Opinion ID: 2459736
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 4

Heading: Barrett v. U.S. Brass

Text: In Barrett, several hundred homeowners sued nine companies, including U.S. Brass, alleging negligence, strict liability, and violations of the DTPA. The trial court put thirty-six homeowners to trial as a test group. The group settled with all defendants except U.S. Brass. The trial proceeded against U.S. Brass. The trial court directed a verdict against nine households because U.S. Brass' products were not used in their homes. These nine did not appeal. The jury found in favor of twenty-three households for negligence and DTPA violations, but found against four households. The trial court rendered judgment against the four latter households, who were also unsuccessful at the court of appeals. The twenty-three households that obtained favorable jury findings elected to recover under the DTPA. The trial court, however, granted U.S. Brass' motion to disregard the jury's answers under the DTPA and rendered judgment based solely on negligence. The court of appeals reversed the judgment in part, holding that all the homeowners were consumers under the DTPA, but that only seven of the twenty-three homeowners had produced sufficient evidence that U.S. Brass' misrepresentations were a producing cause of their injuries. 864 S.W.2d 606. The court also held that there was no evidence of producing cause with regard to the sixteen other households. Id.