In Re ADA

287 S.W.3d 382, 2009 WL 1470590
CourtCourt of Appeals of Texas
DecidedMay 28, 2009
Docket06-08-00134-CV
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 287 S.W.3d 382 (In Re ADA) 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
In Re ADA, 287 S.W.3d 382, 2009 WL 1470590 (Tex. Ct. App. 2009).

Opinion

287 S.W.3d 382 (2009)

In the Interest of A.D.A. and S.L.A., Children.

No. 06-08-00134-CV.

Court of Appeals of Texas, Texarkana.

Submitted May 14, 2009.
Decided May 28, 2009.

*384 Kevin Armstrong, Teague, TX, pro se.

James P. Finstrom, Attorney At Law, Jefferson, TX, for appellee.

Before MORRISS, C.J., CARTER and MOSELEY, JJ.

OPINION

Opinion by Justice MOSELEY.

In this procedural disaster, Kevin Shawn Armstrong, proceeding pro se,[1] appeals the final divorce decree appointing Stacy Dea Wooldridge, the Mother, sole managing conservator of A.D.A. and S.L.A., the children of Armstrong and Wooldridge. The Mother filed a petition in a suit affecting the parent-child relationship seeking to be appointed sole managing conservator of the children. The petition alleged that Armstrong had been convicted of a felony,[2] sought termination of Armstrong's parental rights, requested *385 a permanent injunction prohibiting Armstrong from contacting Wooldridge or the children, and requested that a protective order be issued. Opal J. Woolridge,[3] the maternal grandmother, filed an intervention seeking to be appointed joint managing conservator.

The 115th Judicial District Court held a hearing (attended by Armstrong by teleconference) on November 7, 2007. At the hearing, Armstrong claimed to have evidence concerning the Mother's drug use and her physical abuse of the children. However, despite these claims, Armstrong made no formal proffer of this evidence. The trial court, noting Armstrong had not been appointed counsel to represent him in the termination proceeding, stated that it was going to sever the action for termination from the divorce.[4] The Mother and Grandmother announced to the trial court they had reached an agreement that the Mother would be appointed sole managing conservator and the Grandmother would be appointed possessory conservator. The court then orally pronounced that it was granting the divorce, announced an intention to issue temporary orders appointing the Mother as sole managing conservator and the Grandmother as possessory conservator, and ordered the Mother to take a hair follicle drug test that day. The oral pronouncement went on to say that should the drug test reveal the use of illicit drugs, "I will ask the lawyers to call me immediately and I will sign an order ... changing the conservatorship over to the maternal grandmother." Despite these oral pronouncements, the record contains no temporary orders prior to one signed by the 115th Judicial District Court on October 9, 2008.

On August 25, 2008, the judge of the 276th Judicial District[5] held a second hearing in this case, orally ordered the Mother to take a hair follicle drug test, and announced an intention to issue written temporary orders. The sole record of this hearing was the announcement of an agreement between the Mother and Grandmother and does not reflect that Armstrong attended or was made aware that it was to take place; no written orders were entered.[6]

*386 On October 9, 2008, the judge of the 115th Judicial District signed a final decree of divorce, which appointed the Mother and Grandmother as joint managing conservators of the children and which contained a permanent injunction that enjoined Armstrong from approaching or contacting the Mother or the children.

Armstrong raises five issues on appeal.[7] Armstrong complains in his first two issues that the trial court erred in failing to provide him with notice of the various hearings and in failing to give Armstrong the opportunity to be heard at a meaningful time and in a meaningful manner. In his third and fourth points of error, Armstrong argues that the trial court erred in issuing a protective order. Armstrong's fifth issue complains about the trial court's severance of the termination proceeding from the action for divorce. The sixth issue alleges the trial court abused its discretion in appointing the Mother sole managing conservator when "credible evidence was presented of a history of child neglect or abuse occurring...." Armstrong's final issue claims that the children's attorney ad litem rendered ineffective assistance of counsel. We will address each issue in turn.

I. Armstrong Has Failed to Show He Did Not Receive Notice

Armstrong argues that he failed to receive notice of numerous settings in this case.[8] In his first issue, Armstrong claims that the trial court erred in holding hearings without providing Armstrong with adequate notice. In his second issue, Armstrong claims the trial court erred in issuing a final divorce decree without first giving Armstrong the opportunity to be heard at a meaningful time and in a meaningful manner. Armstrong claims that the trial court's actions violated his rights to due process under the United States Constitution and due course of law under the Texas Constitution.

Although Armstrong objected to the adequacy of notice of the hearing on November 7, 2007, he failed to secure a ruling from the trial court on that objection. At the hearing, Armstrong, making his appearance *387 by teleconference call, claimed he did not receive adequate notice of the hearing, asked for a continuance in order to have more time to prepare and file an answer, and requested the appointment of an attorney to represent his interests. Armstrong did not object to being restricted to appearance by teleconference. The trial court informed Armstrong that an attorney ad litem had been appointed to represent the children,[9] but did not explicitly rule on his motion for continuance. In order to make certain that a complaint is preserved for our review, a party must have presented to the trial court a timely request, objection, or motion that states the specific grounds for the desired ruling. TEX.R.APP. P. 33.1(a); State Dep't of Highways & Pub. Transp. v. Payne, 838 S.W.2d 235, 241 (Tex.1992). However, the action of the trial court in proceeding with the hearing in the face of the oral motion for continuance can be deemed by a reviewing court as implicit denial of the motion. TEX.R.APP. P. 33.1(a)(2)(A); see Williams v. Bank One Texas, N.A., 15 S.W.3d 110, 114 (Tex.App.-Waco 1999, no pet.). Under these circumstances, we will construe the action of the trial court in continuing with the hearing after Armstrong had protested that he wanted a continuance as an implicit ruling that the motion for continuance was denied.

The decision to grant or deny a motion for continuance is within the trial court's sound discretion. Villegas v. Carter, 711 S.W.2d 624, 626 (Tex.1986); State v. Crank, 666 S.W.2d 91, 94 (Tex.1984); Hernandez v. Heldenfels, 374 S.W.2d 196, 202 (Tex.1963). Unless the record discloses a clear abuse of that discretion, the trial court's action in granting or refusing a motion for continuance will not be disturbed. Villegas, 711 S.W.2d at 626; Schneider Nat'l Carriers, Inc. v. Bates, 147 S.W.3d 264, 292 n. 142 (Tex.2004).

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287 S.W.3d 382, 2009 WL 1470590, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/in-re-ada-texapp-2009.