Garza v. Exxon Corp.

• Decision Date: 23 July 1980
• Docket Number: No. 16332,16332
• Citation: 604 S.W.2d 385
• Parties: Lucia J. GARZA et vir., Appellants, v. EXXON CORPORATION, Appellee.
• Court: Texas Court of Appeals

Page 385

604 S.W.2d 385

Lucia J. GARZA et vir., Appellants, v. EXXON CORPORATION, Appellee.

No. 16332.

Court of Civil Appeals of Texas, San Antonio.

July 23, 1980.

Glenn H. Ramey, Rio Grande City, for appellants.

Thomas G. Trott, Houston, for appellee.

OPINION

KLINGEMAN, Justice.

This is an easement case. Exxon Corporation brought suit for temporary and permanent injunction to enjoin Lucia J. Garza and husband, Delfino Garza, from interfering with its enjoyment of a roadway easement which Exxon claims was granted to it by appellants in 1960. Trial on the permanent injunction was to the court and after hearing evidence the trial court entered judgment granting to Exxon the permanent injunction prayed for. This appeal is from the judgment granting that permanent injunction.

By ten points of error, appellants assert that the trial court erred in (a) entering judgment that appellee had a valid easement as the evidence is legally or factually insufficient to support such a holding; (b) entering judgment for appellee because the property description is insufficient as a matter of law and does not meet the requirements of the statute of frauds; (c) admitting into testimony certain objected to testimony and documentary evidence; (d) changing the property description in the judgment by adding certain additional descriptive words; (e) entering judgment granting an injunction because there was no competent evidence as to any injury or damages; and (f) admitting into evidence the testimony of a witness given at the hearing on the temporary injunction over objection by appellant. Appellee asserts that the judgment is correct because (a) the property description is sufficient; (b) there is sufficient evidence to support the trial court findings here objected to; and (c) it is entitled to the judgment rendered under the doctrine of estoppel in pais.

We first consider appellants' point of error that the trial court erred in admitting into evidence testimony of Allen Cecil who testified at the hearing on the temporary injunction but was not present in the court at the hearing on the permanent injunction. The attorney for appellee offered to read into evidence Cecil's testimony taken at the hearing on the temporary injunction. Appellants objected on the ground that it was hearsay, that there was no proper predicate and, particularly, that there was no proof of the unavailability of the witness. At such time appellee's attorney argued that the testimony was admissible because there had been an opportunity for cross-examination at the hearing for temporary injunction and further stated that the witness was not there and that he thought the witness had been transferred to Midland, Texas. Such comments by the attorney are the only purported evidence in the record regarding the unavailability of such witness. The court then, over appellants' objections, permitted the testimony to be read into the record by appellee's attorney. Under the record, the trial court erred in allowing the introduction into evidence of the testimony adduced at the hearing on the temporary injunction.

The correct rule is set forth in White v. Hall, 525 S.W.2d 860 (Tex.1975), as follows:

Former testimony is not admissible if a witness is available at the subsequent trial. The party offering the former testimony must therefore prove unavailability, which means in Texas 'that the witness is dead, or that he has become insane, or is physically unable to testify, or is beyond the jurisdiction of the court, or that his whereabouts is unknown and that diligent search has been made to ascertain where he is, or that he has been kept away from the trial by the adverse party.' (Citations omitted)

525 S.W.2d at 862. Other cases in point are White v. Natural Gas Pipeline Co. of America, 444 S.W.2d 298, 302 (Tex.1969); Houston Fire & Casualty Ins. Co. v. Brittain, 402 S.W.2d 509, 510 (Tex.1966); Hutcherson v. M & G Land Development Corp., 590 S.W.2d 520, 521 (Tex.Civ.App.-San Antonio 1979, no writ); Continental Oil Co. v. P. P. G. Industries...