Reyna v. State National Bank of Iowa Park

911 S.W.2d 851, 1995 WL 689771
CourtCourt of Appeals of Texas
DecidedDecember 28, 1995
Docket2-95-037-CV
StatusPublished
Cited by6 cases

This text of 911 S.W.2d 851 (Reyna v. State National Bank of Iowa Park) 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
Reyna v. State National Bank of Iowa Park, 911 S.W.2d 851, 1995 WL 689771 (Tex. Ct. App. 1995).

Opinion

OPINION

BRIGHAM, Justice.

Lewis Earl Reyna appeals a judgment for State National Bank of Iowa Park and Gene Jordan after Reyna sued for fraud, violations of the Deceptive Trade Practices Act, bad faith, and wrongful foreclosure. Although Reyna brings fifteen points of error, we find *853 his arguments are without merit and we affirm the judgment of the trial court.

BACKGROUND

Reyna was a partner in Reyna Construction Company. His brother Ernest Reyna and their father Robert Reyna were the other two partners in the business. Reyna Construction did business with State National Bank. When Robert Reyna died in 1990, Reyna Construction still had several outstanding loans -with State National. On October 31, 1990, Reyna signed a Renewal and Extension and/or Modification of Loans to consolidate five existing partnership loans with State National. The notes were in default, and when Reyna signed the extension contract, he agreed that the first installment would be due on December 1, 1990.

Reyna missed the first payment and asked State National for permission to sell some equipment to make the payment. State National initially refused but finally gave permission in late December for Reyna to sell a truck and apply the proceeds to the note. When Reyna missed the January 1, 1991, payment, State National sent a ten-day notice of intent to accelerate the notes. Reyna mailed in a payment, but the bank accelerated the notes anyway. State National then posted foreclosure of Reyna’s house at 4311 Edgehill.

Reyna sued the bank, contending that he had been led to believe State National would forbear payments and work with him through the winter if he agreed to take all of Reyna Construction’s assets in his name. He asserted that he had assumed all notes to the bank at a time when there was no way for the construction business to make any payments. The bank counterclaimed for payment of the notes.

POINTS OF ERROR ONE THROUGH FIVE

In his first five points of error, Reyna complains: (1) the trial court erred in overruling his Motion for Mistrial and in awarding judgment on State National’s counterclaim on the notes because at least two-thirds of the debt should have been canceled; (2) the trial court erred in granting State National’s Motion to Disregard Jury Verdict and in rendering judgment against Reyna on a transaction the jury found “unconscionable” and “fraudulent”; (3) the trial court erred in awarding judgment on State National’s counterclaim because Reyna was entitled to receive costs and attorney’s fees without set-off; (4) the trial court erred in awarding judgment on State National’s counterclaim because Reyna’s damages should have been trebled with prejudgment interest added before being offset by State National’s claim; and (5) the trial court erred in awarding prejudgment interest on State National’s counterclaim because the court denied any prejudgment interest to Reyna.

Reyna asserts that the jury found that State National and Jordan acted unconscionably and fraudulently toward him. He then claims that the extension and notes should have been canceled, citing Bal-Fel, Inc. v. Boyd, 503 S.W.2d 673, 677 (Tex.App.—Austin 1973, no writ) for the proposition that fraud vitiates the transaction. He contends that cancellation is necessary to make him whole under these facts and says that if the debt were canceled, he could accept what he considers an insufficient damage award. Reyna never disputes State National’s contention that the construction business received the money specified in the notes and that he retains possession of the collateral securing the notes. He therefore fails to explain the necessity of rescission in an instance such as this, where his company received the benefit of loans and where the gravamen of his complaint is that the modification was not handled fairly.

Reyna also maintains that the trial court miscalculated the prejudgment interest and offered no explanation for the variance between the money owed and the number of days each loan was in default. He claims that because he was not told how much was owed on the notes and because the amount due was in dispute, the trial court could not as a matter of law find the note balances or the interest due.

We note that the jury specifically answered “no” when asked whether Jordan knowingly engaged in any false, misleading, or deceptive act or practice. We also note that the jury specifically answered “no” when asked whether State National or Jordan *854 committed fraud. Reyna overstates his argument in claiming fraud. He also overstates his ease in asserting that the jury found State National and/or Jordan had acted unconscionably, because the jury was not asked to specify whether any unconscionable action led them to answer their first question in the affirmative. Thus, we disagree with Reyna’s contention that the extension and notes should have been canceled due to fraud.

State National claims that Reyna “wants far more than to be made whole” by seeking to cancel the extension and modification of loans while retaining the money initially advanced to Reyna Construction. Because Reyna has refused to repay the loans and has refused to surrender the collateral for the notes, he is not entitled to rescission. Boyter v. MCR Constr. Co., 678 S.W.2d 938, 941 (Tex.App.—Dallas 1984, writ refd. n.r.e.). A party seeking rescission must return the property received and the value of any benefit derived from its possession. Carrow v. Bayliner Marine Corp., 781 S.W.2d 691, 696 (Tex.App.—Austin 1989, no writ). Thus, it was not error for the trial court to award judgment on State National’s counterclaim and render judgment against Reyna. Points of error one and two are overruled. Because Reyna was not entitled to rescission of the notes, the trial court properly awarded judgment on State National’s counterclaim against him. Point of error three is overruled. Additionally, because the jury found that the misrepresentation made by State National and/or Jordan was negligent and specifically rejected his fraud claim, Reyna was not entitled to a trebling of damages. Point of error four is overruled.

As to Reyna’s argument in point of error five, we disagree with his assertion that the “trial court’s award ... was erroneous in that the Bank was awarded prejudgment interest ... while [Reyna] was denied all prejudgment interest....” Our reading of the Modified Judgment demonstrates that the trial court added prejudgment interest to the damages on Reyna’s claim against State National. Additionally, we agree with the bank’s contention that the trial court did not determine the principal owed by Reyna to the bank as a “matter of law.” The judgment incorporated the jury’s findings to questions 16 and 17 (Reyna’s damages for wrongful foreclosure and Reyna’s indebtedness to State National, respectively) and then calculated the prejudgment interest. Point of error five is overruled.

POINT OF ERROR SIX

Reyna next complains that the trial court erred in awarding State National $9,679.81 for ad valorem taxes because there was no pleading or jury finding to support the award.

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