Bandier Realty Partners, LLC and Switchback Ventures, LLC v. SSC Opportunity Partners, LLC ( 2015 )

ACCEPTED
01-13-00782-CV
FIRST COURT OF APPEALS
HOUSTON, TEXAS
5/4/2015 11:49:21 AM
CHRISTOPHER PRINE
CLERK
DAVID KELTNER TELEPHONE: (817)878-3560
david.keltner@kellyhart.com FAX: (817)878-9760
FILED IN
1st COURT OF APPEALS
HOUSTON, TEXAS
May 4, 2015
5/4/2015 11:49:21 AM
CHRISTOPHER A. PRINE
Clerk
Via Electronic Filing
Mr. Christopher A. Prine
Clerk, First Court of Appeals
301 Fannin Street
Houston, Texas 77002-2066
Re: No. 01-13-00782-CV; Bandier Realty Partners, LLC and Switchback
Ventures, LLC v. SSC Opportunity Partners, LLC and Douglas Britton
Dear Mr. Prine:
This case is set for May 5, 2015. Please circulate this response to
Appellant’s letter brief of April 2, 2015.
Because National Property Holdings, L.P. v. Westergren, 453 S.W.3d 419
(Tex. 2015) (per curiam) was decided on significantly different facts, the Bandier
Defendants’ suggestion that it forecloses fraudulent inducement is wrong.
There, the plaintiff had ample opportunity to read the release. But here, the
Bandier Defendants deliberately delayed sending the release until SSC had only
minutes to review or risk defaulting on its multimillion dollar real estate deal.
More importantly, the Bandier Defendants were SSC’s fiduciaries. The
Westergren defendants were not. This is a legally important distinction.
The Westergren court quoted and cited with approval the earlier decision of
Thigpen v. Locke, 363 S.W.2d 247, 251 (Tex. 1962). In that case, the Supreme
Court held that a party has the obligation to read the contracts it executes unless
the defendants owed a fiduciary duty to the plaintiff. Id. at 252.
As a result, the Westergren opinion does not foreclose justifiable reliance
when the fiduciaries were involved in an undisclosed scheme against the plaintiff.
Thank you for your courtesy and assistance.
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Page 2
May 4, 2015
Sincerely yours,
/s/ David Keltner
David E. Keltner
DEK/nlb
CERTIFICATE OF COMPLIANCE
1. This letter brief complies with the type-volume limitations of Texas Rule of
Appellate Procedure 9.4(i)(2)(D) because it contains 190 words, excluding
the parts of the letter brief exempted by Texas Rule of Appellate Procedure
9.4(i)(1).
2. This letter brief complies with the typeface requirements of Texas Rule of
Procedure 9.4(e) because this letter brief has been prepared in a
proportionally spaced typeface using “Microsoft Word 2010” in fourteen
(14) point “Times New Roman” style font.
/s/ David Keltner
David E. Keltner
Kelly Hart & Hallman, a Limited Liability Partnership | www.kellyhart.com
Page 3
May 4, 2015
CERTIFICATE OF SERVICE
I hereby certify that a true and correct copy of the above and foregoing has
been served on the following counsel of record via electronic filing on the 4th day
of May, 2015:
Brian B. Kilpatrick W. Craft Hughes
brianbkil@gmail.com craft@crafthugheslaw.com
THE KILPATRICK LAW FIRM Jarrett L. Ellzey
1811 Bering Drive, Suite 125 jarrett@crafthugheslaw.com
Houston, Texas 77057 HUGHES ELLZEY, LLP
Counsel for Appellees Galleria Tower I
2700 Post Oak Blvd., Suite 1120
Houston, Texas 77056
Counsel for Appellees
David M. Gunn Kenneth T. Fibich
dgunn@beckredden.com tfibich@fhl-law.com
Erin H. Huber Sara J. Fendia
dgunn@beckredden.com sfendia@fhl-law.com
BECK REDDEN LLP FIBICH, HAMPTON, LEEBRON,
1221 McKinney, Suite 4500 BRIGGS & JOSEPHSON, LLP
Houston, Texas 77010 1150 Bissonnet
Counsel for Appellants Houston, Texas 77005
Bandier Realty Partners, LLC Counsel for Appellees
and Switchback Ventures, LLC
Sean Michael Reagan
sreagan@lpmfirm.com
LEYH, PAYNE & MALLIA, PLLC
9545 Katy Freeway, Suite 200
Houston, Texas 77024
Counsel for Appellees
/s/ David Keltner
David E. Keltner
Kelly Hart & Hallman, a Limited Liability Partnership | www.kellyhart.com