Opinion ID: 1514858
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: failure to plead offset

Text: Brown contends the Court of Civil Appeals erred in considering insurance benefits because American Transfer failed to plead any contract or agreement that would entitle it to an offset or credit against Brown's damages by reason of such offset. It is provided in Rule 94 [1] that in pleading to a preceding pleading a party shall set forth affirmatively matters constituting an affirmative defense. American Transfer's pleadings merely recite the existence of insurance and the payment of insurance proceeds to Brown. It does not plead any contract whereby Brown agrees the INA payment would be available to American Transfer or that the payments should be offset. American Transfer has not briefed this point. It states in its brief that a copy of the Household Goods Bill of Lading and Freight Bill, issued by Columbia Export Packers, Inc., was attached to the pleading and the attachment contains the contractual language applicable to the insurance payment. However, only a copy of the front side of the bill of lading was attached and the language on which it relies is on the back side. There are no pleadings of offset. The right of offset is an affirmative defense. The burden of pleading offset and of proving facts necessary to support it are on the party making the assertion. Southwestern Bell Telephone Co. v. Gravitt, 551 S.W.2d 421 (Tex.Civ.App.  San Antonio 1977, writ ref'd n. r. e.). The point is waived.