North Star Dodge Sales, Inc. v. Luna

653 S.W.2d 892, 1983 Tex. App. LEXIS 4448
CourtCourt of Appeals of Texas
DecidedMay 18, 1983
Docket04-81-00314-CV
StatusPublished
Cited by11 cases

This text of 653 S.W.2d 892 (North Star Dodge Sales, Inc. v. Luna) 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
North Star Dodge Sales, Inc. v. Luna, 653 S.W.2d 892, 1983 Tex. App. LEXIS 4448 (Tex. Ct. App. 1983).

Opinion

OPINION

BUTTS, Justice.

This is an appeal from a judgment for appellee, Yolanda Luna, against appellant, North Star Dodge Sales, Inc., in a suit alleging violations of the Texas Deceptive Trade Practices — Consumer Protection Act (D.T.P.A.), 1 the Texas Consumer Credit Code (Motor Vehicle Installment Sales), Tex.Rev.Civ.Stat.Ann. arts. 5069-7.01— 5069-7.10 (Vernon Supp.1982-1983), the Truth-In-Lending Act, 15 U.S.C. § 1601 et seq. (1982), and Federal Reserve Board Regulation Z, 12 C.F.R. § 226.1 et seq. The jury awarded damages totaling $66,600.00. The trial court, after remittitur, entered judgment for $55,400.00.

Appellant brings twenty-four points of error: points one and two are predicated on an improper question concerning appellant’s financial stability; points six through eight assert the impropriety of the award of damages for mental anguish; points four, nine, ten through twelve and sixteen challenge the award of damages for loss of use of the vehicle; points three, eleven and seventeen contend actual damages were computed improperly; points eighteen and twenty-two challenge appellee’s reliance as a consumer on the warranty; points fourteen and fifteen controvert the measure of damages for breach of warranty; point eighteen claims recovery under the Texas Consumer Credit Code was improper; points twenty-three and twenty-four challenge the evidence supporting the finding of unconscionability, and; points twenty-one and twenty-two proclaim the invalidity of the award of attorney's fees. We affirm in part and reverse and render in part.

Appellee Luna purchased a 1980 Dodge Omni from North Star Dodge in March 1980. At that time, appellant offered a 30 day/1,000 mile “money back guarantee” whereby a dissatisfied purchaser could receive a refund of the purchase price. The only conditions were that the request be made prior to the expiration of 30 days from the date of purchase or before the mileage limitation occurred. Luna elected to participate in the warranty program.

Soon after taking possession of the vehicle, appellee returned to North Star Dodge complaining of mechanical difficulties, specifically steering column vibration. Luna testified she made numerous requests for a refund under the warranty program, a fact which was controverted by appellant. Ap-pellee ultimately left the automobile at North Star Dodge, at which time appellant notified her the warranty program had expired due to the mileage exceeding 1,000 miles. Appellee brought suit. The judgment, after remittitur, awarded $55,400.00. 2

*896 Points of error one and two are premised on the assertion that appellant’s counsel improperly interjected the element of motive by questioning a witness as to the financial solvency of appellant. Appellant complains of the following colloquy between Snell, appellee’s counsel, and Patricia Crawford, appellant’s finance manager:

Q: [Snell] And North Star Dodge is just about to go down the tubes, isn’t it?
A: [Crawford] No, that is not true.
* # ⅝ ⅜ ⅜ ⅝
Q: If Mr. Yedor has told me that they are about to file bankruptcy, is that right or not, if he has told me they are on the verge of bankruptcy?

Appellant objected and moved for a mistrial contending the issue of motive was irrelevant and that the question had improperly created a bad faith motive which could not be purged from the minds of the jurors by a curative instruction. Appellee rejoined that pending bankruptcy was an element relative to the establishment of appellant’s motive in failing to refund the purchase price. At the close of the evidence, the motion for mistrial was denied and an instruction to disregard the bankruptcy comment, drafted by appellant, was given.

At the time the case was submitted to the jury, appellee had pled causes of action pursuant to § 17.46(b)(5), (7), (12), 3 and § 17.50(a)(2), (3). 4 Appellant is correct in contending that these specific subdivisions do not require proof or a finding of knowledge or scienter. See Smith v. Baldwin, 611 S.W.2d 611, 616-617 (Tex.1980). However, Luna sought treble damages under § 17.50(b)(1) which provides, in pertinent part:

(b) In a suit filed under this section, each consumer who prevails may obtain;

(1) the amount of actual damages found by the trier of fact. In addition the court shall award two times that portion of the actual damages that does not exceed $1,000.00. If the trier of fact finds the conduct of the defendant was committed knowingly, the trier of fact may award not more than three times the amount of actual damages in excess of $1,000.00. [Emphasis added.]

It is a rule of statutory construction that every word of a statute must be presumed to have been used for a purpose. Cameron v. Terrell & Garrett, Inc., 618 S.W.2d 535, 540 (Tex.1981). The statutory language clearly makes it incumbent upon a plaintiff seeking treble damages to establish the conduct of defendant was committed knowingly. We find the inquiry into appellant’s financial solvency relevant to the establishment of the actual awareness of the deception or unfairness in refusing appellee’s refund. Moreover, assuming arguendo that the statement of counsel was improper, the trial court did not err by waiting until the close of evidence to instruct the jury to disregard. A trial judge is vested with wide discretion in determining the manner *897 and method in which objections to evidence are disposed. Keith v. Allen, 153 S.W.2d 636, 637 (Tex.Civ.App.—Galveston 1941, no writ). No ground of error is afforded a complaining party where an instruction to disregard a statement objected to is not contemporaneous with the initial objection. See Prudential Insurance Co. v. Uribe, 595 S.W.2d 554, 565 (Tex.Civ.App.—San Antonio 1979, writ ref’d n.r.e.). Points of error one and two are denied.

Point of error seven challenges the existence of any evidence supportive of the recovery of damages for mental anguish. The D.T.P.A. provides for the recovery of actual damages, which are those recoverable at common law. Brown v. American Transfer & Storage Co., 601 S.W.2d 931, 939 (Tex.1980). The recovery of damages for mental anguish is dependent on the establishment of (1) an intentional tort, gross negligence, willful and wanton disregard, or (2) accompanying physical injury. Farmers and Merchants State Bank of Crum v. Ferguson,

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Bluebook (online)
653 S.W.2d 892, 1983 Tex. App. LEXIS 4448, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/north-star-dodge-sales-inc-v-luna-texapp-1983.