Sharp v. Brock

626 S.W.2d 166
CourtCourt of Appeals of Texas
DecidedDecember 17, 1981
DocketNo. 18514
StatusPublished
Cited by6 cases

This text of 626 S.W.2d 166 (Sharp v. Brock) 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
Sharp v. Brock, 626 S.W.2d 166 (Tex. Ct. App. 1981).

Opinion

OPINION

SPURLOCK, Justice.

This is an appeal from a take nothing judgment rendered against Coffee in his suit for a deficiency judgment on a promissory note made by the Brocks, and a cross-appeal from a take nothing judgment against the Brocks in their suit to cancel a trustee’s sale of the property given as security for the payment of the note and a partial release of lien.

[167]*167We reverse and render as to Coffee and affirm as to the Brocks.

The litigation began by the Brocks’ suit to enjoin foreclosure of a deed of trust lien. The court denied the Brocks’ temporary injunction and Coffee filed his counterclaim for judgment on the note. Coffee then foreclosed the deed of trust lien by trustee’s sale, and the Brocks amended their pleadings to seek cancellation of the trustee’s deed. After a non-jury trial on the merits, the court denied all recovery to both parties. From this judgment, both parties perfected their appeals.

Coffee appeals asserting one point of error contending that the trial court erred in denying him recovery on his counterclaim for a deficiency owing under the note.

The Brocks appeal asserting eight cross-points challenging the court’s failure to order Coffee to specifically perform his agreement to release from his deed of trust and vendor’s lien 1.739 acres and the court’s failure to set aside the foreclosure sale and the trustee’s deed.

This cause of action arose from a series of events beginning in 1976 with the sale of the real property that is the subject matter of this suit. In June of 1976, J. E. Brock and wife, hereinafter referred to as “the Brocks,” and Roy C. Coffee, hereinafter referred to as “Coffee,” entered into an agreement for the sale of four undeveloped tracts of land, known as Tracts A, B, C and D. The agreement was consumated on July 30,1976, by Coffee executing two warranty deeds. One warranty deed conveyed Tracts A and B, and the other warranty deed conveyed Tracts C and D. In return for these conveyances, the Brocks agreed to pay Coffee $4,000.00 per acre conveyed. Upon the execution of the deed, the Brocks paid $10,000.00 cash to Coffee and executed a note in the principal sum of $29,062.00, for the balance of the purchase price. The note was payable in four annual installments of $5,805.44, plus accrued interest, with the balance of the note being payable on the fifth anniversary date of its execution. The note was secured by a deed of trust against all four tracts of land which consisted of approximately ten acres. Both the note and deed of trust provided that upon payment of the first installment, the Brocks were entitled to have a release of three acres from any tracts.

Prior to this conveyance by Coffee, Coffee had encountered problems with the title to said tracts, and shortly after Coffee’s conveyance and prior to the due date of the first installment on the note, a trespass to try title suit was filed naming the Brocks, Coffee and others as defendants and putting into issue title to Tract C conveyed by Coffee to the Brocks, being 1.261 acres of land; together with other adjacent land.

On April 7, 1978, the trespass to try title suit was settled. As part of that settlement plaintiffs in the suit received title to Tract C, a total of 1.261 acres, from the Brocks with a release of the deed of trust lien to Tract C and other adjacent land from Coffee. In return the plaintiffs paid Coffee and the Brocks, jointly, $10,088.00.

At the time of settlement, the first installment payment on Coffee’s note was overdue, and Coffee had advised the Brocks that he had accelerated the note and was going to foreclose on same. Coffee and the Brocks came to an agreement; the note was reinstated; and the proceeds from the settlement of the trespass to try title suit were applied to the first installment payment with the $2,000.00 excess applied toward the second installment payment.

When the remainder of the 1978 installment came due, the Brocks once again defaulted. Coffee accepted payment of the amount in default in October of 1979. Shortly afterward he died and his son, Roy C. Coffee, Jr., was appointed executor of Coffee’s estate. For simplicity, the executor acting for the estate of Coffee will also be referred to as “Coffee.”

The third installment payment on the note which was due in July, 1979, was not paid timely. By letter dated October 17, 1979, Coffee notified the Brocks that they were delinquent in their payment on the note and demanded payment of the overdue installment and put the Brocks on notice [168]*168that if payment was not received by October 31, 1979, that he would be forced to foreclose. The Brocks made no attempt to make payment so Coffee posted the property for foreclosure sale in December 1979.

As a result of negotiations between the parties, the foreclosure sale was not held in December. The Brocks, by and through their attorney, advised Coffee that they would pay the note in full by January 1, 1980, if the trustee’s sale was not held. In January, 1980, the Brocks did not pay the matured balance as previously promised, but instead, attempted to pay the past due installment for July, 1979, which payment was conditioned upon the entering into a modification agreement of the note and deed of trust. Coffee refused such payment and the proposed modifications, and posted the property for foreclosure in February, 1980. Brock brought suit to enjoin the foreclosure. The trial court issued a temporary restraining order enjoining Coffee from conducting a trustee’s sale on February 5, 1980.

When the Brocks did not appear at the hearing on their temporary injunction, the temporary restraining order expired and temporary injunction was denied. Coffee reposted the property and conducted a trustee’s sale on May 6, 1980. Brock appeared at the sale and bid the principal balance due, excluding the accrued interest, delinquent taxes, attorney’s fees and trustee’s commission owing under the note. Christopher G. Sharp, acting on behalf of the estate, made the highest bid which was $20,-000.00. Sharp testified at trial that after crediting the note with $20,000.00 bid at the sale, a deficiency of $3,552.00 plus nine percent (9%) interest per annum thereon from the date of the sale was still owed by the Brocks.

The trial court denied all relief to both parties. No findings of fact and conclusions of law were requested or filed.

In the absence of findings of fact and conclusions of law, we must presume that the trial court made the findings necessary to support its order, if there is sufficient evidence to support such findings. In seeking to determine whether there is any evidence to support the judgment and the implied findings of fact incident thereto, we must consider only the evidence most favorable to the issue and to disregard entirely that which is opposed to it or contradictory in its nature. Renfro Drug Co. v. Lewis, 149 Tex. 507, 235 S.W.2d 609, 613 (1950).

Coffee appeals the court’s judgment that he take nothing by his counterclaim for the deficiency owing under the note, contending that he established his right to deficiency judgment as a matter of law.

The issue before us is whether Coffee is entitled to the $3,552.00 balance owing under the note after the $20,000.00 proceeds from the trustee’s sale were credited to the amount due thereon.

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Bluebook (online)
626 S.W.2d 166, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/sharp-v-brock-texapp-1981.