Roger Tarrant, Denise Tarrant, Justin Tarrant and the D.A. Tarrant Irrevocable Trust v. Daniel Scarbrough

Court of Appeals of Texas·Decided July 31, 2017·No. 12-17-00125-CV·Published

Opinion

ACCEPTED

12-17-00125-CV

TWELFTH COURT OF APPEALS

TYLER, TEXAS 7/31/2017 3:13 PM

Pam Estes

CLERK

No. 12-17-00125-CV

_____________ FILED IN 12th COURT OF APPEALS

TYLER, TEXAS

7/31/2017 3:13:07 PM

In the Twelfth Court of Appeals PAM ESTES Tyler, Texas Clerk

Roger Tarrant, et al,

Appellants

v.

Daniel Scarbrough,

Appellee.

Appellants’ Brief

Gregory D. Smith Jim Echols Bar No. 18600600 Bar No. 06391500 SMITH LEGAL PLLC SAUNDERS, SCHMIDT 110 N. College Ave., Suite 1120 & ECHOLS, P. C. Tyler, TX 75702 202 W. Erwin Street, Suite 200 Telephone: (903) 630-7165 Tyler, TX 75702 Facsimile: (903) 609-3077 Telephone: (903) 595-3791 greg@smithlegaltx.com Facsimile: (903) 595-3796 j.m.echols@att.net

Attorneys for Appellants

Identity of Parties

Appellants: Roger Tarrant Denise Tarrant Justin Tarrant D. A. Tarrant Irrevocable Trust

Counsel for Appellants: Gregory D. Smith Bar No. 18600600 SMITH LEGAL PLLC 110 N. College Ave., Suite 1120 Tyler, TX 75702 Telephone: (903) 630-7165 Facsimile: (903) 609-3077 greg@smithlegaltx.com

Jim Echols Bar No. 06391500 SAUNDERS, SCHMIDT & ECHOLS, P.C. 202 W. Erwin Street, Suite 200 Tyler, TX 75702 Telephone: (903) 595-3791 Facsimile: (903) 595-3796 j.m.echols@att.net

Appellee-Plaintiff: Daniel Scarbrough

Counsel for Appellee: Jeffrey L. Coe Bar No. 24001902 1000 N. Church St. P. O. Box 1157 Palestine, TX 75082-1157 (903) 723-0331 (888) 651-6851 (fax) jeff@coelawfirm.com

Contents

Table of Authorities ii Statement of the Case 1 Statement of Facts 2 Issues 5 Summary of Argument 6 Argument:

I. Because Scarbrough failed to prove his case, the post-answer default judgment should be reversed and the cause remanded for a new trial. 7

A. Scarbrough needed to present legally- and factually-sufficient evidence proving the elements of a fraudulent transfer. 8

B. Scarbrough failed to prove the fraudulent-transfer elements, but instead testified to legal “positions” and speculative “beliefs.” 9

II. Because the Tarrants lacked notice of the actual trial, due process 13 requires a new trial.

III. Because the record omits to prove adequate notice of even the initial setting, the Tarrants have been deprived of their ability to show harm. 17 Conclusion and Prayer 19 Certificate of Service 21 Certificate of Compliance 21 Appendices:

A. Judgment B. Notice of Setting

i

Authorities

In re $475,001.16, 96 S.W.3d 625 (Tex. App.—Houston [1st Dist.]

