Garza v. Harney

726 S.W.2d 198, 1987 Tex. App. LEXIS 6317
CourtCourt of Appeals of Texas
DecidedJanuary 30, 1987
Docket07-86-0012-CV
StatusPublished
Cited by28 cases

This text of 726 S.W.2d 198 (Garza v. Harney) 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
Garza v. Harney, 726 S.W.2d 198, 1987 Tex. App. LEXIS 6317 (Tex. Ct. App. 1987).

Opinion

COUNTISS, Justice.

This is an original mandamus proceeding. Tex.R.Civ.Pro. 383; Tex. Gov’t Code Ann. § 22.221 (Vernon Pamph.Supp.1986). Relator Oscar Eduardo Martinez Garza (“Garza”) has petitioned this Court for a writ of mandamus directing respondent, The Honorable Naomi Harney, to rescind *200 temporary orders entered by her in a domestic controversy. We conditionally grant the writ in part and deny the writ in part.

Garza and the other real party in interest in this case, Shelley Elizabeth Taylor (“Taylor”), were husband and wife residing in Monterrey, N.L., Mexico. Two minor children, a son and a daughter, were bom of the marriage. In early 1983, Garza and Taylor mutually petitioned the First Court of Family Affairs, First Judicial District of Monterrey, for a divorce and related relief. In August 1983, the court granted the divorce. The court also ordered the parties to abide by various mutual agreements concerning their property and children. Among other things, Taylor received what appears to be temporary custody of her children, but was ordered not to remove them from the Monterrey area. Garza was given extensive visitation rights. The Mexican court planned to enter final custodial orders after various psychological studies were completed.

In June 1985, while the custody matter was still pending in the Monterrey court, 1 Taylor moved with the children to Randall County, Texas. Garza then filed a petition in the 251st District Court of Randall County seeking to enforce the Mexico orders and compel the return of the children to Mexico. Taylor filed a counterclaim asking for a temporary injunction, and ultimately, modification of the Mexican decree.

Respondent granted the ^temporary injunction pending final orders, permitting the children to remain with Taylor in the United States and substantially limiting Garza’s access to the children.

By this suit, Garza contends the district court in Randall County had neither the jurisdiction nor the power to enter a temporary order and alter the Mexican decree, that by doing so the district court abused its discretion and that we should by writ of mandamus correct that abuse by requiring the district court to rescind its temporary order and dismiss Taylor’s counterclaim.

At the outset, we note that mandamus is an extraordinary remedy. Callahan v. Giles, 137 Tex. 571, 155 S.W.2d 793, 795 (1941). Its office is to execute, not to adjudicate; therefore, unless relator clearly shows a legal right to the performance by respondent of the duty sought to be enforced, Wortham v. Walker, 133 Tex. 255, 128 S.W.2d 1138, 1151 (1939), or a clear abuse of discretion, Crane v. Tanks, 160 Tex. 182, 328 S.W.2d 434, 440 (1959), the writ will not issue. This Court cannot entertain an application for writ of mandamus to resolve a fact question. Rogers v. Lynn, 121 Tex. 467, 49 S.W.2d 709, 714, reh’g denied, 121 Tex. 467, 51 S.W.2d 1113-14 (1932).

Garza seeks relief under the Uniform Child Custody Jurisdiction Act, Sub-chapter B of Title 2 of the Family Code, Tex.Fam.Code Ann. §§ 11.51-11.75 (Vernon 1986). The initial question is whether the Act applies to a proceeding in a foreign nation. By § 11.73, the “general policies” of the Act “extend to the international area.” 2 Under that section, a decree of a similar court in another nation where basic due process was observed, is to be recognized and enforced by Texas courts. Tex. Fam.Code Ann. § 11.73 (Vernon 1986).

Under the record before us, the Mexican court functions like a Texas court handling domestic matters. Both Garza and Taylor appeared voluntarily before that court and it is obvious that the court observed basic due process. Thus, we hold the Act applicable to this case.

Garza contends that, under the Act, the district court had neither the jurisdiction nor the power to render the order in ques *201 tion. In order to analyze his contentions, we must review certain sections of the Act. Section 11.53, the jurisdictional section, permits a Texas court with general jurisdiction over custody matters to make a custody determination by initial decree or modification decree if one of four possible jurisdictional bases exists. Those four bases are commonly referred to as the (1) home state, (2) significant connection, (3) emergency, and (4) default bases. 3 Even if a jurisdictional base exists, the Texas court may not be able to determine or modify custody, however. For instance, section 11.56 says the Texas court may not exercise its jurisdiction if, at the time of filing the petition, a proceeding concerning the custody of the child was pending in a court of another state exercising jurisdiction substantially in conformity with this subchapter, unless the proceeding is stayed by the court of the other state because this state is a more appropriate forum or for other reasons. Additionally, under section 11.64(a), a Texas court may not modify the decree of a court of a sister state unless:

(1) it appears to the court of this state that the court that rendered the decree does not have jurisdiction under jurisdictional prerequisites substantially in accordance with this subchapter or has de-dined to assume jurisdiction to modify the decree; and
(2) the court of this state has jurisdiction.

Thus, the first substantive question is whether the trial court had jurisdiction of this case under § 11.53. The only jurisdictional ground mentioned in the trial court’s temporary order, 4 or relied on by Taylor, is the third ground, the “emergency” ground. That ground is satisfied if (1) the child is physically present in Texas, and (2) has either been abandoned or “it is necessary in an emergency to protect the child because he has been subjected to or threatened with mistreatment or abuse or is otherwise neglected or there is a serious and immediate question concerning the welfare of the child_” Tex.Fam.Code Ann. § 11.53(a)(3)(B) (Vernon 1986).

But, says Garza, there is no evidence of either element of the ground. We will treat Garza’s argument as a legal insufficiency contention and, applying the standard mandated by Garza v. Alviar, 395 S.W.2d 821 (Tex.1965), we will examine the record for any probative evidence to support the court’s action, ignoring all contrary evidence.

*202

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Bluebook (online)
726 S.W.2d 198, 1987 Tex. App. LEXIS 6317, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/garza-v-harney-texapp-1987.