Biaza v. Simon

879 S.W.2d 349, 1994 Tex. App. LEXIS 1447, 1994 WL 265156
CourtCourt of Appeals of Texas
DecidedJune 16, 1994
DocketA14-93-00487-CV
StatusPublished
Cited by56 cases

This text of 879 S.W.2d 349 (Biaza v. Simon) 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
Biaza v. Simon, 879 S.W.2d 349, 1994 Tex. App. LEXIS 1447, 1994 WL 265156 (Tex. Ct. App. 1994).

Opinion

OPINION

ELLIS, Justice.

This appeal concerns a dispute over certain real property claimed by appellants, Minnie Evelyn Biaza and Johnnie Louise Clark, individually and as co-independent executrixes of the estate of Minnie M. Kubala, to be part of the estate of Minnie M. Kubala. Appellants *351 are the daughters and only heirs of Minnie M. Kubala. Appellants brought this trespass to try title action against appellees, Janice Marie Simon, Ruth Nichol Kubala, Charles Evans, and BancPlus Mortgage Corporation, to recover said property. Both appellants and appellees moved for summary judgment in the trial court. The trial court granted summary judgment in favor of the appellees. We affirm.

In 1984, Minnie M. Kubala and Julius Ku-bala divorced. The divorce decree, dated December 14, 1984, ordered that the property that is the subject of this suit 1 and certain other property be sold by the court appointed receiver, Robert J. Montgomery, and the proceeds be distributed sixty percent (60%) to Minnie M. Kubala and forty percent (40%) to Julius Kubala. The real property in question is located in the city of Deer Park, Harris County, Texas. Certain personal property was awarded directly to Minnie M. Kubala and Julius Kubala. The decree was issued by the trial judge of the 309th District Court of Harris County. At the time of the divorce, Minnie M. Kubala was non compos mentis and her daughter, Minnie Evelyn Bia-za, had been appointed guardian for her mother by the probate court. Biaza was represented by an attorney, J.B. Williamson, and appeared in the divorce action on her mother’s behalf. While everyone considered Biaza to be the legal guardian of Minnie M. Kubala, the record reflects that Biaza had failed to post the $4,000.00 bond required by the probate court and was therefore, not her mother’s legal guardian. This information, however, was not presented to the trial court presiding over the divorce action at the time the court asked if Biaza agreed to the terms of the decree. The terms of the decree were agreed to by Biaza and Julius Kubala and the court memorialized their agreement in the decree stating: “The Court finds that the parties have agreed and consented to the terms of this Decree.” Thus, the judgment rendered in this case was an agreed or eon-sent judgment. The decree was approved as to form and substance and signed by Biaza’s attorney, J.B. Williamson.

On January 14, 1985, Biaza, on behalf of her mother, filed a motion for new trial. In that motion, Biaza claimed that the division of personal property was unfair and that a new trial was therefore warranted. 2 On March 22, 1985, the trial court granted the motion for new trial; however, on August 15, 1985, the court set aside its order granting the motion for new trial and ordered that the decree of divorce signed December 14, 1984, be reinstated. The trial court took this action in response to a request by Julius Kuba-la. The order also recited that all parties received notice and were represented by counsel. There were no further motions filed by either side in the divorce action and thus, the judgment became final. Neither appellants or any other party filed an appeal from the judgment.

On January 19, 1987, before the subject property was sold by Robert J. Montgomery, the court appointed receiver, Minnie M. Ku-bala, died. Appellants are the daughters and sole heirs of Minnie M. Kubala. Upon their mother’s death, they were named co-independent executrixes of her estate and offered Minnie M. Kubala’s will for probate. On June 17, 1987, the receiver sold the subject property to Janice Marie Simon, the daughter of Ruth Nichol Kubala who was married to Julius Kubala after his divorce from Minnie M. Kubala. 3 BancPlus Mortgage Corporation holds the purchase money mortgage on the property.

On June 17, 1992, appellants filed this suit against the appellees. Their petition stated that the suit was an action for:

... trespass to try title, to remove clouds from title, and for declaratory judgment declaring the hereinafter described real property to be the property of the Estate of Minnie M. Kubala, Deceased and deelar- *352 ing a purported deed to the Defendant JANICE MARIE SIMON and deed of trust of even date therewith now held by the Defendant BANKPLUS [sic] MORTGAGE CORP., to be null and void, and for other declaratory relief incidental thereto.

Appellants’ contention was that the real property was part of Minnie M. Kubala’s estate. They contended that the receiver’s deed to Janice Marie Simon and the orders of the 309th District Court in connection with the sale were void. They alleged that the 309th District Court lost jurisdiction in January of 1987 when Minnie M. Kubala died and therefore, the receiver was not entitled to sell the property and the court was without any jurisdiction to approve the sale in June of 1987. Appellees filed a motion for summary judgment alleging that they were entitled to judgment as a matter of law because: (1) appellants’ action was an improper collateral attack upon the divorce decree; and/or (2) Biaza, in her capacity as guardian for Minnie M. Kubala, consented to the decree and was therefore estopped to bring suit. Attached to their motion for summary judgment was a copy of the December 14, 1984, divorce decree. Appellants also filed a motion for summary judgment contending that the decree was either void or interlocutory, and in either case, the 309th District Court lost all jurisdiction when Minnie M. Kubala died. Appellants argued that any action taken by the court or its receiver after Minnie M. Kubala’s death was void ab initio. Therefore, the sale of the property to Janice Marie Simon was void and the real property is part of the estate.

In its judgment, the trial court found as follows:

1.Plaintiffs [appellants’] action is a collateral attack upon the final Divorce Decree entered in Cause Number 83-34989-309th Family District Court. The court finds that the 309th had jurisdiction to enter the final Divorce Decree, from which no appellate relief was granted.
2. The Divorce Decree is binding upon the Estate of Minnie Mae Kubala, Deceased, and her heirs, including the Plaintiffs [appellants].
3. The court finds that Minnie Biaza, as Guardian of Minnie Kubala agreed to the final Decree and is therefore, estopped to now attack that Decree in this proceeding.

Appellants bring five points of error alleging the trial court erred in granting appellees’ motion for summary judgment and denying their motion. 4 A summary judgment is not entitled to the same deference given a judgment following a trial on the merits. See Montgomery v. Kennedy, 669 S.W.2d 309, 310-11 (Tex.1984). When reviewing a trial court’s order granting a motion for summary judgment, an appellate court does not view the evidence in the light most favorable to the verdict; rather, the court must indulge every reasonable inference in favor of the non-movant. Nixon v. Mr. Property Management Co., 690 S.W.2d 546, 548-49 (Tex.1985).

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Bluebook (online)
879 S.W.2d 349, 1994 Tex. App. LEXIS 1447, 1994 WL 265156, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/biaza-v-simon-texapp-1994.