Balboa v. State

612 S.W.2d 553, 1981 Tex. Crim. App. LEXIS 1012
CourtCourt of Criminal Appeals of Texas
DecidedFebruary 25, 1981
Docket64239
StatusPublished
Cited by49 cases

This text of 612 S.W.2d 553 (Balboa v. State) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Criminal Appeals of Texas primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Balboa v. State, 612 S.W.2d 553, 1981 Tex. Crim. App. LEXIS 1012 (Tex. 1981).

Opinions

OPINION

DALLY, Judge.

This is an appeal by the surety and principal from a final judgment in the forfeiture of a bail bond.

The appellants contend that summary judgment should not have been granted because:

(1)the bond failed to designate the court in which the principal was to appear and is therefore not a valid and binding undertaking in law;

(2) the failure of the bond to designate the court in which the principal was to appear rendered the evidence insufficient to support the summary judgment; '

(3) there was a disputed fact issue as to whether the appellant’s name was called at the courthouse door as alleged in the judgment nisi; and

(4) “[Tjhere was a material and fatal variance between the judgment and the proof offered in support thereof in the particular court the principal was to appear.”

The appellants assert that the trial court erred in granting the summary judgment because the bail bond was “incomplete and therefore not a valid and binding undertaking in law.” It is argued that the bond does not conform to the requirements of Art. 17.08, V.A.C.C.P. in that it does not inform the principal in which court he is required to appear. Art. 17.08, V.A.C.C.P. provides:

“A bail bond shall be sufficient if it contain the following requisites:
“1 ....
“2. That the defendant and his sureties, if any, bind themselves that the defendant will appear before the proper court or magistrate to answer the accusations against him.
“5. That the bond state the time and place, when and where the accused binds himself to appear, and the court or magistrate before whom he is to appear. The bond shall also bind the defendant to appear before any court or magistrate before whom the cause may thereafter be pending at any time when, and place where, his presence may be required under this Code or by any court or magistrate.”

The bond executed and presented by the principal and the sureties provides that the principal who was charged with a felony offense appear:

“instanter before _, Justice of the Peace, during the present term of the aforesaid Justice Court, at the Court[555]*555house, in the City of San Antonio, Texas, in Justice Precinct No. _, Place _, Bexar County, Texas, there to remain in attendance from day to day, and term to term, until discharged by order of the Court, to answer the aforesaid accusation against him, and shall personally appear for any and all subsequent proceedings had relative to the above charges before the Grand Jury of said County, and before any Court or Courts of the State of Texas in which said subsequent proceedings may be pending ... .”

The bond executed and presented by the appellants did not specify in which justice of the peace court the principal bound himself first to appear except that it was in “the Courthouse, in the City of San Antonio, Texas.” The provision of the statute that the bond state “the court or magistrate” before whom the principal is to appear is for the benefit of the principal and surety; they have a right to insist that that provision of the statute be met if they do so at the time the bond is executed and presented for approval. However, if this right is not insisted upon at that time it is a right which may be waived and the principal and sureties may not be heard to complain of such an omission for the first time after the bond has been forfeited. See Smith v. State, 566 S.W.2d 638 (Tex.Cr.App. 1978); Hodges v. State, 489 S.W.2d 916 (Tex.Cr.App.1973); Hall v. State, 485 S.W.2d 563 (Tex.Cr.App.1972); Bowen v. State, 413 S.W.2d 915 (Tex.Cr.App.1967), which held that although a bond is required by Art. 17.08, Sec. 4, V.A.C.C.P. to contain the mailing addresses of the principal and the sureties, sureties and principals who had signed bonds omitting their addresses would not be exonerated from their obligation under the bonds because of these omissions.

Since the principal and sureties in this case waived the right, which was for their benefit, to have “the bond state .. . the court or magistrate” before whom the principal was first to appear when the bond was executed and presented for approval, the appellants will not be heard to complain after the bond has been forfeited.

Furthermore, in this instance the bond was not forfeited in a justice of the peace court. The bond was forfeited in a district court for the principal’s failure to there appear to answer the charges against him, contrary to the obligation in the bond that the principal

“. .. personally appear for any and all subsequent proceedings had relative to the above charges before .. . any Court or Courts of the State of Texas in which subsequent proceedings may be pending.”

The appellants next argue that the failure of the bond to specify in which justice court the principal bound himself to appear “would seem to require some other summary judgment proof to establish that the Principal knew which Court to appear before.” Since we hold that the appellants waived their right to have the bond state in which justice of the peace court the principal was first to appear this contention is likewise without merit. Moreover, as we have noted the bond was forfeited upon the appellant’s failure to appear for “subsequent proceedings” against him in district court. The bond and the judgment nisi together are sufficient evidence to support the motion for summary judgment. Tocher v. State, 517 S.W.2d 299 (Tex.Cr.App.1975).

The appellants argue that a material fact issue of whether the principal’s name was called at the courthouse door when the bond was forfeited was raised prior to rendering the final judgment, and that summary judgment was improperly granted.

In response to the citation commanding appellants to answer why the judgment nisi should not be made final the appellants filed an answer alleging in part that the principal’s name was not called at the courthouse door as recited in the judgment nisi. The State filed a motion for summary judgment, to which were attached certified copies of the bond and the judgment nisi, and an affidavit of a deputy district clerk attesting to the genuineness of the copies. The appellants made no response to the State’s motion.

[556]*556Tex.R.Civ.P.

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Bluebook (online)
612 S.W.2d 553, 1981 Tex. Crim. App. LEXIS 1012, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/balboa-v-state-texcrimapp-1981.