Ashmore v. North Dallas Bank & Trust

804 S.W.2d 156, 1990 Tex. App. LEXIS 3200, 1990 WL 265211
CourtCourt of Appeals of Texas
DecidedDecember 19, 1990
Docket05-90-00269-CV
StatusPublished
Cited by9 cases

This text of 804 S.W.2d 156 (Ashmore v. North Dallas Bank & Trust) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals of Texas primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Ashmore v. North Dallas Bank & Trust, 804 S.W.2d 156, 1990 Tex. App. LEXIS 3200, 1990 WL 265211 (Tex. Ct. App. 1990).

Opinion

OPINION

LAGARDE, Justice.

Joseph E. Ashmore, Jr. successor trustee, appeals three orders from the probate court awarding former trustee, North Dallas Bank & Trust Co. (Bank), attorney’s fees, trustee’s fees, and custodian’s fees. Ashmore complains that the probate court erred in authorizing payment of each of the three fees and that it abused its discretion in awarding $55,964.80 in custodian’s fees. We overrule all of Ashmore’s points of error, dismiss for want of jurisdiction the appeal of the orders awarding attorney’s fees and trustee’s fees, and affirm the order awarding custodian’s fees and expenses.

FACTUAL BACKGROUND

Following extensive negotiations, Bank became successor trustee to ten of the Hummel family trusts on June 18,1987. A bank in Nevada served as trustee to these ten trusts prior to Bank. On December 31, 1987, Bank resigned as trustee. Pursuant to the terms of the trust agreement, Bank notified the trust advisors of its resignation and requested that they appoint a successor trustee.

On January 13, 1988, Bank filed a petition in the probate court for appointment of a successor trustee and a motion for instructions. In its motion, Bank requested *158 that the probate court instruct it on how to respond to requests from some of the Hummel trust advisors to make certain investments and stock purchases. Although Bank had resigned as trustee, it felt that it still owed fiduciary duties to the beneficiaries of the Hummel trusts and, therefore, could not simply abandon the trusts.

On April 13, 1988, Bank petitioned the probate court to appoint a receiver and to issue temporary orders on its previous motion for instructions. In an order signed June 27, 1988, the probate court appointed Ashmore as Receiver and also appointed Bank as Temporary Custodian until Ash-more selected, and the court approved, a successor custodian.

On December 5, 1988, Bank filed an application for attorney’s fees for the period January 1, 1988 through November 30, 1988 and an application for trustee’s fees for its services as trustee from January 1, 1988, through June 16, 1988. On January 4, 1989, the probate court signed two separate orders: one approved Bank’s application for attorney’s fees and the other approved Bank’s application for trustee’s fees. Both orders authorized Ashmore to pay those fees out of the trust estate.

The probate court appointed Ashmore as successor trustee on June 28,1989. In this order of appointment, the probate court ordered Bank to submit its final account to Ashmore for its activities as temporary custodian from June 28, 1988, through June 28, 1989.

On October 26, 1989, Bank filed an application for payment of custodian’s fees. On January 3, 1990, the probate court signed an order authorizing payment of custodian’s fees to Bank. On February 2, 1990, Ashmore filed his notice to appeal both the January 4, 1989 orders and the January 3, 1990 order.

ORDERS OF JANUARY 4, 1989 AWARDING ATTORNEY’S FEES AND TRUSTEE’S FEES

In his first two points of error, Ash-more contends that the probate court erred in awarding Bank attorney’s fees and trustee’s fees because to do so contravened the terms of the written Agreements entered into by Bank and the Hummel family. In response, Bank argues that Ashmore has waived these points by failing to timely perfect an appeal from these two orders. We agree.

This Court has previously held that an order rendered in a receivership proceeding awarding fees to the receiver and his accountant was final and appealable even though the order did not finally terminate the receivership. Bergeron v. Session, 554 S.W.2d 771, 773 (Tex.Civ.App.-Dallas 1977, no writ). This Court in Bergeron stated:

A receivership is not like an ordinary lawsuit in which the issues may be drawn by the pleadings as soon as discovery is complete, and then promptly tried to a final judgment, which may then be enforced by execution. It is frequently an ongoing proceeding in which rights of various parties are determined by orders of the court from time to time, and it is not finally terminated until all of the assets in the hands of the receiver are applied to payment of claims or delivered to the parties determined by the court to be entitled.

Id, at 774-75.

Following Bergeron, we conclude that the two orders signed January 4, 1989, awarding attorney’s fees and trustee’s fees for services to the date of the orders, were final and appealable and further conclude that the appellate timetable began operating on that date. Tex.R.App.P. 5(b)(1). Ashmore did not file his notice of appeal of these two final and appealable orders until February 2, 1990, clearly a date not within thirty days of January 4, 1989, as required by the Texas Rules of Appellate Procedure. Tex.R.App.P. 41(a)(1). Consequently, Ash-more failed to timely perfect his appeal from those two orders. The rules prescribing the procedures necessary to perfect an appeal are mandatory and jurisdictional. Davies v. Massey, 561 S.W.2d 799, 801 (Tex.1978); Abington v. Goss, 408 S.W.2d 317, 318 (Tex.Civ.App.-Dallas 1966, writ ref’d n.r.e.). Failure to comply with these rules requires dismissal of the appeal. Id. *159 Accordingly, we dismiss for want of jurisdiction the appeal of the two orders signed by the probate court on January 4, 1989.

ORDER OF JANUARY 3, 1990 AWARDING CUSTODIAN’S FEES

A. Entitlement

In his final two points of error, Ash-more complains that the probate court erred in authorizing payment of custodian’s fees and, further, that it abused its discretion in the amount awarded: $55,964.80. Ashmore argues that the Agreements between Bank and each of the ten Hummel trusts preclude compensation for the type of work Bank performed as Temporary Custodian. The pertinent provisions common to all of the Hummel Trust Agreements are identical and are as follows:

2. There shall be no partial revocation, termination or distribution fee whatsoever.
The Bank agrees that, if it resigns or petitions any court to resign as Trustee at any time, that it will seek no additional attorneys’ fees, court costs, photocopying charges, Trustee’s fees or any other monies whatsoever in connection with said resignation or any unopposed petition to resign and further agrees that the only fees that may be awarded by a court are any fees due and owing under the terms of the Agreement for managing the trusts up to the termination of its trusteeship.
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Bluebook (online)
804 S.W.2d 156, 1990 Tex. App. LEXIS 3200, 1990 WL 265211, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/ashmore-v-north-dallas-bank-trust-texapp-1990.