Court Opinion

ID: 9680089
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-24 07:19:24.944729+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T18:17:25.364259
License: Public Domain

On Motion for Rehearing
Appellee complains on motion for rehearing that we did not consider its cross-point that the award of $1,600.00 to appellant for attorney’s fees for prosecuting this suit was excessive in view of the amount in controversy.- Article 3.62 of the Insurance Code, Tex.Rev.Civ.Stat.Ann., authorizes the recovery of “reasonable attorney fees for the prosecution and collection” of such claim. This statute requires that the fee be reasonable under the particular circumstances of the case under consideration, and ordinarily the fee must bear some reasonable proportion to the amount involved. Capitol Life Insurance Company v. Rutherford, 468 S.W.2d 535 (Tex.Civ.App. — Houston [1st Dist.] 1971, no writ).
The award for attorney’s fees is fully supported by the testimony of Oliver Heard, Jr., Esq. Mr. Heard examined appellant’s file, with particular regard to the *651amount of time spent on this case, and testified that a reasonable attorney’s fee would be the sum of $2,550.00. Appellee did not cross-examine Mr. Heard or introduce any evidence to the contrary.
We cannot say that the amount of said fee is so out of proportion to the amount in controversy as to be excessive. Appellee’s cross-point sixteen is without merit and is overruled.
Appellee’s motion for rehearing is overruled.