OPINION
I. Procedural History
Altech, Inc., a general contractor, contracted to build an intermediate school for the Pleasant Grove Independent School District (the Project). Endsley Electric, Inc., doing business as Industrial Power Systems or Industrial Power Systems, Inc., entered into a subcontract with Al-tech to provide the electrical and fire alarm work on the Project. In April 2010, shortly after the Project was completed, Altech filed a breach of contract suit against Endsley Electric
After a bench trial, where Endsley Electric and Karen appeared pro se, the court determined that Endsley Electric and Karen and Brad, individually, were all jointly and severally liable and rendered judgment in favor of Altech for damages of
On appeal, Endsley Electric and Karen and Brad contend that: (1) the pleadings do not allege or support individual liability; (2) there is legally and factually insufficient evidence supporting the trial court’s finding of individual liability; (3) there is legally and factually insufficient evidence to support $31,890.00 in damages; and (4) there is legally and factually insufficient evidence to support the award of attorney’s fees because Altech failed to segregate its attorney’s fees.
We reverse the judgment, rendering part and remanding in part, because: while the pleadings may allege individual liability, there is legally insufficient evidence to support individual liability; there is legally insufficient evidence that the defendants are liable for $31,890.00 of the damages that were awarded; and Altech failed to segregate its damages.
II. Facts
Karen is the president and sole stockholder of Endsley Electric. Brad is the vice president, but, according to Karen’s testimony, he
has gone off on his own. He’s no longer part of the company at all. He has his own tax ID number and everything, so he never even — he’s not even an electrician. He didn’t have anything to do with this job whatsoever.
Karen signed the contract with Altech as president of IPS. IPS, with Karen listed as the president and chairman of the board of directors, merged with Endsley Electric in 2004, and since then has been one of Endsley’s assumed names. Prior to the merger, Karen and her late husband operated IPS and Endsley Electric as two separate corporations, having two different tax identification numbers, with one company doing work in Arkansas and the other doing work in Texas. According to Karen, her late husband decided “to combine them because one set of books was easier to keep than two sets.”
Altech alleged that it had to pay Ends-ley Electric’s suppliers $59,333.83 for materials provided on the Project. Altech also claimed that Endsley Electric failed to remove and relocate power lines and that due to its failure, the school district issued a change order and directly paid $31,890.00 to another electrical contractor to perform the work and reduced Altech’s contractual pay by the same amount. Al-tech also alleged that it wrote joint checks to Endsley Electric and its suppliers and that it was directly paying its workforce.
Endsley Electric denied being liable for any of the claimed damages. Karen denied refusing to pay any supplier and testified that all the suppliers had been paid. She claimed that the joint checks for the suppliers were agreed to “up front” and that the funds Altech directly paid to Endsley Electric’s workforce “would all come out of the draw” that would have been paid to Endsley Electric anyway. Karen said, “When it worked, everything was going great until we got to the end of the job and that’s when things went crazy.” Endsley Electric filed a motion for new trial and notice of appeal. No findings of fact or conclusions of law were entered, though a request was made, and Endsley failed to file a reminder.
III. Pleading Requirement
In its first point of error, Endsley Electric argues that the pleadings do not support liability against Karen and Brad as
Whether a judgment is supported by the pleadings is a question of law that we review de novo. See Barber v. Corpus Christi Bank & Trust,
Altech contends that the allegations in its amended petition sufficiently support individual liability. In the alternative, Al-tech argues that the issue was tried by consent and that Endsley waived any objections to the individual liability allegations because Endsley failed to object, specially except, or file a verified denial under Rule 93 of the Texas Rules of Civil Procedure.
After examining the pleadings and the record, we need not determine whether the pleadings support individual liability; As further explained below, we find that even if the pleadings support the judgment’s finding of individual liability, there is legally insufficient evidence to support the finding.
IV. Evidence of Individual Liability
In its second point of error, Endsley Electric argues that there is legally and factually insufficient evidence of individual liability on the part of Karen and Brad.
When no findings of fact or conclusions of law are requested or filed, we presume that the trial court made all findings necessary to support its judgment and we affirm if there is any legal theory sufficiently raised in the evidence in support of the judgment. Sixth RMA Partners, L.P. v. Sibley,
In determining whether the evidence is legally sufficient, we must view the evidence in the light most favorable to the verdict, crediting favorable evidence if reasonable jurors could, and disregarding contrary evidence unless reasonable jurors could not. City of Keller v. Wilson,
An assertion that the evidence is factually insufficient to support the judgment means that the evidence supporting the judgment is so weak or against the great weight and preponderance of the evidence that it should be set aside and a new trial ordered. Garza v. Alviar,
We must determine whether there is sufficient evidence that Karen and/or Brad, individually, breached the contract, that they were individually negligent, and/or whether there is sufficient eviden-tiary basis to disregard the corporate fiction and hold either or both of them liable as corporate officers or shareholders.
