Court Opinion

ID: 9772869
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-29 17:31:51.020405+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T07:31:48.961378
License: Public Domain

KILGARLIN, Justice,
concurring.
I concur in the court’s judgment reversing the court of appeals. However, I would additionally hold that proof of reasonableness and necessity is not required under the DTPA. Tex.Bus. & Com. Code §§ 17.41-17.63 (Vernon 1987). The statute itself imposes no such requirement, nor should we engraft one where the legislature has refused to do so.
In concluding that Jacobs was required to offer evidence that his expenses were reasonable and necessary, the court of appeals relied on Great American Home-builders, Inc. v. Gerhart, 708 S.W.2d 8,12 (Tex.App.—Houston [1st Dist.] 1986, writ ref’d n.r.e.), and Oakes v. Guerra, 603 S.W.2d 371, 373 (Tex.Civ.App.—Amarillo 1980, no writ). The decisions in Gerhart and Guerra support the ruling of the court of appeals. However, both Gerhart and Guerra rely erroneously on Royal Globe Insurance Co. v. Bar Consultants, Inc., 577 S.W.2d 688, 694 (Tex.1979), for the broad principle that a DTPA plaintiff must always offer evidence that the expenses for which he seeks recovery were “reasonable and necessary.” This court’s opinion in Royal Globe makes no such holding.
Royal Globe involved misrepresentations as to insurance coverage. Because of a misrepresentation, the insured, Bar Consultants, believed it had coverage when in fact it did not. Had there been coverage as represented, Bar Consultants would not have been “adversely affected” or “injured” because, but for the misrepresentation, it could have recovered under the insurance policy for its vandalism loss. As the opinion very logically states: “Bar Consultants’ damage was the reasonable and necessary cost of repairs made necessary by the vandalism.” 577 S.W.2d at 694. This makes sense because the amount of recovery under the insurance policy would ordinarily be limited to repair costs that were reasonable and necessary. To reiterate, the direct damage suffered by Bar Consultants was the amount of money which, but for the misrepresentation, would have been payable under the insurance policy. The Royal Globe case makes no general holding as to damages recoverable in all DTPA cases and it is distinguishable from the present case which does not involve insurance.
Royal Globe was decided under a prior version of the DTPA in which the operative words were “adversely affected.” The present statute simply requires that the defendant’s conduct “constitute a producing cause of actual damages.” DTPA § 17.50(a)(1). Compare section 17.50(d) (permitting recovery of “court costs and reasonable and necessary attorneys’ fees”) (emphasis supplied). The legislature obviously knows how to require proof of reasonableness and necessity, yet it has declined to do so with respect to actual damages recoverable by consumers. This is at least consistent with the legislature’s mandate that the DTPA be liberally construed and applied to promote its underlying purposes, which include protecting consumers against misleading and deceptive business practices and providing efficient and economical procedures to secure such protection. DTPA § 17.44.
Peculiarly disturbing is the fact that in this case Danny Darby secured reversal of a jury verdict and trial court judgment based on a no evidence complaint never preserved in the trial court as required by Tex.R.App.P. 52(a) and Aero Energy, Inc. v. Circle C Drilling Co., 699 S.W.2d 821 (Tex.1985). In fairness to the court of appeals, Jacobs never pointed out Danny Darby’s procedural waiver as grounds for over*177ruling its no evidence point concerning reasonableness and necessity. Had Jacobs moved for rehearing on the waiver point and then brought it to our court, we could have reversed the judgment of the court of appeals without hearing oral argument. Tex.R.App.P. 133(b).
RAY, J., joins in this concurring opinion.