Otis Elevator Company and United Technologies Corporation v. Maurine B. Parmelee

The trial court imposed sanctions in this case tantamount to rendering default judgment against defendants, and awarded unliquidated damages without hearing evidence. The court of appeals affirmed. 817 S.W.2d 731. We hold that the imposition of sanctions did not comport with our opinion in TransAmerican Natural Gas Corp. v. Powell, 811 S.W.2d 913 (Tex. 1991), and that there is no evidence to support the award of damages. Accordingly, we reverse and remand for further proceedings.