A. Breach of Contract
It is undisputed that Altech entered into a written contract with IPS. Altech’s president, Billy Roy, admitted that “this subcontract [is] just with Industrial Power Systems.” It is also undisputed that Karen signed the contract in her capacity as a corporate officer.
B. Negligence
As a prerequisite to asserting a claim of negligence, there must be a violation of a duty imposed by law independent of any contract. Sw. Bell Tel. Co. v. DeLanney,
C.Corporate Veil
The corporate form normally insulates shareholders, officers, and directors from personal liability for corporate obligations, but when these individuals abuse the corporate privilege, courts will disregard the corporate fiction and hold them individually liable. Willis v. Donnelly,
The limitation on liability afforded by the corporate structure can be ignored when there is evidence that the
Altech contends that the corporate veil should be pierced on the theories of alter ego, inadequate capitalization, or misuse of the corporate form. Since all theories of piercing the corporate veil involve some misuse of the corporate form, we examine whether there is sufficient evidence to support the trial court’s implied finding of alter ego or inadequate capitalization.
1. Alter Ego
The alter ego doctrine is one theory used to pierce the corporate veil. Seidler,
There must be something more than mere unity of financial interest, ownership, and control for a court to treat an officer, director, or shareholder as the corporation’s alter ego and make an officer, director, or shareholder liable for the corporation’s actions. See Lucas,
Altech argues that “[w]hether based on the corporate officer’s actions, piercing the corporate veil, alter ego, misuse of the corporate form, or some other theory of liability, manifest injustice would occur should the officers not be held financially liable as Appellee would be left with an uncollectible judgment against a corporation with little or no assets or means to pay.” Altech contends that three pieces of evidence support piercing the corporate veil: (1) Endsley Electric’s corporate charter was forfeited and not in good standing; (2) “Karen Endsley admitted to the company’s lack of capitol [sic] to meet the financial obligations of the company in reference to the [P]rojeet”; and (3) Endsley Electric kept only one set of books for both IPS and Endsley Electric.
Altech relies primarily on Mancorp, Inc. v. Culpepper, Tigrett v. Pointer and Torregrossa v. Szelc. In Mancorp, a building contractor, Mancorp, and Culpepper Properties, Inc., filed claims and counterclaims against each other, both alleging breach of a construction contract.
In Tigrett, a garnishment proceeding, Tigrett, holder of a judgment against Heritage Building Company, sought to pierce the corporate veil and hold Pointer, the corporation’s president and sole stockholder, personally liable for the debt.
when a corporation transfers virtually all its assets to its controlling stockholder to repay his advances, without providing for other creditors, the court may consider the amount of the capital stock as compared with the funds that the stockholder has actually invested in the enterprise as one of the factors in determining whether his manipulation of the corporate form of business organization to serve his individual interests justifies imposition of personal liability.
Id. at 399 (op. on reh’g).
In Torregrossa, a trial court pierced the corporate veil on the theory of alter ego.
Here, there is no evidence that Karen or Brad supported the project with personal funds, represented to anyone that they were personally backing Endsley Electric or IPS, commingled personal and company funds, manipulated or transferred Endsley Electric’s assets or liabilities, made loans to or from the company, prioritized themselves as creditors, or otherwise abused the corporate form, which distinguishes this case from Mancorp and Tigrett. The fact that Endsley Electric may have lacked the funds or cash flow to pay all of its bills does not render shareholders or officers liable for corporate debt. See Tigrett,
2. Forfeiture of the Corporate Charter
Altech produced an exhibit that appears to be a webpage from the state comptroller’s office showing Endsley Electric as “NOT IN GOOD STANDING.” The exhibit and the record are silent as to the time period to which the page referred, though the date 3-3-2011 appears at the bottom. According to a letter from the Secretary of State’s office, the corporate charter of Endsley Electric was forfeited
When the Secretary of State forfeited Endsley Electric’s charter, the entity Endsley Electric, Inc., was terminated. Tex. Tax Code Ann. § 171.309; Tex. Bus. Orgs.Code Ann. §§ 11.001(4), 11.251 (West Supp.2012). However, under Section 11.356 of the Texas Business Organizations Code, the company continued to exist beyond its termination for the limited purpose of defending, in its own name, Al-tech’s suit against it, and it would continue to exist in this state “until all judgments, orders, and decrees have been fully executed” and the company’s property is applied and distributed to satisfy any creditors.
