Harris County Appraisal Review Board v. General Electric Corp.

819 S.W.2d 915, 1991 Tex. App. LEXIS 2706, 1991 WL 225957
CourtCourt of Appeals of Texas
DecidedNovember 7, 1991
DocketA14-90-01039-CV
StatusPublished
Cited by28 cases

This text of 819 S.W.2d 915 (Harris County Appraisal Review Board v. General Electric Corp.) 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
Harris County Appraisal Review Board v. General Electric Corp., 819 S.W.2d 915, 1991 Tex. App. LEXIS 2706, 1991 WL 225957 (Tex. Ct. App. 1991).

Opinions

OPINION

CANNON, Justice.

This is a property tax case. The Harris County Appraisal Review Board (the Board) appeals from a summary judgment granted in favor of General Electric Corporation (G.E.). The sole issue is whether a taxpayer is required to file an additional protest under section 41.411 of the Property Tax Code (the Code) when the Board fails to give the taxpayer a hearing on its original protest filed under section 41.41. Because we find that the Code does not place such a burden on the taxpayer, we affirm.

On June 27, 1986, G.E. filed a timely written notice of protest with the Board protesting the appraised value of certain of its property for ad valorem tax purposes for the tax year 1986. Tex.Tax Code Ann. § 41.41 (Vernon Supp.1991). The Board failed to schedule or give notice of a hearing nor did it otherwise determine G.E.’s protest as required by the Code. Tex.Tax Code Ann. §§ 41.45(a), 41.46(a), 41.47(a) (Vernon 1982 & Supp.1991). On September 26, 1986, G.E.’s property was included on the Harris County Appraisal District’s (the District) 1986 appraisal roll that was certified to the City of Houston, the Houston Independent School District, and Harris County. Each taxing unit included the property on its 1986 tax roll and sent G.E. a tax bill. In January 1987, G.E. timely paid each bill, by a check, marked “under protest.”

By letter dated July 8,1987, G.E. reminded the District’s chief appraiser of the protest of the appraisal and requested a review of its account. A reply from the chief appraiser is not included in the record. By letter dated September 27, 1987, the Board’s chairman responded to a letter from G.E. dated September 17. The September 17 letter is also not a part of the record. The Board’s chairman advised G.E. that the District failed to process the protest and failed to schedule it for a hearing. He also advised G.E. that section 41.411 of the Code provided G.E. a remedy but that G.E.’s notice of protest filed under 41.411 regarding the Board’s failure to give notice was not timely because it was not filed “prior to the date the taxes on the property to which the notice applies became delinquent.” Tex.Tax Code Ann. [917]*917§ 41.44(c) (Vernon Supp.1991). Because G.E.’s account had already been certified to the taxing units and because G.E. did not comply with 41.411, the Board’s chairman informed G.E. that the Board was without jurisdiction to take further action on G.E.’s account. On January 27, 1988, the Board received a letter from G.E.’s counsel demanding that it grant G.E. a hearing under 41.411. When the Board did not comply, G.E. filed an application for writ of mandamus to compel the District and the Board to give G.E. a hearing pursuant to 41.411.

All parties moved for summary judgment. On September 24, 1990, the trial court signed a final summary judgment. In its judgment, the trial court granted G.E.’s motion for partial summary judgment against the Board and ordered the clerk to issue a writ of mandamus compelling the Board to hear and determine G.E.’s protest pursuant to 41.411. The court denied G.E.’s motion for summary judgment against the District and denied the motion for summary judgment of the District and the Board. Although the District and the Board filed a joint notice of appeal, the District dismissed its appeal and only the Board remains as appellant.

In two points of error, the Board contends the trial court erred in granting G.E.’s motion for summary judgment and in denying the Board’s motion for summary judgment.

A movant for summary judgment has the burden of showing there is no genuine issue of material fact and that it is entitled to judgment as a matter of law. Nixon v. Mr. Property Management Co., 690 S.W.2d 546, 548-49 (Tex.1985). In reviewing the summary judgment proof, a court must take as true evidence favorable to the non-movant, and indulge all inferences and resolve all doubts in the non-mov-ant’s favor. Id. When both parties move for summary judgment and one such motion was granted and the other denied, the appellate court should determine all questions presented to the trial court, including whether the losing party’s motion should have been overruled. Jones v. Strauss, 745 S.W.2d 898, 900 (Tex.1988). Each party must carry his or her burden and neither can prevail because of the failure of the other to discharge his or her burden. Federal Deposit Ins. Corp. v. Attayi, 745 S.W.2d 939, 941 (Tex.App.—Houston [1st Dist.] 1988, no writ).

It is undisputed that G.E. timely filed a notice of protest of the appraisal as required by sections 41.41 and 41.44 of the Code. It is also undisputed that the Board did not schedule a hearing on G.E.’s protest as required by section 41.45(a) and, thus, did not give notice of a hearing to G.E. as required by section 41.46(a). Section 41.-411 entitles a taxpayer to file a protest even after the appraisal review board has approved the appraisal records if the taxpayer’s complaint is that it did not receive notice from the appraisal district or the appraisal review board. 19 St. MaRy’s L.J. 278, 294-95 (1987). That section titled “Protest of Failure to Give Notice,” provides as follows:

(a) A property owner is entitled to protest before the appraisal review board the failure of the chief appraiser or the appraisal review board to provide or deliver any notice to which the property owner is entitled.
(b) If failure to provide or deliver the notice is established, the appraisal review board shall determine a protest made by the property owner on any other grounds of protest authorized by this title relating to the property to which the notice applies.
(c) A property owner who protests as provided by this section must comply with the payment requirements of Section 42.08 or he forfeits his right to a final determination.

TexTax Code Ann. § 41.411 (Vernon Supp. 1991).

Even with the failure to provide or deliver notice established, the Board contends that G.E.’s right to a hearing and determination of its protest of the appraised value of its property under 41.411(b) is conditioned upon G.E.’s compliance, not only with the payment requirements of section 42.08, but also with the statutory deadline [918]*918of section 41.44(c). Neither 41.411 nor 42.08 refers to 41.44(c).

The Board admits and the record reflects that G.E. complied with the payment requirements of 42.08.1 The Board contends, however, that G.E. did not comply with 41.44(c), which provides that:

A property owner who files a notice of protest authorized by Section 41.411 is entitled to a hearing and determination of the protest if he files the notice prior to the date the taxes on the property to which the notice applies becomes delinquent (emphasis added).

Tex.Tax Code Ann. § 41.411(c) (Vernon Supp.1991).

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Bluebook (online)
819 S.W.2d 915, 1991 Tex. App. LEXIS 2706, 1991 WL 225957, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/harris-county-appraisal-review-board-v-general-electric-corp-texapp-1991.