Van Waters & Rogers, Inc. v. Quality Freezers, Inc.

873 S.W.2d 460, 1994 WL 96284
CourtCourt of Appeals of Texas
DecidedApril 14, 1994
Docket09-93-056 CV
StatusPublished
Cited by8 cases

This text of 873 S.W.2d 460 (Van Waters & Rogers, Inc. v. Quality Freezers, 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
Van Waters & Rogers, Inc. v. Quality Freezers, Inc., 873 S.W.2d 460, 1994 WL 96284 (Tex. Ct. App. 1994).

Opinion

OPINION

BROOKSHIRE, Justice.

The plaintiff below, appellee here, instituted this litigation seeking damages as well as attorney’s fees. The petition for relief was grounded on counts of negligence, breach of contract, and deceptive trade practices in connection with the sale and delivery of a chemical preservative purchased to apply to fresh shrimp. The fresh shrimp was to be sold in the market in Jefferson County. Among other allegations, Quality Freezers, Inc. (Quality) contended that the chemical preservative sold by Van Waters & Rogers, Inc. (Van Waters) was “an industrial strength” chemical which was not suitable for use upon food. As a result of this “industrial strength” preservative being the product received by Quality, Quality unknowingly applied the “industrial strength” chemical preservative to about 32,240 pounds of fresh shrimp. This preservative had been misrepresented to Quality by Van Waters. This large quantity of shrimp was subsequently condemned by the Texas Department of Health.

The trial was to a jury. Jury questions were deliberated upon by the factfinders and the jury found compensatory damages in the amount of $43,000 and a reasonable attorney’s fee amounting to 15 percent of that stated amount. Quality had pleaded for actual damages for the loss of 32,240 pounds of shrimp, prejudgment and postjudgment interest, damages pursuant to the Texas Deceptive Trade Practices Act and in addition thereto, attorney’s fees.

*462 After the verdict was returned, Van Waters filed a motion and urged the trial court to render judgment on the jury’s verdict. Quality filed a motion to disregard certain jury’s answers and sought rendition of judgment in the full amount of Quality’s claim.

The trial bench overruled Van Waters’ motion and rendered judgment in the amount of $111,629.45. This figure represented $88,-508.50 actual damages, $21,120.95 in prejudgment interest, and $2,000 pursuant to plaintiffs cause of action under the DTPA. Added thereto was an attorney’s fee in the amount of $44,651.48. Van Waters’ motion for new trial was overruled and this appeal ensued.

The evidence before the jury proved that the preservative sold by Van Waters was, in fact, an “industrial strength” preservative which was unsuited for use upon shrimp intended as food for human consumption. Quality applied the “industrial strength” chemical preservative to thousands of pounds of fresh shrimp which were subsequently condemned by the State of Texas Health Department. Quality processes and distributes shrimp and fish for food consumption by human beings. Quality had actually purchased sodium tripolyphosphate from Van Waters to use as a preservative following the peeling and de-veining of shrimp as it was processed for sale and ultimate human consumption. Quality showed, according to the record, that Van Waters represented that this sodium tripolyphosphate was of a proper quality for the use as a food grade preservative. Quality then demonstrated by ample, competent evidence that this chemical was not of the proper grade or the proper quality to be used in such a food process. The record demonstrates clearly that 32,240 pounds of shrimp were condemned — this is not controverted.

The appellant concedes in its brief that the evidence of actual damages, being measured as the fair market value of the condemned shrimp, was adduced through the testimony of Dixie Cappel, the owner and operator of Quality. Furthermore, the evidence introduced concerning the reasonable attorney’s fees recovery was provided by the lawyers for Quality. Van Waters introduced no evidence contradicting the testimony concerning fees. The evidence before the jury regarding the market value of the condemned shrimp was substantiated by documentary evidence produced from the Texas Department of Health. These documents were prepared by the professional staff of the State Health Department.

An exhibit setting out and clearly determining the market value of the shrimp at the time it was condemned came into evidence before the jury without objection. The State of Texas mandated the condemning of the shrimp. This exhibit was Plaintiffs Exhibit No. 5 which showed that the total pounds of shrimp that were condemned amounted to 36,240 pounds and that the exact value of the same was $88,508.50. Cogent and compelling (as well as important and set out in detail) is the fact that this exhibit lists the exact calculations per pound of the eleven different classifications of the shrimp with the appropriate price of each grouping. The exhibit bears a notation: “Non-food grade Sodium Tripoly-phosphate added to shrimp, buried @ Pt. Arthur Municipal Landfill.” This exhibit-document was signed by Eleanor Carnwright as the firm representative of Quality and Julie S. Lee as the authorized agent of the Texas Department of Health. This exhibit is No. 5 and is on an approved, official form of the Texas Department of Health, Division of Food and Drugs, Austin, Texas, 78756, and is entitled “Destruction Sheet for Condemned Foods & Drugs”.

Plaintiffs Exhibit No. 6 also originated from the Texas Department of Health and is entitled “Field Correspondence” signed by Julie S. Lee, State Food and Drug Inspector. Ms. Lee determined that the shrimp had become adulterated and that sodium tripoly-phosphate of an industrial grade had been used on the shrimp. This chemical preservative is available in a food grade; however, the “industrial grade” has been used on the condemned shrimp in question.

Plaintiffs Exhibit No. 1 was offered into evidence without objection. This exhibit described the material as “gran fight density 50 pound bags of sodium tripolyphosphate”. There was no distinction in writing or labeling on the bag as to whether it was food *463 grade or industrial grade sodium tripoly-phosphate. The clear and cogent evidence concerning damages for the condemned shrimp, under the record, was $88,508.50. This amount is not controverted. The record reflects:

Q. And the lady with the Department of Health named Julie Lee came by in December and apparently did some checking on the type of chemical that was being used with the people in Austin, and basically you more or less agreed— well, you did agreed [sic] to hold those boxes of shrimp until they determined whether this stuff was good or bad, right?
A. That’s correct.
Q. Whether it being industrial strength was acceptable or non-acceptable?
A. Right.
Q. And then in January of 1990, 36,000 and some odd pounds of shrimp were buried in the Port Arthur landfill, right?
A. That’s correct.
Q. Okay. And as a result of losing 36,240 pounds of shrimp, Quality Fish Company lost $88,508.50, right?
A. That’s right.
Q. Okay, Now, we have an exhibit, Exhibit No. 5, which details the number of boxes of shrimp that you had to throw away, right?
A. Yes, sir. Right.
Q. Okay, and by far, you had 635 — was it 35 cases?
A. Right.
Q.. And there’s how many pounds in a case?
A.

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Bluebook (online)
873 S.W.2d 460, 1994 WL 96284, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/van-waters-rogers-inc-v-quality-freezers-inc-texapp-1994.