Brigetta D'Olivio A/K/A Brigetta Alix Anderson, Alix Brigetta v. Hilary Thompson Hutson

CourtCourt of Appeals of Texas
DecidedJuly 18, 2022
Docket05-20-00969-CV
StatusPublished

This text of Brigetta D'Olivio A/K/A Brigetta Alix Anderson, Alix Brigetta v. Hilary Thompson Hutson (Brigetta D'Olivio A/K/A Brigetta Alix Anderson, Alix Brigetta v. Hilary Thompson Hutson) 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
Brigetta D'Olivio A/K/A Brigetta Alix Anderson, Alix Brigetta v. Hilary Thompson Hutson, (Tex. Ct. App. 2022).

Opinion

AFFIRMED and Opinion Filed July 18, 2022

S In The Court of Appeals Fifth District of Texas at Dallas No. 05-20-00969-CV

BRIGETTA D'OLIVIO A/K/A BRIGETTA ALIX ANDERSON, ALIX BRIGETTA, Appellant V. HILARY THOMPSON HUTSON, Appellee

On Appeal from the 296th Judicial District Court Collin County, Texas Trial Court Cause No. 296-04855-2019

MEMORANDUM OPINION Before Justices Partida-Kipness, Reichek, and Goldstein Opinion by Justice Reichek In this appeal from a summary judgment, Brigetta D’Olivio a/k/a Brigetta

Alix Anderson, Alix Brigetta (“D’Olivio”) contends the trial court erred in granting

judgment against her because (1) the trial court lacked subject matter jurisdiction,

(2) she was not given sufficient notice of the summary judgment hearing under rule

166a(c), (3) the motion for no-evidence summary judgment was improper, and (4)

there are genuine issues of material fact precluding summary judgment. We affirm

the trial court’s judgment. Background

The following facts relevant to the disposition of this appeal were

conclusively established by the summary judgment evidence. Richard W.

Thompson, Jr. (“Thompson”) and his wife, Euvonne R. Thompson, purchased a

home in Collin County, Texas in 1973 and declared it as their homestead. Euvonne

passed away on December 24, 2007. At the time of Euvonne’s death, she and

Thompson had only two living children, both from their marriage – Richard W.

Thompson III and Hilary Thompson Hutson. Richard Thompson III died in 2013.

On May 5, 2018, Thompson signed a deed without warranty conveying the

homestead property to himself and Hutson as joint tenants with full right of

survivorship. The deed reserved from the conveyance a homestead life estate in

favor of Thompson. The conveyance explicitly included “all interest of [Thompson]

except the reserved life estate.” Thompson signed the deed before a notary public

and filed it with the Collin County clerk’s office.

A few months later, D’Olivio began claiming a romantic interest in

Thompson. At the time, Thompson was 92 and D’Olivio was substantially younger.

Concerned for her father, Hutson filed an application for appointment of a temporary

guardian in the Collin County probate court.

On December 27, 2018, the probate court signed an order in which it stated

there were “substantial concerns” that Thompson was incapacitated, and probable

cause to believe that Thompson’s person and estate were in imminent danger. The

–2– court appointed Julie Reedy as Thompson’s temporary guardian and granted her

numerous powers including the power to (1) determine Thompson’s marriages, (2)

determine access to Thompson by third parties, including D’Olivio specifically, (3)

take possession of all assets of whatever kind and nature in Thompson’s estate, and

(4) take any and all actions necessary to collect, preserve, and protect Thompson’s

estate.

According to D’Olivio, Thompson executed an affidavit in February 2019

stating the deed granting Hutson joint tenancy with right of survivorship in the

homestead property was forged. Several months later, however, the probate court

read an agreement into the record concerning Thompson’s guardianship. The record

shows that all parties, including Thompson and his counsel, agreed the May 2018

deed to Hutson was effective and Thompson possessed only a life estate in the

homestead property as provided in section 102.005 of the Texas Estates Code.

Six weeks after the agreement was signed, D’Olivio claims she and Thompson

were married. D’Olivio further asserts that, two weeks after they were purportedly

married, Thompson signed a last will and testament bequeathing his entire estate,

including all his real property, to her. Thompson was found dead the next day.

