Robinson v. Garcia

5 S.W.3d 348, 1999 Tex. App. LEXIS 7956, 1999 WL 962686
CourtCourt of Appeals of Texas
DecidedOctober 21, 1999
DocketNo. 13-98-094-CV
StatusPublished
Cited by15 cases

This text of 5 S.W.3d 348 (Robinson v. Garcia) 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
Robinson v. Garcia, 5 S.W.3d 348, 1999 Tex. App. LEXIS 7956, 1999 WL 962686 (Tex. Ct. App. 1999).

Opinion

OPINION

Opinion by

Justice DORSEY.

This is an appeal of a summary judgment. By three issues, Edward Robinson, appellant, claims that the trial court erred in granting summary judgment in favor of the appellee, Ramon Garcia. The question is whether the settlement and resulting judgment in one lawsuit between the parties serves to bar the prosecution of another action through the doctrine of res judi-cata. We hold that because both actions arose from the same transaction, the judicial disposition of one bars the other. We affirm.

In 1988, Robinson and his wife, represented by Ramon Garcia, sued two corporate entities (hereinafter the “TCB litigation”). The jury returned a $59 million verdict in favor of Robinson as to one corporate defendant, but the trial court granted a directed verdict for the other. Robinson then settled the case for approximately $10 million. Garcia advised Robin[350]*350son to allocate 95% of the proceeds to nontaxable tort claims in the settlement agreement.

Later in 1988, Robinson filed what he now terms a “fee bumping” lawsuit against Garcia, alleging that Garcia unlawfully increased his contingent fee from 33% to 50% in the TCB litigation in breach of their contractual fee agreement. In 1989, the trial court granted summary judgment for Garcia on this claim. Robinson appealed and this court reversed. Robinson v. Garcia, 804 S.W.2d 238, 248 (Tex.App.—Corpus Christi 1991, writ denied). The cause was pending through 1991.

In 1991, Robinson was informed by the IRS that his allocation of settlement was disallowed. This decision made Robinson liable for substantial back taxes, penalties and interest. In April 1991, Robinson filed a second lawsuit (“the tax suit”) against Garcia, alleging that Garcia was negligent in advising him incorrectly regarding the tax consequences of the settlement. At the time this suit was filed, the fee lawsuit was on appeal. In July 1991, Garcia filed a plea in abatement in the tax lawsuit, seeking to abate the proceedings until Robinson had exhausted his administrative remedies with the IRS and until the appeal in the fee suit had been completed. In that motion, Garcia explained that abatement was proper so that after the fee appeal was resolved, the two cases could be consolidated, since both suits arose from the same transaction. Robinson received formal notice of his tax deficiency on July 25, 1991, thus indicating exhaustion of his administrative remedies.

In late 1991 or early 1992, the Texas Supreme Court denied Garcia’s application for writ of error in the fee suit, and it was remanded for trial. On December 28, 1995, the 206th District Court entered a second summary judgment in that action, and Robinson again appealed. Robinson soon filed for Chapter 11 Bankruptcy protection, and this court abated the appeal. On October 28, 1996, Robinson signed a release and settlement agreement in the fee suit, which was approved by the bankruptcy court, thereby disposing of all claims in that action. This court subsequently dismissed Robinson’s appeal and issued a mandate on April 11,1997.

The tax suit remained pending. On April 28, 1997, Garcia filed a motion for summary judgment in the tax suit, relying on the affirmative defense of res judicata. The trial court granted the motion and Robinson brings the present appeal from that judgment.

By his first issue, Robinson contends that res judicata does not bar this suit, because his claims in the tax suit do not arise out of the same transaction as the fee suit. We disagree.

When considering the appeal of a summary judgment, this court must determine whether the proof establishes, as a matter of law, that no genuine issue of material fact exists. Rodriguez v. Naylor Indus., Inc., 763 S.W.2d 411, 413 (Tex.1989). The movant for summary judgment bears the burden of demonstrating that no genuine issue of material fact persists and that the movant is entitled to judgment as a matter of law. Nixon v. Mr. Property Management Co., 690 S.W.2d 546, 548-49 (Tex.1985). We construe all evidence favorable to the nonmovant as true. Id. Every reasonable inference is indulged in favor of the nonmovant and any doubts are resolved in the nonmovant’s favor. Id.

Here, Garcia moved for summary judgment on the basis of res judicata. Because res judicata is an affirmative defense, Garcia was required to conclusively establish all elements of that defense as a matter of law. Tex.R.Civ.P. 94; City of Houston v. Clear Creek Basin Auth., 589 S.W.2d 671, 679 (Tex.1979).

The broad doctrine of res judicata encompasses two distinct principles: (1) res judicata, or claim preclusion; and (2) collateral estoppel, or issue preclusion. Barr v. Resolution Trust Corp., 837 S.W.2d 627, 628 (Tex.1992). Because the issue in the case is Robinson’s ability to [351]*351bring an entire claim against Garcia, we are concerned here only with the claim preclusion component of the doctrine.1 Res judicata precludes a second action by the parties on causes of action or claims that arise out of the same subject matter and could have been litigated in the first suit. Getty Oil v. Insurance Co. of N. Am., 845 S.W.2d 794, 798 (Tex.1992); Barr, 887 S.W.2d at 680. Texas applies the “transactional approach” to res judicata. Barr, 837 S.W.2d at 630. The transactional approach “precludes a second action by the parties and their privies not only on matters actually litigated but also on causes of action or defenses which arise out of the same subject matter and which might have been litigated in the first suit.” Jonalstem, Ltd. v. Corpus Christi Nat’l Bank, N.A., 923 S.W.2d 701, 704 (Tex.App.—Corpus Christi 1996, writ denied); see also Getty Oil, 845 S.W.2d at 798.

To determine if the subject matter of two suits is the same, we examine the factual basis of the claim or claims in the prior litigation, regardless of the form of that action. Barr, 837 S.W.2d at 630. Specifically, this court must consider and weigh the extent to which the facts of the cases are related in time, space, origin, or motivation; whether the cases form a convenient trial unit; and whether their treatment as a trial unit conforms to the parties’ expectations or business usage. Id. at 631 (citing Restatement (Second) of Judgments § 24(2)).

Examining the facts of the instant case, each of Robinson’s claims arose from the Garcia’s representation of him in the TCB lawsuit. In the fee case, Robinson claimed that Garcia charged him too much by improperly raising the fee at the conclusion of the case. In the tax case Robinson claims that Garcia gave him bad advice at the conclusion of the case on the taxable consequences of characterizing the recovery. Both relate to the representation by Garcia in the same lawsuit, and allege improper conduct in concluding the lawsuit.

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5 S.W.3d 348, 1999 Tex. App. LEXIS 7956, 1999 WL 962686, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/robinson-v-garcia-texapp-1999.