San Juan Pools, Inc. v. Krohn

594 S.W.2d 492, 1979 Tex. App. LEXIS 4414
CourtCourt of Appeals of Texas
DecidedNovember 28, 1979
Docket16197
StatusPublished
Cited by6 cases

This text of 594 S.W.2d 492 (San Juan Pools, Inc. v. Krohn) 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
San Juan Pools, Inc. v. Krohn, 594 S.W.2d 492, 1979 Tex. App. LEXIS 4414 (Tex. Ct. App. 1979).

Opinion

OPINION

KLINGEMAN, Justice.

This is a case involving alleged violations of the Consumer Credit Code. Appellant San Juan Pools, Inc., appeals from a portion of an order granting partial summary judgment for appellees, Roderick Krohn and wife, Barbara Krohn, and denying summary judgment for appellant.

On February 19,1978, the Krohns entered into a written agreement with San Juan Pools to buy a fiberglass swimming pool plus equipment, to be installed in the backyard of their residence in San Antonio, for $8,975. San Juan agreed to finance the transaction, since in the ordinary course of its business it had regularly extended credit to other purchasers of San Juan pools. The Krohns executed a standard Bar form “Builder’s & Mechanic’s Lien (with Power of Sale) Note,” payable in 86 monthly installments of $100 per month, plus an 87th payment of $37.11. Because the Krohns had already paid San Juan $3,000 at the time the note was signed, the instrument recited that the amount of the note was $5,975, and that the interest rate charged was 10.86%. The Krohns also executed a standard Bar form “Builder’s & Mechanic’s Lien Contract” in which they granted San Juan a security interest in their homestead.

Thereafter, the Krohns made three $100 monthly payments pursuant to the note. On June 21, 1978, they filed an original petition seeking statutory penalties and rescission of the transaction for violations of the Truth in Lending Act, §§ 102-130, 15 U.S.C. §§ 1601-1640 (1974), Regulation Z, 12 C.F.R. §§ 226.1-240 (1979), and statutory penalties for violation of the Texas usury law. Tex.Rev.Civ.Stat.Ann. art. 5069-1.06 (Vernon 1971). On July 21, 1978, San Juan admitted each and every factual allegation contained in the Krohns’ Original Petition. San Juan filed a counterclaim in which it sought equitable relief against the Krohns. All of San Juan’s bases of recovery were denied, and San Juan does not appeal therefrom.

On September 8,1978, a hearing was held on the Krohns’ Amended Motion for Partial Summary Judgment, at which time San Juan re-urged its own Motion for Summary Judgment. At that time the trial court, in substance, found:

(a) San Juan had violated the Federal Consumer Protection Act and assessed a statutory penalty of $1,000 against San Juan to be paid to the Krohns' [THIS PORTION OF THE COURT’S ORDER IS NOT APPEALED FROM];
(b) The transaction between the parties was an interest transaction (governed by Article 5069 — Chapter 1), rather than a consumer credit — retail installment sale transaction as alleged by San Juan in its Motion for Summary Judgment (governed by Article 5069 — Chapter 6) [THE *494 DETERMINATION BY THE COURT AS TO WHICH TEXAS STATUTE IS APPLICABLE TO THE TRANSACTION IS THE ONLY PORTION OF THE COURT’S ORDER BEING APPEALED BY SAN JUAN],

The court held that the total amount of statutory awards in the sum of $6,342.22 be off-set against the $8,975, the stipulated reasonable value of the swimming pool, and judgment entered for appellant in the sum of $3,650.78. A separate hearing was held on the matter of attorney’s fees and appellant was ordered to pay certain attorney’s fees to appellee less the sum of $750 to be paid by appellee.

The Krohns, by way of cross-point, appeal only from that portion of the trial court judgment which ordered them to pay a portion of their attorney’s fees. The reasonableness of such fees is not before the court.

By two points of error appellant asserts that the trial court erred (1) in granting appellees that portion of the partial summary judgment relating to claims under Tex.Rev.Civ.Stat.Ann. art. 5069-1.02 (Vernon 1971), because the transaction between the parties was a consumer credit — retail installment sale transaction and not a money-interest transaction; (2) in denying appellant’s motion for summary judgment because the transaction was a consumer credit-retail installment sale under Article 5069.

Both parties agree that the single disposi-tive issue on this appeal is whether the transaction was a Chapter 1 (interest transaction) or a Chapter 6 (retail installment sale transaction).

Chapter 1 of Article 5069 covers interest transactions. Article 5069-1.02 provides that, “[ejxcept as otherwise fixed by law, the maximum rate of interest shall be ten percent per annum” and that “[a] greater rate of interest than ten percent per annum . . . shall be deemed usurious.” Article 5069-1.06 provides that, “[a]ny person who contracts for, charges or receives interest which is greater than the amount authorized by this Subtitle, shall forfeit to the obligor twice the amount of interest contracted for, charged or received, and reasonable attorney fees fixed by the court . . . .”

Chapter 6 covers retail installment sale transactions. Both parties agree that the transaction involves the sale of goods and services. The determinative factor is whether it is an interest transaction or a time-price differential transaction.

The only documents evidencing this transaction are (a) a contract between the parties dated February 19, 1978; (b) the Builder’s & Mechanic’s Lien Note dated March 7, 1978; and (c) the Builder’s & Mechanic’s Lien Contract dated March 7, 1978. These constitute the summary judgment evidence.

Article 5069-6.01(e) defines a “retail installment transaction” as “any transaction in which a retail buyer purchases goods or services from a retail seller pursuant to a retail installment contract . . ., which provides for a time price differential, . under which the buyer agrees to pay the unpaid balance in one or more installments, together with a time price differential.” Article 5069-6.02 lists various requirements and disclosures which must be contained in a retail installment contract including (a) the cash sales price of the goods or services; (b) the amount of the down payment; (c) the difference between the above items; (d) provisions applicable to insurance coverage and official fees; (e) the principal balance; (f) the amount of the time-price differential; and (g) the amount of the balance owed by the buyer, which is the sum of the last two items above.

The contract which appellant asserts constitutes a retail installment contract does not disclose many of the credit terms required under Article 5069-6.01 and 5069-6.-02 above. The only price shown in the contract is the contract price. The instrument does not contain a number of required provisions, including a “cash sale price,” “credit price,” “time sales price,” “time balance,” “principal balance,” “time-price differential,” “finance charge,” and “annual percentage rate.”

*495 The note and mechanic’s and material-man’s lien contract are standard Bar forms. Neither set forth any of the above-listed requirements or disclosures. The note provides for interest at the rate of 10.86% per annum.

Both parties rely on Anguiano v. Jim Walter Homes, Inc., 561 S.W.2d 249 (Tex.Civ.App.—San Antonio 1978, writ ref’d n. r. e.).

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Bluebook (online)
594 S.W.2d 492, 1979 Tex. App. LEXIS 4414, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/san-juan-pools-inc-v-krohn-texapp-1979.