Court Opinion

ID: 9683997
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-24 13:42:39.953234+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T18:17:51.761456
License: Public Domain

OSBORN, Justice
(concurring).
I concur. This being a case of first impression, there is little other than accepted general rules to apply. This has been done. While it can be claimed that iniquities may result in permitting a corporation to be the only general partner in a limited partnership, one who knows he is dealing with a limited partnership, and knows the general partner is a corporation, must necessarily be aware of the limited exposure of the entity with which he deals and that recovery of debts may well be limited by the assets of the corporate general partner with whom he deals. But the same thing must necessarily be said about dealing with an individual as the general partner. In this case, the Appellants knew that they were entering into a lease agreement with a limited partnership and that a corporation was the general partner. There is no claim of fraud, misrepresentation or mistake in this regard. The contention is that hindsight shows it to have been a “bad deal” for which Appellants now seek personal liability against those from whom they did not originally require personal exposure. There being no evidence that Ap-pellees induced or misled the Appellants into entering into the lease because of their individual, personal liability, all to Appellants’ detriment, no individual, personal liability exists. Kitchell Corporation v. Hermansen, 8 Ariz.App.2d 424, 446 P.2d 934 (1968). Having made their contract it is not for this Court to rewrite it and provide new and additional liabilities of parties who had originally limited their liability.
“As between parties standing on the same footing, courts do not inquire whether they contracted wisely or foolishly.” Hansen v. Yturria, 48 S.W. 795 (Tex.Civ.App.1898, no writ). “In the absence of fraud, accident, or mistake, it is conclusively presumed that the parties to the contract were familiar with and understood its terms.” Jones v. Winter, 215 S.W.2d 654 (Tex.Civ.App.—Amarillo 1948, writ ref’d n. r. e.). As Chief Justice Brown said in Dorroh-Kelly Mercantile Co. v. Orient Ins. Co., 104 Tex. 199, 135 S.W. 1165 (1911) :
“Parties make their own contracts, and it is not within the province of this court to vary their terms in order to protect them from the consequences of their own oversights and failures in nonobservance of obligations assumed.”
In concurring, I recognize as does Associate Justice Ward, and as is pointed out by Chief Justice Preslar, that some of the summary judgment affidavits contain conclusions. If proper attack is made, such evidence cannot support a summary judgment. But in the Hidalgo case upon which the dissenting opinion relies, Chief Justice Preslar, when writing in that case for this Court, noted that the appellant in that case did in fact attack “the affidavit of the witness Dempsey as not being made on personal knowledge, containing conclusions, * * *.” Hidalgo v. Surety Savings and Loan Association, 481 S.W.2d 208 (Tex.Civ.App.—El Paso), rev’d 487 S.W.2d 702 *428(Tex.1972). Such is not the case now before this Court. No attack is made on the sufficiency of the evidence nor the fact that the affidavits contain conclusions. As shown by Justice Ward’s opinion, it was Appellants’ motion which brought about the severance of the cause of action as to the personal liability of the limited partners, and both sides recognizing that no fact issue existed, each moved for summary judgment. Obviously, the parties want the issue decided on the merits in a case of first impression. Thus, no attack is made on the proof in the trial Court, but only on the legal basis of the results reached. Since Appellants do not question the sufficiency of the evidence, neither should this Court. Accordingly I concur.