Opinion ID: 2377950
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: the dtpa

Text: Trinity also argues that the court of appeals erred in remanding for a trial on whether Trinity violated the DTPA's prohibition of unconscionable conduct. See TEX. BUS. & COM.CODE § 17.50(a)(3). Again, we agree. Bleeker claims that Trinity's failure to inform either Bleeker or his attorney of Villegas's letter and oral settlement offers was unconscionable conduct under the DTPA. See id. Bleeker cannot recover on such a claim unless he proves that Trinity's actions were a producing cause of Bleeker's damages. Id. § 17.50(a); Doe v. Boys Clubs of Greater Dallas, Inc., 907 S.W.2d 472, 481 (Tex.1995). A producing cause is an act that is a substantial factor that brings about injury and without which the injury would not have occurred. See, e.g., Boys Clubs, 907 S.W.2d at 481. Trinity claims that its failure to inform Bleeker and Bleeker's attorney of Villegas's letter and oral offers was not a producing cause of damage to Bleeker because Bleeker produced no evidence that either he or his attorney would have been inclined to meet Villegas's demand. We agree with the court of appeals' conclusion: There is no evidence that Bleeker would have wanted to accept the settlement offer if he had been informed of it, and therefore no causal connection between appellants' failure to inform him of the settlement offer and the excess judgment entered against Bleeker. We sustain appellants' point of error pertaining to the legal insufficiency of the evidence to support appellee's claim under the DTPA for failure to inform the insured of settlement offers. 944 S.W.2d at 680. In the foregoing quotation, the court of appeals was analyzing Bleeker's failure to inform claim under the DTPA, not his unconscionability claim. Yet both claims depend on only one allegation: that Trinity failed to inform Bleeker and his attorney of Villegas's letter. Consequently, both claims fail due to lack of evidence. Because there is no evidence of producing cause, we need not consider Trinity's assertion that Bleeker cannot state a DTPA claim based on Trinity's handling of a third-party settlement demand.