Court Opinion

ID: 9778002
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-29 20:29:52.734195+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T07:33:03.018260
License: Public Domain

NYE, Chief Justice,
concurring.
I concur in the result.
The majority summarily disposes of appellant’s twelfth and thirteenth points of error and injects “trial expenses” as not being recoverable as an element of damages. “Trial expense” is not in the trial court’s judgment. This latter rule set out in the majority’s opinion has no place therein. The plaintiffs, appellees, have expertly handled their damage phase of this lawsuit and it should be set forth in some detail to explain the affirmance of the trial court’s judgment.
The plaintiffs, appellees here, pled for and won special issue submission on accountant’s fees as an element of damages for the appellants’ breach of contract. Since the time of Hadley v. Baxendale, 9 Exch. 341 (1854), and even before, a plaintiff has been able to recover all of the damages that can reasonably be considered a consequence of the defendant’s breach of contract. In Texas, the general rule has been stated various ways. This Court said for instance: “An injured party should be given just compensation for damages or loss actually sustained.” North American Corp. v. Allen, 636 S.W.2d 797, 799 (Tex.App.-Corpus Christi 1982, no writ); Copenhaver v. Berryman, 602 S.W.2d 540, 543 (Tex.Civ.App.—Corpus Christi 1980, writ ref’d n.r.e.). The damages to be awarded for breach of contract are measured by the amount necessary to place plaintiffs in the financial position they would have been had the contract been fully performed. Little Darling Corp. v. Ald, Inc., 566 S.W.2d 347, 349 (Tex.Civ.App.—Dallas 1978, no writ).
It is elementary law and the Supreme Court and other appellate courts have said many times that the measure of damages for a breach of contract is just compensation for the loss or damage actually sustained. See Stewart v. Basey, 245 S.W.2d 484, 486 (Tex.1952); Board of Regents v. S & G Construction Co., 529 S.W.2d 90, 98 (Tex.Civ.App.—Austin 1975, writ ref’d n.r. e.).
*719In the instant case, appellees alleged in their First Amended Original Petition that they incurred accountant’s fees as a result of the failure of Cactus Utility Company’s accountant to determine the net value “as soon as possible,” as was provided and required in the contract between them. Appellees sought and secured special issues on this point. The jury, based on competent evidence, found in their favor. Appellees have urged in this appeal that the award of accountant’s fees were a proper award of damages, not a tax of costs, citing Ybarra v. Saldana, 624 S.W.2d 948 (Tex.App.—San Antonio 1981, no writ).
The Appellees proved that they were damaged by the failure of appellants to perform the accounting which appellants were required to do by their contract. Because of appellants’ failure to perform, ap-pellees had to go to the expense of hiring an accountant to determine Cactus Utility’s net value. That expense was part of the damages appellees sustained for appellants’ breach. The award of that amount is “just compensation,” and is necessary to place appellees in the financial position they would have been in had the contract been fully performed and not breached.
I agree, appellants’ points of error twelve and thirteen should be overruled. The judgment of the trial court should be affirmed.