Here, the contract was signed in October 2008 and completed in March or April 2010. The suit was filed on April 14, 2010. The charter was revoked in January 2011, and the judgment was entered in this case in August 2011. There is no evidence that the liability in this case was created or incurred after the corporate forfeiture. Accordingly, the forfeiture of the corporation charter does not support personal liability.
3. Lack of Capital
As discussed, undercapitalization can be a factor in determining whether an individual is the alter ego of the corporation, but alone is insufficient. Torregrossa,
4. One Set of Books
Any evidence indicating that Endsley Electric maintained one set of books for both IPS and Endsley Electric is irrelevant because the two companies were legally merged in 2004, four years prior to the contract at issue.
Y. Responsibility for Relocating Electrical Lines
The trial court awarded Alteeh $91,228.83 in damages, consisting of $59,333.83 that Alteeh allegedly paid Ends-ley Electric’s suppliers and $31,890.00 that the owner, Pleasant Grove Independent School District (PGISD), removed from Al-tech’s contractual pay to cover the cost of removing and relocating certain power lines on the Project. In its third point of error, Endsley Electric contends that there is legally and factually insufficient evidence that it is liable for the $31,890.00 in damages.
The subcontract, the contract between Alteeh and Endsley Electric, requires Endsley Electric, who is doing business on this project as IPS, to
[pjerform all Electrical and Fire Requirements as per Contract Drawings, Specifications and Addendums 1, 2 and 3. Alternates 1, 2, 3 and 9 are accepted and made part of this subcontract. IPS’s Proposal dated 9/18/2008 is made part of this subcontract.
Roy testified that removing and relocating the power lines was Endsley Electric’s responsibility because “it’s stated on the drawings on ME1.1.” Section E2, the portion of page ME1.1 pertaining to the power lines at issue, states:
CONTRACTOR SHALL COORDINATE THE REMOVAL OF EXTG OVERHEAD PRIMARY AND SECONDARY POWER, TELEPHONE, AND CATV SERVICE CABLING AND POLES WITH SERVING UTILITY PROVIDER PRIOR TO BID. CONTRACTOR SHALL INCLUDE ANY AND ALL ASSOCIATED COSTS IN BID. CONTRACTOR SHALL MAINTAIN/REPAIR ANY SERVICES MEANT TO REMAIN. COORDINATE WITH SERVING UTILITY COMPANY.
Roy testified that because Endsley Electric failed to remove and relocate the power lines, “the school district took that over themselves and had Bowie Cass perform the work and deducted [$31,890.00] from” its payment to Alteeh. Karen testified that the $31,890.00 was an additional expense that resulted from PGISD changing the contractual requirements through a change order. She testified that under the contract Endsley Electric bid on, the electrical lines were to be removed and raised, but that the change order altered the requirements to require that the power lines be moved and rerouted underground.
The change order documents before this Court, included in the record as Exhibit 8, do not specify what specific changes are being made to the contract, other than changing what amount PGISD is paying Alteeh. The letter states, in relevant part:
The change order addresses the requirement for the overhead power line, located on the north side of the buildingrunning west to east and identified on Drawing Sheet ME1.1. The Electrical Note E2 states that the Contractor shall coordinate the removal of existing overhead primary and secondary power.
The amount of $81,890.00 represented in Change Order Number Five is the total cost proposed from Bowie-Cass Electric Cooperative to relocate the power line overhead around the south side of the developed site area.
The change order documents note that the contract sum to be paid to Altech will be decreased by $31,890.00, and the reduction is explained as an “[ojwner’s expense to relocate overhead electrical service from north side of the Intermediate School as required by the construction documents.”
The specific portion of the construction drawings and specifications states that Endsley Electric is to coordinate the removal of the power lines and includes that cost in its bid. There is neither written contractual requirements nor construction drawings in the record indicating that Endsley Electric agreed to relocate and reroute (including from overhead to underground) the power lines. While the subcontract makes clear that Endsley Electric is to perform all electrical work, that requirement is not a blank check, but rather the subcontractor’s responsibilities are limited to those stated in the contract documents. Even though there is a change order regarding the power lines, the change order documents fail to explain exactly what change is being made other than decreasing Altech’s contractual compensation by $81,890.00 due to PGISD paying that amount to a utility service provider. Based on the foregoing, we find that there is legally insufficient evidence that Endsley Electric is liable for the $31,890.00 portion of the damages awarded. Accordingly, we sustain this point of error, reverse the damage award of $91,223.83, and render a damage award of $59,333.83 in favor of Altech.
VI. Segregation of Attorney’s Fees
The judgment awarded Altech $7,961.00 in attorney’s fees. In its fourth point of error, Endsley Electric contends the evidence supporting the attorney’s fee award is legally and factually insufficient because the testifying attorney failed to segregate the attorney’s fees accrued under Altech’s breach of contract claim and those accrued under its negligence claim.
