Sun Power, Inc. v. Adams

751 S.W.2d 689, 1988 Tex. App. LEXIS 1827, 1988 WL 64024
CourtCourt of Appeals of Texas
DecidedMay 25, 1988
Docket2-86-268-CV
StatusPublished
Cited by9 cases

This text of 751 S.W.2d 689 (Sun Power, Inc. v. Adams) 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
Sun Power, Inc. v. Adams, 751 S.W.2d 689, 1988 Tex. App. LEXIS 1827, 1988 WL 64024 (Tex. Ct. App. 1988).

Opinions

OPINION

LATTIMORE, Justice.

This is an appeal from an action brought under the Deceptive Trade Practices-Consumer Protection Act (“DTPA”), arising out of a dispute pertaining to the sale of a cash register. The trial court, subsequent to the jury’s answers to special issues, rendered judgment notwithstanding the verdict. Appellant appeals the take-nothing judgment rendered by the court.

Appellant raises four points of error, alleging the trial court erred in failing to render judgment in accordance with jury findings; and in rendering judgment for appellee who failed to affirmatively plead accord and satisfaction.

We reverse the judgment of the trial court and render.

By its first and second points of error, appellant contends that the trial court erred in failing to enter judgment for Sun Power, Inc. (“Sun Power”) in accordance with the findings of the jury, in violation of TEX.R.CIV.P. 301. Specifically, appellant argues that the trial court should have accepted the jury findings to special issues numbers 5a, 5b, 5c, and 10, as follows:

SPECIAL ISSUE NO. 5
(a) Do you find from a preponderance of the evidence that the action and course of action of JOHN ADAMS in connection with the sales and service of cash registers by ADAMS OFFICE MACHINES to SUN POWER, INC. has been unconss-cionable? [sic]
You are instructed in answering this issue that an action or course of action is “UNCONSCIONABLE” if it is to a person’s detriment and
(a) takes advantage of the lack of knowledge, ability, experience, or capacity of a person to a grossly unfair degree; or
(b) results in a gross disparity between the value received and consideration paid, in a transaction involving transfer of consideration.
[691]*691Answer by stating “We do” or “We do not”.
WE, THE JURY, ANSWER: WE DO
If you have answered Subdivision (a) “We do” and only in that event, then you shall answer the following Subdivision—
(b) Do you find from a preponderance of the evidence that any such unconscionable conduct of JOHN ADAMS caused and produced any damages or adverse effects to SUN POWER, INC.?
Answer “Yes” or “No.”
WE, THE JURY, ANSWER: YES
If you have answered Subdivision (b) “Yes” and only in that event, then answer the following Subdivision—
(c) What sum of money, if paid now in cash, would reasonably and fairly compensate SUN POWER, INC. for any such damages and adverse effects?
Answer by stating any sum you may so find in dollars and cents; otherwise, answer “None”.
WE, THE JURY, ANSWER: $700
SPECIAL ISSUE NO. 10
If in one or more of Special Issues Nos. 1, 3, 4, and 5 of this Charge you have found that JOHN ADAMS, D/B/A ADAMS OFFICE MACHINES, acted (or failed to act) “KNOWINGLY,” as that term has been defined to you and that his conduct in so doing caused in fact and produced any damages or adverse effects to SUN POWER, INC., then you shall answer the following question:
if any,
What sum of money, if any, if paid now in cash, do you find from a preponderance of the evidence would, in your opinion, be sufficient and adequate as exemplary damages to punish the said JOHN ADAMS, D/B/A ADAMS OFFICE MACHINES, for making any false material representation, failing to make a disclosure of fact, or in fulfilling any express or implied warranty to SUN POWER, INC. which you have found in fact caused and produced any damages or adverse effects to Sun Power, Inc.?
By the term “EXEMPLARY DAMAGES,” as used in this Special Issue is meant a sum of money awarded not to compensate an injured person for his actual loss or damage but to punish the wrongdoer for his conduct and to deter him and others from similar behavior.
You may answer this question in your discretion by stating a sum of money in dollars and cents or by stating “None”.
WE, THE JURY, ANSWER: $2,239.17

Special issue number 5 pertains to section 17.50(a)(3) of the DTPA under which a consumer may maintain a cause of action where any unconscionable action or course of action constitutes a producing cause of actual damages. See TEX.BUS. & GOM. CODE ANN. sec. 17.50(a)(3) (Vernon 1987). The Texas Supreme Court has clarified the three types of damages allowed in section 17.50(b)(1) under the 1979 amendment to the statute: the trier of fact may award actual damages; if actual damages are found, it is mandatory that the court award additional statutory damages by trebling that portion of the actual damages that does not exceed $1,000 in all DTPA cases; finally, the trier of fact, in its discretion, may award not more than three times the amount of actual damages in excess of $1,000 in cases in which the deceptive act or practice is found to have been committed knowingly, or alternatively, not award them at all. See Jim Walter Homes, Inc. v. Valencia, 690 S.W.2d 239, 241 (Tex.1985); see also Martin v. McKee Realtors, Inc., 663 S.W.2d 446, 447 (Tex.1984).

The jury awarded actual damages in special issue number 5, where they found the acts of appellee were unconscionable and the producing cause of appellant’s damages, and assessed damages at $700. The jury further awarded exemplary damages of $2,239.17 in special issue number 10, allegedly premised upon a finding that ap-pellee’s wrongful conduct found in special issue number 5 was committed knowingly. Appellant requested the trial court enter a judgment on the jury findings in favor of [692]*692Sun Power, allowing appellant to recover from appellee actual damages as found by the jury, prejudgment interest at the rate of 10%, and additional statutory damages as provided for within the DTPA. The trial court instead disregarded the jury’s findings, and granted appellee’s motion for a judgment non obstante veredicto. Appellant argues that the trial court improperly disregarded the jury’s findings in granting this judgment. We agree.

In order for an appellate court to sustain a trial court in granting a motion for judgment non obstante veredicto, it must be determined that there is no evidence upon which the jury could have made the finding relied upon. Exxon Corp. v. Quinn, 726 S.W.2d 17, 19 (Tex.1987); Navarette v. Temple Independent Sch. Dist., 706 S.W.2d 308, 309 (Tex.1986). In making this determination of whether there is more than a scintilla of evidence upon which the jury could have made the finding, we must review the evidence in the light most favorable to the finding, considering only the evidence and inferences which support the finding and rejecting the evidence and inferences contrary to the finding. See Williams v. Bennett, 610 S.W.2d 144

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Sun Power, Inc. v. Adams
751 S.W.2d 689 (Court of Appeals of Texas, 1988)

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Bluebook (online)
751 S.W.2d 689, 1988 Tex. App. LEXIS 1827, 1988 WL 64024, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/sun-power-inc-v-adams-texapp-1988.