FORT WORTH OFFICE | 201 MAIN STREET, SUITE 2500 | FORT WORTH, TX 76102 | TELEPHONE: (817) 332-2500 | FAX: (817) 878-9280 

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MIDLAND OFFICE | 508 W. WALL, SUITE 444 | MIDLAND, TX 79701 | TELEPHONE: (432) 683-4691 | FAX: (432) 683-6518

NEW ORLEANS OFFICE | 400 POYDRAS STREET, SUITE 1812 | NEW ORLEANS, LA 70130 | TELEPHONE: (504) 522-1812 | FAX: (504) 522-1813 

Kelly Hart & Hallman, a Limited Liability Partnership | www.kellyhart.com 

DAVID KELTNER

david.keltner@kellyhart.com 

TELEPHONE: (817)878-3560 

FAX: (817)878-9760 

May 4, 2015 

Via Electronic Filing 

Mr. Christopher A. Prine 

Clerk, First Court of Appeals 

301 Fannin Street 

Houston, Texas 77002-2066 

Re: No. 01-13-00782-CV; Bandier Realty Partners, LLC and Switchback 

Ventures, LLC v. SSC Opportunity Partners, LLC and Douglas Britton 

Dear Mr. Prine: 

This case is set for May 5, 2015. Please circulate this response to 

Appellant’s letter brief of April 2, 2015. 

Because National Property Holdings, L.P. v. Westergren, 453 S.W.3d 419 

(Tex. 2015) (per curiam) was decided on significantly different facts, the Bandier 

Defendants’ suggestion that it forecloses fraudulent inducement is wrong. 

There, the plaintiff had ample opportunity to read the release. But here, the 

Bandier Defendants deliberately delayed sending the release until SSC had only 

minutes to review or risk defaulting on its multimillion dollar real estate deal. 

More importantly, the Bandier Defendants were SSC’s fiduciaries. The 

Westergren defendants were not. This is a legally important distinction. 

The Westergren court quoted and cited with approval the earlier decision of 

Thigpen v. Locke, 363 S.W.2d 247, 251 (Tex. 1962). In that case, the Supreme 

Court held that a party has the obligation to read the contracts it executes unless

the defendants owed a fiduciary duty to the plaintiff. Id. at 252. 

As a result, the Westergren opinion does not foreclose justifiable reliance 

when the fiduciaries were involved in an undisclosed scheme against the plaintiff. 

Thank you for your courtesy and assistance. 

ACCEPTED

01-13-00782-CV

FIRST COURT OF APPEALS

HOUSTON, TEXAS

5/4/2015 11:49:21 AM

CHRISTOPHER PRINE

CLERK

 FILED IN 1st COURT OF APPEALS HOUSTON, TEXAS 5/4/2015 11:49:21 AM CHRISTOPHER A. PRINE Clerk
Page 2 

May 4, 2015 

Kelly Hart & Hallman, a Limited Liability Partnership | www.kellyhart.com 

Sincerely yours, 

/s/ David Keltner 

David E. Keltner 

DEK/nlb 

CERTIFICATE OF COMPLIANCE 

1. This letter brief complies with the type-volume limitations of Texas Rule of 

Appellate Procedure 9.4(i)(2)(D) because it contains 190 words, excluding 

the parts of the letter brief exempted by Texas Rule of Appellate Procedure 

9.4(i)(1). 

2. This letter brief complies with the typeface requirements of Texas Rule of 

Procedure 9.4(e) because this letter brief has been prepared in a 

proportionally spaced typeface using “Microsoft Word 2010” in fourteen 

(14) point “Times New Roman” style font. 

 

/s/ David Keltner 

 David E. Keltner 
Page 3 

May 4, 2015 

Kelly Hart & Hallman, a Limited Liability Partnership | www.kellyhart.com 

CERTIFICATE OF SERVICE

I hereby certify that a true and correct copy of the above and foregoing has 

been served on the following counsel of record via electronic filing on the 4th day 

of May, 2015: 

 Brian B. Kilpatrick 

brianbkil@gmail.com

 THE KILPATRICK LAW FIRM 

 1811 Bering Drive, Suite 125 

 Houston, Texas 77057 

Counsel for Appellees 

W. Craft Hughes 

craft@crafthugheslaw.com 

Jarrett L. Ellzey 

jarrett@crafthugheslaw.com 

HUGHES ELLZEY, LLP 

Galleria Tower I 

2700 Post Oak Blvd., Suite 1120 

Houston, Texas 77056 

Counsel for Appellees

 David M. Gunn 

 dgunn@beckredden.com 

 Erin H. Huber 

 dgunn@beckredden.com 

 BECK REDDEN LLP 

 1221 McKinney, Suite 4500 

 Houston, Texas 77010 

Counsel for Appellants 

 Bandier Realty Partners, LLC 

 and Switchback Ventures, LLC 

Kenneth T. Fibich 

tfibich@fhl-law.com 

Sara J. Fendia 

sfendia@fhl-law.com 

FIBICH, HAMPTON, LEEBRON, 

BRIGGS & JOSEPHSON, LLP 

1150 Bissonnet 

Houston, Texas 77005 

Counsel for Appellees 

 Sean Michael Reagan 

 sreagan@lpmfirm.com 

 LEYH, PAYNE & MALLIA, PLLC 

 9545 Katy Freeway, Suite 200 

 Houston, Texas 77024 

Counsel for Appellees 

/s/ David Keltner 

 David E. Keltner