Court Opinion

ID: 9470843
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-05 03:17:23.570455+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T17:42:07.779185
License: Public Domain

ALVIN B. RUBIN,
Circuit Judge, specially concurring:
I concur in the court’s judgment because we are bound by the decision in Clark v. DeLaval Separator Corp., 639 F.2d 1320 (5th Cir.1981). Although I was a member of the panel that decided Clark, I write separately to state that, on further reflection, the result in that case seems unjust: a plaintiff’s cause of action may have accrued and been extinguished before the plaintiff is injured.
A number of Texas cases hold that, when a written contract is involved, the period of limitations commences to run when the buyer discovers or should have discovered the injury. See Tim Walter Homes, Inc. v. Castillo, 616 S.W.2d 630, 633 (Tex.Civ.App. 1981) (quoting Richman v. Watel, 565 S.W.2d 101, 102 (Tex.Civ.App.1978)). This rule has repeatedly been followed in cases involving defects in homes which did not become apparent for some time after the sale from contractor to original purchaser. E.g., Gibson v. John D. Campbell & Co., 624 S.W.2d 728 (Tex.Civ.App.1981); Vaughn Building Corp. v. Austin Co., 620 S.W.2d 678 (Tex.Civ.App.1981) (“The rule is well established in Texas that a cause of action for breach of implied warranty does not arise until the buyer discovers or should have discovered the injury”) (three citations omitted); Conann Constructors, Inc. v. Muller, 618 S.W.2d 564 (Tex.Civ.App.1981).
Garcia, as the court notes, did not make clear when the cause of action accrues. In Cleveland v. Square-D Co., 613 S.W.2d 790, 791 (Tex.Civ.App.1981), the court permitted a suit in a personal injury case much like this one: “Suit was filed more than two but less than four years after the injury.” (emphasis added).
Until the Texas courts definitely resolve this question, we are bound to follow Clark.1 I, therefore, respectfully concur in the judgment.
PUTNAM, District Judge, concurs in these views.

. See Chemetron Corp. v. Business Funds, Inc., 682 F.2d 1149, 1172 (5th Cir.1982), vacated on other grounds, — U.S. — , 103 S.Ct. 1245, 75 L.Ed.2d 476 (1983); Lee v. Frozen Food Express, 592 F.2d 271, 272 (5th Cir.1979) (per curiam)..