appeal. See Cincinnati Life Ins., 927 S.W.2d at 626; Rodriguez, 953 S.W.2d at 768. Thus, the trial court did not err in calculating damages based on a two-year statute of limitations. See HECI Exploration, 982 S.W.2d at 885.

Furthermore, as the concurrence sets out, the operating agreement did not place an obligation on appellees to take action to suspend payments. Thus, there can be no breach. There can, however, be recovery [920]*920under a quasi-contract theory such as unjust enrichment. See Fortune Prod. Co. v. Conoco, Inc., 52 S.W.3d 671, 684 (Tex.2000). Mobil’s first and second issues are overruled.

IV.Prejudgment Interest

By its third and fourth issues, Mobil challenges the trial court’s failure to award prejudgment interest.

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