Tacon Mechanical Contractors, Inc. v. Grant Sheet Metal, Inc.

889 S.W.2d 666, 1994 Tex. App. LEXIS 2997, 1994 WL 693488
CourtCourt of Appeals of Texas
DecidedDecember 8, 1994
DocketNo. B14-93-00470-CV
StatusPublished
Cited by28 cases

This text of 889 S.W.2d 666 (Tacon Mechanical Contractors, Inc. v. Grant Sheet Metal, Inc.) 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
Tacon Mechanical Contractors, Inc. v. Grant Sheet Metal, Inc., 889 S.W.2d 666, 1994 Tex. App. LEXIS 2997, 1994 WL 693488 (Tex. Ct. App. 1994).

Opinion

OPINION

SEARS, Justice.

Tacón Mechanical Contractors, Inc., appeals from a judgment awarding Grant Sheet Metal, Inc. actual damages of $130,368.50 and exemplary damages of $150,000.00. Ta-cón raises twenty-two points of error, primarily challenging the legal and factual sufficiency of the evidence supporting the jury findings of liability, damages, and attorney fees. Grant brings one cross-point claiming the appeal was taken for delay and without sufficient cause. We affirm the trial court’s judgment.

Tacón is a mechanical contractor that was responsible for installation of heating, ventilation, air conditioning (HVAC) and plumbing work on four construction projects. Grant was a subcontractor of Tacón, responsible for fabrication and installation of HVAC duct work. The parties encountered problems on the job. Tacón complained that Grant did not keep sufficient personnel, and Grant complained that Tacón caused interference on the job by running pipe through spaces designated for Grant’s prefabricated duct work. Grant also complained that Tacón wrongfully withheld payment for work performed.

[669]*669Tacón terminated Grant in April 1986, before completion of the projects. Grant then filed suit against Tacón and the sureties on the bonds on the various jobs. Tacón filed a cross-claim alleging breach of contract. The jury found that Tacón breached all four contracts, intentionally interfered with Grant’s work on three of the projects, wrongfully terminated Grant, and misapplied construction trust funds. The jury awarded Grant actual damages from Tacón and the sureties, and assessed exemplary damages against Ta-cón. The jury found no breach of contract by Grant.

Most of Tacon’s points of error are challenges to the legal and factual sufficiency of the evidence supporting the jury findings of liability and damages. Therefore, we first set out the standard of review applicable to such challenges.

When a party challenges the legal sufficiency of an adverse finding, it must demonstrate that there is no evidence supporting the finding. In reviewing “no evidence” points of error, an appellate court must consider only the evidence and inferences tending to support the finding and disregard all contrary evidence and inferences. Weirich v. Weirich, 833 S.W.2d 942, 945 (Tex.1992). If there is any evidence of probative force to support the finding, the point must be overruled. Southern States Transp., Inc. v. State, 774 S.W.2d 639, 640 (Tex.1989).

When a party claims the evidence is factually insufficient to support a finding, the appellate court must consider all of the evidence. Plas-Tex, Inc. v. U.S. Steel Corp., 772 S.W.2d 442, 445 (Tex.1989). Having done so, the court should set aside the verdict only if the evidence is so weak as to be clearly wrong and manifestly unjust. Cain v. Bain, 709 S.W.2d 175, 176 (Tex.1986).

In point of error one, Tacón challenges the factual and legal sufficiency of the evidence supporting the jury’s finding that Tacón breached all of its contracts with Grant. Tacón contends the evidence conclusively established that Tacón terminated the contracts after Grant had breached them. Furthermore, Tacón claims the jury issue on contract damages was erroneously submitted because Grant pled only “substantial performance.”

Our review of the record reveals that Ta-cón terminated Grant for the stated reasons that Grant did not maintain adequate materials or qualified personnel on the job. Gene Grant, owner of Grant Sheet Metal, and Ralph May, former employee, testified that Grant had an adequate number of sufficiently experienced personnel on all of the job sites. Leroy Leuder, formerly a general foreman for Grant, testified that he kept a daily log of the number of employees working and that he gave a copy of this to the general contractor. These logs were admitted into evidence. Leuder testified that he was unaware of any complaints about Grant’s personnel until just before Grant was terminated. Leuder further testified that Tacón was responsible for furnishing smoke dampers and they ordered the wrong size for the job.

Although Tacón presented evidence of defects in Grant’s performance, Grant’s evidence is sufficient to support the jury’s verdict. Certainly, the jury’s finding is not “so contrary to the overwhelming weight of the evidence as to be clearly wrong unjust.” Cain v. Bain, 709 S.W.2d 175, 176 (Tex.1986). Thus, we overrule point of error one.

In point of error two, Taeon challenges the sufficiency of the evidence supporting the awards of damages because these amounts were based on the full contract price and Grant did not perform the full amount of work. Because our analysis of this point of error relates to our analysis of point of error three, we turn first to that point.

In point of error three, Tacón claims the evidence is legally and factually insufficient to support the jury’s finding that Tacón wrongfully interfered with Grant’s performance. Tacon’s argument under this point of error consists of six sentences, broadly asserting there is no evidence, that Tacón rightfully terminated Grant, and that testimony by Robert Rimkus was based on unsubstantiated hearsay to which Tacón objected. Tacón does not provide any citations to the record for these assertions and does not present any argument for its alternative con[670]*670tention that the evidence is factually insufficient. Because Tacón has presented no argument or citations to authority or to the record regarding its factual insufficiency claim, we find that claim waived. See White v. Bath, 825 S.W.2d 227, 230 (Tex.App.— Houston [14th Dist.] 1992, writ denied), cert. denied, — U.S. -, 113 S.Ct. 1868, 123 L.Ed.2d 488 (1993). Although we find Ta-con’s argument regarding legal insufficiency deficient, primarily for lack of citations to the record, we will consider that contention.

Tacón cites Black Lake Pipe Line Co. v. Union Construction Co., 538 S.W.2d 80 (Tex.1976) in support of its contention that Ta-con’s termination of Grant was not interference that would entitle Grant to recover damages. Grant claimed, however, that Ta-cón interfered by failing to procure certain materials and by installing piping in the space designated for Grant’s duct work. There is evidence showing that Tacón installed pipe in spaces designated for Grant’s duct work, that Tacón failed to pay Grant in a timely manner, and that Tacón gave Grant payment by check that was returned by the bank for insufficient funds. There is also testimony by Paul Avenell of Tacón that Grant completed its work on the New Caney High School project. This evidence is sufficient to support the jury’s finding of wrongful interference. With a legal sufficiency challenge, an appellate court may not second guess a factfinder “unless only one inference could be drawn from the evidence.” State v. $11,014.00, 820 S.W.2d 783, 785 (Tex.1991). We overrule point of error three.

Next, we must determine whether Grant was entitled to recover full contract damages. A nonbreaching party is generally entitled to all its actual damages necessary to put it in the same economic position it would have been in had the contract not been breached. General Elec. Supply Co.

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889 S.W.2d 666, 1994 Tex. App. LEXIS 2997, 1994 WL 693488, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/tacon-mechanical-contractors-inc-v-grant-sheet-metal-inc-texapp-1994.