Garcia v. Canales

434 S.W.2d 895, 1968 Tex. App. LEXIS 2146
CourtCourt of Appeals of Texas
DecidedNovember 27, 1968
Docket409
StatusPublished
Cited by7 cases

This text of 434 S.W.2d 895 (Garcia v. Canales) 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
Garcia v. Canales, 434 S.W.2d 895, 1968 Tex. App. LEXIS 2146 (Tex. Ct. App. 1968).

Opinion

*896 OPINION

SHARPE, Justice.

This is an adoption proceeding in which appellee, Rodolfo Canales, sought to adopt Marlon Eric Garcia, a boy born on August 29, 1957, to the marriage of Erasmo Garcia, appellant, and Elva S. Garcia, who were married on June 24, 1956, and divorced on February 4, 1960. The decree awarded custody of the minor child to his mother and ordered that the father pay the sum of $42.50 per month as child support. The mother subsequently married Rodolfo Canales on March 24, 1960 and then became Elva S. Canales. On December 2, 1966, Rodolfo Canales filed a petition for adoption of said minor child which was joined in by the mother. On January 17, 1967, appellant, the natural father intervened and opposed the adoption.

The case was tried on September 11, 1967 before the court and jury. The single special issue and the jury answer thereto are as follows:

“SPECIAL ISSUE NO. 1:
Do you find from a preponderance of the evidence that the Intervenor, Erasmo Garcia, failed to contribute substantially to the support of the minor child, Marlon Garcia, commensurate with his financial ability to do so, during any two-year period prior to the date of this trial ?
You will answer this issue ‘yes’ or <no’.
We, the Jury, answer: yes ”

The trial court rendered judgment that appellee, Rodolfo Canales, be allowed to adopt the minor child, the judge presiding over the adoption case also giving consent to the adoption as Judge of the Juvenile Court.

By four points of error appellant asserts in substance that: (1) the trial court erred in denying his first motion for continuance, (2) that the petition for adoption is insufficient in law for failure to allege grounds for not requiring the written consent of the natural father, (3) that there were no pleadings or evidence to support submission of special issue No. 1, and (4) the verdict of the jury is not supported by the evidence.

By his first point of error, appellant asserts that the trial court erred in overruling his motion for continuance. Appel-lee’s petition for adoption was filed on December 2, 1966, and the trial court set the case for hearing on January 20, 1967. After appellant intervened on January 17, 1967, the case was set for jury trial in March, 1967. At the latter time appellant was in California and appellant’s attorney requested a re-setting for September, 1967, in order to allow appellant to come back for the trial, and to secure attendance of an out-of-state witness. No written motion for continuance was filed, but the court granted appellant’s request and the case was re-set for September 11, 1967. On September 7, 1967, appellant filed a written motion designated “Intervenor’s First Motion for Continuance,” and on September 11, 1967, the trial date, filed a motion designated “Intervenor’s Amended First Motion for Continuance.” Both motions were sworn to by the attorney for appellant. Both of appellant’s motions were based in part upon the alleged inability of appellant to appear because appellant “is in the State of California and through difficulty in travel, employment, and injuries resulting from an automobile accident.” The amended motion had attached to it a telegram dated September 7, 1967 from appellant in San Francisco, California to his attorneys in Edinburg, Texas, reading as follows:

“Unable to appear September 11 because of back injury and treatment by Dr. Benjamin H. Maeck, San Francisco. Request postponement.”

Appellant’s motions also alleged that:

“That a material witness, whose testimony is material to proceeding is out of the State of Texas in Clyde, Ohio, namely Mrs. Frank B. Estrada; that her presence at trial scheduled for this month cannot *897 be had at this time, and her testimony cannot be obtained from any other source, Intervenor expecting to prove by said witness that Intervenor never abandoned or failed to support his minor child commensurate with his financial ability, as alleged in the petition herein; that Intervenor has reason to expect procurement of the attendance of said witness within two months.”

The record does not reflect that either of appellant’s motions was presented to or acted upon by the court, although counsel for appellant near the close of the trial offered the above-mentioned telegram in evidence and it was excluded by the court.

Appellant did not allege that due diligence had been used to secure the presence or testimony of either appellant or the out-of-state witness. Appellant had a period of about six months, from March until September, 1967 to prepare his case and procure desired testimony of witnesses either by way of deposition or personal appearance. Appellant’s motions for continuance did not allege or show due diligence in such respect, and did not comply with Rules 251 or 252, Texas Rules of Civil Procedure. The allegations of the motions were no more than conclusions and failed to allege specific facts as required by said rules and the decisions thereunder.

The exercise of the trial court’s discretionary power to grant or deny continuance is subject to review on appeal, but judgment will not be reversed for denial of application for continuance unless abuse of discretion is shown. See Fritsch v. J. M. English Truck Line, 151 Tex. 168, 246 S.W.2d 856 (1952); Bray v. Miller, 397 S.W.2d 103 (Tex.Civ.App., Dallas, 1965, wr. ref. n. r. e.). Assuming that appellant’s motions for continuance were duly presented to the court, on the record before us there is no abuse of discretion shown on the part of the trial court in refusing to sustain them. Appellant’s point one is overruled.

Appellant’s second point of error asserts that appellee’s petition for adoption is insufficient in law in that it fails to allege grounds for not requiring the written consent of the natural father.

Appellee’s petition alleged in part as follows:

“The natural father of said child is ERAS/MO GARCIA who lives in Salinino, Texas and whose consent is not required for the reason that, as provided for in Section 6 of Article 46a, V.A.C.S., he has not contributed to the support of said child during at least two (2) years prior to the exhibiting of this petition and in fact has not contributed substantially to the support of said child during the last seven (7) years and has, in fact, seen said child only on two occasions during said seven year period.”

Appellant’s specific complaint is that the petition for adoption did not allege that appellant had not contributed substantially to the support of his minor child for a period of two (2) years “commensurate with his financial ability.” However, appellant’s plea of intervention alleged in part as follows:

“Since Intervenor’s loss of actual custody of said child, through child’s mother’s wish to separate from Inter-venor, your Intervenor has contributed to his said child commensurate with his ability and the child’s need.”

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Bluebook (online)
434 S.W.2d 895, 1968 Tex. App. LEXIS 2146, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/garcia-v-canales-texapp-1968.