Whether segregation is necessary is a question of law, subject to de novo review. Penhollow Custom Homes, LLC v. Kim,
Texas law prohibits recovery of attorney’s fees unless authorized by statute or contract. Tony Gullo Motors I, L.P. v. Chapa,
If any attorney’s fees relate solely to claims for which fees are not recoverable, a claimant must segregate recoverable from unrecoverable fees. Tony Gullo Motors,
In Allan v. Nersesova, Allan pleaded thirteen claims against five defendants.
Here, it is undisputed that Al-tech pled two causes of action and that only one of those causes of action was eligible for attorney’s fees. It is also undisputed that Altech failed to segregate its attorney’s fees. As the Texas Supreme Court indicated in Tony Güilo Motors, an attorney’s opinion testimony that “95 percent of their drafting time would have been necessary even if there had been no [unrecoverable] claim” will suffice as segregation, thereby leaving the court of appeals to apply the factual and legal sufficiency standard to the evidence. Tony Gullo Motors,
Further, since we have found the evidence insufficient to uphold the judgment for $31,890.00, we cannot determine if the erroneous damage award affected the trial court’s determination of attorney’s fees. Young v. Qualls,
VIL Conclusion
We find that there is legally insufficient evidence that Endsley Electric is liable for the $31,890.00 of the damages awarded. Therefore, we sustain this point of error, reverse the damage award of $91,223.83, and render a damage award of $59,333.83 in favor of Altech. The judgments against Karen and Brad, individually, are reversed and judgment is rendered that Altech take nothing against the two individuals. The judgment for attorney’s fees is remanded to the trial court for further proceedings consistent with this opinion.
Notes
. Unless otherwise noted, we refer collectively to the named defendants as "Endsley Elec-trie.”
. It is unclear in the record whether Karen is referring to her husband’s decision to combine the two companies' books or combine the two companies entirely.
. Rule 93 of the Texas Rules of Civil Procedure requires certain pleadings to be verified, including a pleading that "the defendant is not liable in the capacity in which he is sued.” Tex.R. Civ. P. 93(2).
. The contract is signed "Karen Endsley, Pres.”
.The Texas Supreme Court explained:
By "injustice” and "inequity” we do not mean a subjective perception of unfairness by an individual judge or juror; rather, these words are used in Castleberry as shorthand references for the kinds of abuse, specifically identified, that the corporate structure should not shield — fraud, evasion of existing obligations, circumvention of statutes, monopolization, criminal conduct, and the like. Such abuse is necessary before disregarding the existence of a corporation as a separate entity. Any other rule would seriously compromise what we have called a "bedrock principle of corporate law” — that a legitimate purpose for forming a corporation is to limit individual liability for the corporation’s obligations.
SSP Partners,
. Since the parties direct their argument to the alter ego issue, we will discuss that evidence even though no argument is made that the Endsleys perpetrated an actual fraud on Altech.
. Inadequate capitalization is another basis for disregarding the corporate fiction, though alone, it is not sufficient to pierce the corporate veil. Torregrossa v. Szelc,
. On rehearing, the Tigrett court noted:
Our opinion should not be understood as holding that a stockholder is liable for a corporate debt merely because the corporation has insufficient funds. Neither should it be taken as holding that personal liability is necessarily imposed on a stockholder who makes advances of personal funds to a financially weak corporation. We hold, rather, that when a corporation transfers virtually all its assets to its controlling stockholder to repay his advances, without providing for other creditors, the court may consider the amount of the capital stock as compared with the funds that the stockholder has actually invested in the enterprise as one of the factors in determining whether his manipulation of the corporate form of business organization to serve his individual interests justifies imposition of personal liability
Tigrett,
. The charter was forfeited under Section 171.309 of the Texas Tax Code, which permits the Secretary of State to forfeit the charter or certificate of authority of a corporation if the Secretary (1) receives the comptroller’s certification, (2) the corporation does not revive its forfeited corporate privileges within 120 days after forfeiture of its privileges, and (3) the corporation does not have assets from which a judgment for any taxes may be satis
. Under Section 11.356(a) and (c) of the Texas Business Organizations Code, a terminated corporation can function for this limited purpose for three years, though if an action is brought against the corporation within the three-year period, the corporation’s existence can continue indefinitely until the provisions of subsection (c) are satisfied. Tex. Bus. Orgs.Code Ann. § 11.356(a), (c) (West Supp. 2012).
. The holding in Sema presumably does not apply to cases where circumstances allow the court to disregard the corporate form. See Sema,
. Endsley Electric does not dispute that it, as a corporate entity, is liable for the $59,333.83 in damages.
