Brown v. Lubbock County Comm. Court

185 S.W.3d 499, 2005 Tex. App. LEXIS 9728, 2005 WL 2217544
CourtCourt of Appeals of Texas
DecidedNovember 21, 2005
Docket07-04-0265-CV
StatusPublished
Cited by26 cases

This text of 185 S.W.3d 499 (Brown v. Lubbock County Comm. Court) 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
Brown v. Lubbock County Comm. Court, 185 S.W.3d 499, 2005 Tex. App. LEXIS 9728, 2005 WL 2217544 (Tex. Ct. App. 2005).

Opinions

OPINION

JAMES T. CAMPBELL, Justice.

Appellant, Clarence D. Brown, appeals the dismissal of his suit pursuant to Chapter 14 of the Texas Civil Practice and Remedies Code. We affirm the dismissal.

Brown is an inmate confined in the Institutional Division of the Texas Department of Criminal Justice as a result of a conviction for sexual assault in 1997 or 1998. In February 2004 he brought suit against the Lubbock County Commissioners Court, the commissioners, the Lubbock County District Attorney and the judge of the 72nd District Court, Blair Cherry, alleging they deprived him of constitutional rights by creating and applying procedures which denied him the assistance of counsel prior to his indictment. He also alleged the district attorney engaged in malicious prosecution. Appellant sought recovery of $300,000.00 in actual damages, plus punitive damages from each defendant. He attached an affidavit of indigence and copy of his inmate trust account statement to his petition. An amended petition added 364th District Judge Bradley Underwood and Lubbock County Magistrate Judge David Hazlewood as defendants.

The Lubbock County defendants1 filed an answer including a plea to the jurisdiction asserting sovereign immunity and affirmative defenses including the failure to give notice of claim under the Texas Tort Claims Act,2 failure to comply with Chapter 14 of the Civil Practice and Remedies Code, and limitations. In a separate answer the district judge defendants asserted defenses of absolute immunity, limitations, and the failure to comply with Chapter 14 of the Civil Practice and Remedies Code. They also alleged the claims were frivolous and sought recovery of attorney’s fees and costs.

The district judge defendants filed a motion to dismiss pursuant to Chapter 14. The motion sought dismissal without prejudice on the basis appellant failed to file an affidavit or statement of previous suits (§ 14.004), the disposition of administrative grievance (§ 14.005), or certified copy of his inmate trust account (§ 14.006(f)). It sought dismissal with prejudice under section 14.003 on the basis the suit was frivo[503]*503lous or malicious, arguing the suit had no probability of success because judges have absolute immunity and the claims were barred by the two-year limitations applicable to actions under Title 42, Section 1983 of the United States Code.

The trial court dismissed the claims against all defendants, with prejudice, on April 14, 2004.3 The order recites appellant’s claims lack an arguable basis in law and were dismissed pursuant to section 14.003. It also dismissed for failure to comply with sections 14.004, 14.005, and 14.006(f). Appellant perfected appeal from that order and filed a motion for rehearing. The motion for rehearing detailed the authority on which appellant relies to support his position the defendants illegally denied him the timely assistance of counsel. In the motion appellant also argued the trial court’s dismissal for failure to comply with the procedural requirements of Chapter 14 should not have been with prejudice because any such defects can be cured. Appellant attached a declaration of previously filed suits to his motion for rehearing. That document listed ten suits, each of which were petitions for habeas corpus arising out of his sexual assault conviction. The trial court denied the motion by express order on May 11, 2004.

Appellant now presents five issues on appeal, asking (1) whether the trial court abused its discretion in dismissing his suit with prejudice under sections 14.004, 14.005, and 14.006(f) of the Civil Practice & Remedies Code, (2) whether his claims lack an arguable basis in law, (3) whether he was denied the assistance of counsel at a critical stage, (4) whether the policy and procedure used by the District Courts of Lubbock County violate Article V, Section 12(b) of the Texas Constitution and the U.S. Constitution, and (5) whether the defendants’ application of Articles 32.001 and 28.061 of the Code of Criminal Procedure violated his federal due process rights.

The district judge defendants respond with a brief arguing dismissal was proper under sections 14.005 and 14.006(f) because appellant failed to file affidavits that he exhausted administrative remedies and of his previous suits. They also argue the suit was properly dismissed as frivolous. The Lubbock County defendants’ brief adopts the argument of the district judge defendants, adding that dismissal was proper based on appellant’s failure to comply with section 14.004, requiring a separate affidavit listing previous suits.

We address appellant’s issues and supporting arguments in the order he presents them. Texas courts have consistently held the affidavit of previous filings required by section 14.004 is a procedural matter which can be cured by amendment. See, e.g., Thomas v. Skinner, 54 S.W.3d 845, 847 (Tex.App.-Corpus Christi 2001, pet. denied); Hickman v. Adams, 35 S.W.3d 120, 125 (Tex.App.-Houston [14th Dist.] 2000, no pet.). The record shows appellant did correct the defect by filing a declaration of his previous suits as an attachment to his motion for rehearing. We agree dismissal with prejudice was not proper under section 14.004.

Section 14.005 applies to suits arising out of a claim “subject to the grievance system established under Section 501.008 [of the] Government Code.” When applicable, it requires the inmate to provide the date the grievance was filed, the date of the written decision and a copy of that decision. Section 501.008 of the Government Code directs the Department of [504]*504Criminal Justice to create a grievance system for inmates. The system is the exclusive administrative remedy for “a claim for relief against the department that arises while the inmate is housed in a facility operated by [or for] the department[.]” Tex. Gov’t Code Ann. § 501.008(a) (Vernon 2004). Appellant’s claims are not subject to the grievance system under Section 501.008 because they are not against the Department or its employees and did not arise during his confinement. Consequently, section 14.005 is inapplicable to appellant’s suit and it does not support the trial court’s dismissal of that suit.

On appeal the district judge defendants concede appellant had filed a certified copy of his inmate trust account statement as required by section 14.006(f). We agree and find the dismissal was not supported on that basis. We sustain appellant’s first issue. That holding does not require reversal of the trial court’s order unless no other basis supports the dismissal.

In his second issue appellant challenges dismissal of his suit as frivolous under section 14.003(a)(2). The statute sets forth factors a trial court may consider in determining whether a claim is frivolous. They include whether (1) the claim’s realistic chances of success are slight, (2) the claim has no arguable basis in law or in fact, (3) it is clear the party cannot prove facts supporting the claim, and (4) the claim is substantially similar to a previous claim because it arises from the same operative facts. Id. The trial court’s order of dismissal recited its finding the claims lack an arguable basis in law.

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Bluebook (online)
185 S.W.3d 499, 2005 Tex. App. LEXIS 9728, 2005 WL 2217544, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/brown-v-lubbock-county-comm-court-texapp-2005.