Court Opinion

ID: 9769196
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-29 14:37:49.114532+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T07:30:57.563535
License: Public Domain

OPINION ON MOTION FOR REHEARING
KEYS, Justice.
Appellant complains in his motion for rehearing that this court erred in awarding attorneys’ fees to appellee. There were two claims for attorneys’ fees before the trial court, one for each suit brought by appellee.
The first claim for attorneys’ fees was part of the judgment in the suit by appellee against Steve Couchman, the judgment debtor. As part of the judgment, the trial court awarded $1,000.00 in attorneys’ fees, in addition to $2,000.00 in damages. It was this judgment that appellant failed to execute, and thereby became liable to appellee. In the instant case the trial court did not render judgment for appellee for that portion of the prior judgment which provided for attorneys’ fees in the first case, holding that Tex.Civ.Prae. & Rem.Code Ann. § 34.065 (Vernon 1988) did not encompass recovery for such fees. Appellee raised that error by cross point and this court reversed that ruling.
The second claim is based on appellee’s attorneys’ fees for the instant suit against appellant, which were alleged to be over $2,000.00. The trial court did not admit evidence of such fees because appellee failed to disclose her attorney as a witness. On appeal this claim has not been raised.
Appellant’s points of error arguing that this court erred in granting attorneys’ fees in the instant case is based on the faulty premise that the fees granted were from the instant case, and not the underlying judgment. Appellants motion for rehearing is overruled.