Van Sickle v. Clark

510 S.W.2d 664, 1974 Tex. App. LEXIS 2416
CourtCourt of Appeals of Texas
DecidedJune 7, 1974
Docket17512
StatusPublished
Cited by8 cases

This text of 510 S.W.2d 664 (Van Sickle v. Clark) 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
Van Sickle v. Clark, 510 S.W.2d 664, 1974 Tex. App. LEXIS 2416 (Tex. Ct. App. 1974).

Opinion

OPINION

LANGDON, Justice.

This appeal is by writ of error from a judgment by default against the defendant, Archie Van Sickle, appellant, in favor of the plaintiff, R. B. Clark, appellee, in the sum of $225,000.00 with interest at six per cent from date of judgment, and costs.

*666 Under the record in this cause no findings of fact or conclusions of law were requested and none were made or filed by the trial court. The only findings of the court were recitations contained in its judgment.

The only pleading contained in the record is plaintiff’s original petition in which he, as the sole plaintiff, sues Thurman James Van Sickle and Archie Van Sickle for breach of a lease agreement, copy of which was attached to the petition. Plaintiff alleges that he paid three hundred dollars per each month in advance for the months of July and August, 1972, and that on or about August 26, 1972, the defendants, without cause or his consent entered upon the premises and locked him out and thereafter refused his request to redeliver possession of the premises to him.

In paragraph III of the petition the plaintiff alleges that from the 23rd day of June, 1972, to the time of his eviction he expended large sums of money in preparing the premises for his occupancy, and advertising his business at the leased premises, and in establishing a grocery and supermarket business at said location.

In paragraph IV plaintiff alleges that by reason of the loss of the established trade in business and the loss of prospective profits he has been damaged in the sum of $100,000.00 and that by reason of the loss of the benefit of the leasehold interest he has been damaged $100,000.00 and that by reason of money paid for improvements to the leased premises he has been damaged in the sum of $300.00 for a total sum of $200,300.00.

Plaintiff alleges in paragraph V that certain acts and conduct on the part of defendants in evicting him amounted to fraud and because thereof he is entitled to $50,000.00 as exemplary damages.

In his prayer the plaintiff prays for judgment in the sum of $250,300.00.

The lease agreement, copies of which were attached to the petition and introduced into evidence, recited that it was entered into on June 23, 1972, between Archie Van Sickle, lessor, and R. B. Clark and H. M. Massey, lessees.

The leased property was described, to-wit: “Lying and being situated in the County of Tarrant, State of Texas, and being a tract of land out of the S. W. corner of intersection of Farm Market Road 1187 and Farm Market Road 1088 in Tarrant County, Texas, 150 feet fronting on Farm Market Road 1088 x 285 feet fronting on Farm Market Road 1187 and including the building located thereon and all fixtures and appurtenances therein and thereto.”

Such property was demised for the term of twelve months beginning on July 10, 1972, and terminating on July 9, 1973, and was to be used as a grocery store and service station. The consideration was $3,600.-00 annually payable in monthly installments of three hundred dollars each in advance. First installment was due and payable at time the lease was executed and on or before August 10, 1972, and the 10th day of each month thereafter.

The lease agreement contained an option to renew for the additional period of 12 months upon thirty days’ notice orally or in writing of intent to exercise the option. There was further option to lease the premises for a period of ten years. This option could be exercised during the primary term or the option term of the lease.

The only witness to testify in the case was the plaintiff, R. B. Clark. In summary he testified that on June 23, 1972, he entered into a lease contract with Archie Van Sickle and that he took possession of the leased premises and was in possession for about two months.

Clark’s attorney asked him, “Q. You stated in your original petition and the lease recites that Mr. H. M. Massey was a partner in that enterprise with you. Did Mr. Massey follow through? A. No, sir, he didn’t.” Under further testimony it was developed that Massey did not sign the *667 lease, that he did not do anything in furtherance of the lease and that Massey had completely dropped out.

The plaintiff Clark then testified that on August 26, 1972, Archie Van Sickle put a padlock on the door of the leased premises. That at such time he was not in default in, his rent and had not violated any of the terms of the lease agreement.

Clark further stated that he believed he opened the store for business about the 4th of July, 1970, and “. . . business was immediately pretty good, and by the third week we were breaking even, and by the time that we were locked out we were making approximately four hundred dollars a week profit.” Gross profit was $1,500.00 to $2,000.00 per week. He described his business as very good, very profitable. Clark testified that he believed in a years’ time he would have been making at least $40,000.00 per year net profit.

When he went into possession he spent about a month of pretty hard labor cleaning up, wiring, plumbing, painting; that much time and about three hundred dollars in actual cash for material.

His opinion as to why Archie Van Sickle locked him out was that the latter soon saw the potential of making good money there and, “ . . .1 believe in his own mind he would like to have it for himself or some of his folks, after he saw the potential was there.”

Plaintiff testified he was asking the court for $100,000.00 for loss of his expected profits and considered such figure to be fair and reasonable and very minimum. This figure of $100,000.00 for loss of profits is the only $100,000.00 which was testified to by Clark. He estimated a net profit of $400.00 per week in support of the total of $100,000.00 in loss profits. There was no other testimony relative to damages other than the $300.00 expended for materials in making the store ready for business. There was no testimony as to any data or facts to support the $100,000.00. There was no testimony to support the additional $125,000.00 contained in the court’s judgment.

Clark testified that the copy of the lease introduced into evidence was a true and correct copy of the original lease which he and Mr. Archie Van Sickle signed. He previously testified that Massey named as one of the lessees had not signed. The copy of the lease introduced into evidence was not signed by either Massey and Clark as lessees or by Van Sickle as lessor.

The judgment of the court recited that, “ . . . Plaintiff, ought to recover his damages by occasions of the premises against the Defendant, Archie Van Sickle, who is in default and it appearing to the Court and the Court finds that the evidence and testimony admitted supports a judgment for the Plaintiff, R. B. Clark, against the Defendant, Archie Van Sickle, for actual and exemplary damages in the total amount in the sum of $225,000.00; and the Court finds that plaintiff sustained damages in said sum as a result of the occurrence in question.

“IT IS THEREFORE, ORDERED, ADJUDGED AND DECREED by the Court that the Plaintiff, R. B.

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Bluebook (online)
510 S.W.2d 664, 1974 Tex. App. LEXIS 2416, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/van-sickle-v-clark-texapp-1974.