2002, no pet.) 15 Armstrong v. Manzo, 380 U.S. 545 (1965) 17 Bennett v. McDaniel, 295 S.W.3d 644 (Tex. 2009) 13 City of Keller v. Wilson, 168 S.W.2d 802 (Tex. 2005) 8 City of San Antonio v. Pollock, 284 S.W.3d 809 (Tex. 2009) 13 Continental Coffee Prods. Co. v. Cazarez, 937 S.W.2d 444 (Tex. 1996) 13 Cox v. Cox, 298 S.W.3d 726 (Tex. App.—Austin 2009, no pet.) 19 Davis v. Berger, 2000 Tex. App. LEXIS 448 (Tex. App.—Dallas 2000, no pet.) 7 Dolgencorp of Tex., Inc. v. Lerma, 288 S.W.3d 922 (Tex. 2009) 16 Ed Rachal Found. v. D’Unger, 117 S.W.3d 348 (Tex. App.—Corpus Christi 2003) 13 Green v. McAdams, 857 S.W.2d 816 (Tex. App.—Houston [1st Dist.] 1993, no writ) 14 LBL Oil Co. v. Int’l Power Servs., Inc., 777 S.W.2d 390 (Tex. 1989) 13 Lopez v. Lopez, 757 S.W.2d 721 (Tex. 1988) 15 Maldonado v. Puente, 694 S.W.2d 86 (Tex. App.—San Antonio 1985, no writ) 7 Maritime Overseas Corp. v. Ellis, 971 S.W.2d 402 (Tex. 1998) 8 Mathis v. Lockwood, 166 S.W.3d 743 (Tex. 2005) (per curiam) 18 Naan Props., LLC v. Affordable Power, LP, 2012 Tex. App. LEXIS 271 (Tex. App.—Houston [1st Dist.] 2012, no pet) 19

Paradigm Oil, Inc. v. Retamco Operating, Inc., 372 S.W.3d 177 (Tex. 2012) 7 Peralta v. Heights Medical Center, Inc., 485 U.S. 80 (1988) 15 Roberson v. Robinson, 768 S.W.2d 280 (Tex. 1989) 7

ii

Sammons v. Elder, 940 S.W.2d 276 (Tex. App.—Waco 1997, writ denied) 7 Tilton v. Marshall, 925 S.W.2d 672 (Tex. 1996) 8 Williams v. Houston Plants & Garden World, Inc., 508 B. R. 11 (S. D. Tex. 2014) 10 Wilson v. Indus. Leasing Corp., 689 S.W.2d 496 (Tex. App.—Houston [1st Dist.] 1985, no writ) 18 Worthen v. Glatzer, 1999 Tex. App. LEXIS 1913 (Tex. App.—Dallas 1999, no writ) 14 TEX. BUS. & COM. CODE ANN. § 24.005 10 TEX. BUS. & COM. CODE ANN. § 24.005(a)(1) 9 TEX. LAWYER’S CREED - A MANDATE FOR PROFESSIONALISM, III (11) 16 TEX. R. CIV. P. 245 14 Calvert, “No Evidence” and “Insufficient Evidence” Points of Error, 38 TEX. L. REV. 361 (1960) 12

iii

To the Honorable Court of Appeals:

The judgment below cannot stand because, first, it is not supported by factually

sufficient proof and, second, the defendants did not have adequate and reasonable

notice of the trial session, in violation of due process.

Statement of the Case

Nature of the Case Suit to set aside a real-property conveyance. Plaintiff Scarbrough alleged it was a fraudulent transfer as defined in the Texas Uniform Fraudulent Transfer Act.

Trial Court Honorable Mark Calhoon, 3rd Judicial District Court Course of Proceedings Bench trial. A hearing was set for 11 a.m. on January 6. The defendants, who had previously answered, CR 39, did not appear. RR 4. Nor did plaintiff’s counsel. Id. The court thus reset the case for a “prove up” trial, later that day, at which plaintiff’s counsel appeared by telephone. Id. After a trial spanning all of ten reported pages (including testimony on remedies and attorney’s fees), RR 4- 13, the trial court entered a “default judgment” finding a fraudulent transfer and setting aside the challenged conveyance. App. A. While the judgment recites that the defendants were “provided due notice,” App. A, the trial transcript shows only that the court took judicial notice of its file, which reflected no attempt at notifying defense counsel of the prove-up hearing or offer to let him attend that hearing by telephone. Upon learning of the judgment, the defendants (collectively, the Tarrants) filed a motion for new trial broadly asserting lack of notice and requesting a hearing. CR 65-66. The motion was overruled by operation of law, without a hearing.

Statement of Facts

General Background. Daniel Scarbrough is an attorney practicing in Anderson

County. Roger and Denise Tarrant, who live in Anderson County, hired Mr. Scarbrough

to defend one of their sons against a felony criminal case. Scarbrough was paid a

substantial sum of money. He won an acquittal. Afterwards, Scarbrough and Mr. and

Mrs. Tarrant disputed whether Scarbrough was owed additional monies for his legal

work.