Following her father’s death, Hutson immediately sent notice to D’Olivio

instructing her to vacate the homestead property. When D’Olivio began claiming

she had title to the property, Hutson brought this suit for trespass to try title.

D’Olivio filed a general denial and motion to abate asserting the probate court had

–3– exclusive jurisdiction over all matters relating to Thompson’s estate. D’Olivio

moved to transfer the case, and the probate court declined to accept the transfer. The

trial court denied D’Olivio’s motion to abate.

Hutson filed a motion for traditional and no-evidence summary judgment

contending the evidence showed she had superior title to the homestead property as

a matter of law and she was entitled to a forcible detainer eviction order. The no-

evidence portion of the motion was directed solely at the issue of D’Olivio’s ability

to recover for any alleged improvements she made to the property. D’Olivio

responded and filed numerous objections along with a motion for continuance.

The motion for summary judgment was not considered by the trial court until

eight months later. On August 11, 2020, the court signed a final order and judgment

stating that, even assuming D’Olivio was lawfully married to Thompson at the time

of his death, Thompson’s life estate in the homestead property expired when he died,

and D’Olivio had no surviving right to the property. The court granted summary

judgment on the trespass to try title claim, concluding the evidence showed Hutson

had superior title as a matter of law. The court also granted the no-evidence motion

stating D’Olivio could not recover for any improvements to the property. Finally,

the court held Hutson was entitled to a forcible detainer eviction of D’Olivio.

D’Olivio filed a motion to reconsider, set aside, and dismiss the judgment that was

overruled by operation of law. She then brought this appeal.

–4– Analysis I. Jurisdiction

In her first and second issues, D’Olivio contends the trial court’s judgment is

void because the probate court has exclusive or, alternatively, dominant jurisdiction

over this case. In arguing the probate court has exclusive jurisdiction, D’Olivio

relies on section 32.005 of the Texas Estates Code. Section 32.005 states that, in a

county in which there is a statutory probate court, the probate court “has exclusive

jurisdiction of all probate proceedings, regardless of whether contested or

uncontested.” TEX. ESTATES. CODE ANN. § 31.002. In addition, a cause of action

“related to the probate proceeding” must be brought in the probate court unless the

jurisdiction of the probate court “is concurrent with the jurisdiction of a district court

as provided by Section 32.007 or with the jurisdiction of any other court.” Id.

D’Olivio argues that, because the claims asserted by Hutson do not fall under any of

the categories listed in section 32.007, the probate court’s jurisdiction over the case

is exclusive rather than concurrent. D’Olivio’s argument is misplaced.

For section 32.005 to apply, the case must be either a probate proceeding or a

case involving matters related to a probate proceeding. Matters related to a probate

proceeding are defined to include “an action for trial of title to real property that is

estate property,” and “an action for trial of the right of property that is estate

property.” Id. § 31.002(c)(1). In this case, the sole issue was Hutson’s superior title

to the property, which she obtained before her father died. The evidence

–5– conclusively showed that Hutson and Thompson were joint tenants of the property

based on the May 2018 deed.

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Related

Tenneco Inc. v. Enterprise Products Co.
925 S.W.2d 640 (Texas Supreme Court, 1996)
Sullivan v. Bickel & Brewer
943 S.W.2d 477 (Court of Appeals of Texas, 1995)
Conrad v. Judson
465 S.W.2d 819 (Court of Appeals of Texas, 1971)
Martin v. Martin, Martin & Richards, Inc.
989 S.W.2d 357 (Texas Supreme Court, 1999)
Lemus v. Aguilar
491 S.W.3d 51 (Court of Appeals of Texas, 2016)
In re Forney
554 S.W.3d 145 (Court of Appeals of Texas, 2018)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
Brigetta D'Olivio A/K/A Brigetta Alix Anderson, Alix Brigetta v. Hilary Thompson Hutson, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/brigetta-dolivio-aka-brigetta-alix-anderson-alix-brigetta-v-hilary-texapp-2022.