Court Opinion

ID: 9644673
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-22 21:01:43.995617+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T18:05:23.953348
License: Public Domain

ON MOTION FOR REHEARING
OSBORN, Justice.
The Appellant, Volkswagen of America, Inc., urges in its motion for rehearing that we erred in affirming the trial Court’s judgment because there was no evidence of a manufacturing defect at the time the vehicle left the control of Appellant. It cites McKisson v. Sales Affiliates, Inc., 416 S.W.2d 787 (Tex.1967); Jack Roach-Bissonnet, Inc. v. Puskar, 417 S.W.2d 262 (Tex.1967); and Technical Chemical Company v. Jacobs, 480 S.W.2d 602 (Tex.1972). All of those cases were decided under the rule in Restatement (Second) of Torts, Sec. 402A (1965), and are not applicable in this case where Appellant gave a warranty “* * * for twelve months after the date of delivery * * *” to the customer, and liability is based upon the Texas Deceptive Trade Practices—Consumer Protection Act and not the Torts strict liability rule.
With regard to the testimony of Mr. Ray Sides, some of which was quoted in our original opinion, Appellant notes that Mr. Sides indicated there were three basic ways in which the fire could have started, and that this evidence was not rebutted. Testifying that something could have occurred is no evidence that it did occur. Johnston Testers v. Rangel, 435 S.W.2d 927 (Tex.Civ.App.—San Antonio 1968, writ ref’d n.r.e.). The witness’ testimony with regard to the carburetor defect was not that it could have occurred but that it did, in fact, occur and was the cause of the fire. He did not testify that any of the other three ways in which the fire could have occurred did, in fact, occur.
Appellant also suggests we erred in failing to consider certain points of error, which we concluded had not been properly assigned as error in the trial Court. He states in his motion for rehearing: “* * * if this Honorable Court felt that this Appellant’s statement of the point of error was confused or uncertain, then it could have required the matter to be re-briefed pursu*448ant to Rule 422 T.R.C.P.” From such argument, we conclude counsel has misconstrued our opinion. We did not refuse to consider any point or argument because the same was defective or not properly briefed. We did so only because the point had not been assigned as required by the Rules of Civil Procedure. No amount of rebriefing can cure a failure to properly assign error in the trial Court.
We have considered all of the Appellant’s points in the motion for rehearing, and the motion is overruled.
Bob Hoy Volkswagen of El Paso, Inc., urges in its motion for rehearing that it was entitled to indemnity against the importer who gave a written warranty. We conclude that Bob Hoy Volkswagen of El Paso, Inc., as a seller, under the Uniform Commercial Code, gave an implied warranty of fitness of the product sold, and Section 17.-50(a)(2), Tex.Bus. & Comm.Code, permits recovery for a failure to comply with both an express and an implied warranty. Thus, the Appellee, Licht, was entitled to recover under the statute against the importer for breach of its express warranty and against the seller for breach of its implied warranty. As noted in our original opinion, the legislature has not provided for indemnity between such wrongdoers and we may not add to the statute so as to provide for indemnity. The motion for rehearing of Bob Hoy Volkswagen of El Paso, Inc., is overruled.
PRESLAR, C. J., not sitting.