Scarbrough sued to collect the disputed fees. As that collection suit was

approaching trial, Roger and Denise, needing funds for their defense, entered a

transaction wherein their adult son, Justin (not the son whom Scarbrough had defended

against the criminal charges) would borrow funds from an existing spendthrift family

trust established by Denise’s parents and would buy Roger’s real property. The sales

consideration, as recited in the warranty deed, included not only the cash proceeds of

this loan but Justin’s assumption of two existing loans against the property and his

agreement to indemnify Roger against any claims made on the assumed loans. CR 43-

44. The sale closed after the verdict was entered in Scarbrough’s collection suit.

(Scarbrough recovered about $115,000 in that suit, including the debt and attorney’s

fees. RR Ex. A.) Scarbrough then sued Roger, Denise, Justin and the family trust (the

D. A. Tarrant Irrevocable Trust), to set aside the conveyance.

The Evidence at Trial. The evidence, fairly stated, was that Roger Tarrant

owned an undivided interest in the tracts of land described in Trial Exhibit B, a warranty

deed. RR 7. On November 21, 2014, he deeded that land to Justin, who signed a deed

of trust in favor of the D. A. Tarrant Irrevocable Trust. RR 8. The deed of trust indicates

that Justin borrowed $52,325 from the trust. RR 8.

At this point in the trial—page 8 of the transcript—the probative evidence stops

and surmise take over. The remaining material testimony was as follows:

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Roger Tarrant, Denise Tarrant, Justin Tarrant and the D.A. Tarrant Irrevocable Trust v. Daniel Scarbrough, (Tex. Ct. App. 2017).

Roger Tarrant, Denise Tarrant, Justin Tarrant and the D.A. Tarrant Irrevocable Trust v. Daniel Scarbrough (Roger Tarrant, Denise Tarrant, Justin Tarrant and the D.A. Tarrant Irrevocable Trust v. Daniel Scarbrough) — published by Counsel Stack Legal Research, free access to 12M+ legal documents.

Related

Armstrong v. Manzo
380 U.S. 545 (Supreme Court, 1965)
Peralta v. Heights Medical Center, Inc.
485 U.S. 80 (Supreme Court, 1988)
City of San Antonio v. Pollock
284 S.W.3d 809 (Texas Supreme Court, 2009)
Dolgencorp of Texas, Inc. v. Lerma
288 S.W.3d 922 (Texas Supreme Court, 2009)
Bennett v. McDaniel
295 S.W.3d 644 (Texas Supreme Court, 2009)
Mathis v. Lockwood
166 S.W.3d 743 (Texas Supreme Court, 2005)
Ed Rachal Foundation v. D'UNGER
117 S.W.3d 348 (Court of Appeals of Texas, 2003)
Lopez v. Lopez
757 S.W.2d 721 (Texas Supreme Court, 1988)
Maritime Overseas Corp. v. Ellis
971 S.W.2d 402 (Texas Supreme Court, 1998)
Maldonado v. Puente
694 S.W.2d 86 (Court of Appeals of Texas, 1985)
Wilson v. Industrial Leasing Corp.
689 S.W.2d 496 (Court of Appeals of Texas, 1985)
Ex Parte Wheeler
203 S.W.3d 317 (Court of Criminal Appeals of Texas, 2006)
Green v. McAdams
857 S.W.2d 816 (Court of Appeals of Texas, 1993)
Continental Coffee Products Co. v. Cazarez
937 S.W.2d 444 (Texas Supreme Court, 1997)
LBL Oil Co. v. International Power Services, Inc.
777 S.W.2d 390 (Texas Supreme Court, 1989)
Cox v. Cox
298 S.W.3d 726 (Court of Appeals of Texas, 2009)
Tilton v. Marshall
925 S.W.2d 672 (Texas Supreme Court, 1996)
Sammons v. Elder
940 S.W.2d 276 (Court of Appeals of Texas, 1997)
Roberson v. Robinson
768 S.W.2d 280 (Texas Supreme Court, 1989)
In the Matter of $475,001.16
96 S.W.3d 625 (Court of Appeals of Texas, 2002)