In re Estrada

492 S.W.3d 42, 2016 WL 1393945, 2016 Tex. App. LEXIS 3481
CourtCourt of Appeals of Texas
DecidedApril 5, 2016
DocketNUMBER 13-16-00127-CV
StatusPublished
Cited by11 cases

This text of 492 S.W.3d 42 (In re Estrada) 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 Estrada, 492 S.W.3d 42, 2016 WL 1393945, 2016 Tex. App. LEXIS 3481 (Tex. Ct. App. 2016).

Opinion

OPINION

Opinion by

Justice Garza1

On February 24, 2016, relator Belinda Estrada a/k/a Belinda Macias (“Estrada”) filed a petition for writ of mandamus contending that the trial court abused its discretion in granting a bill of review.2 We conditionally grant the petition for writ of mandamus.

I. BACKGROUND

The underlying litigation arises from a dispute regarding the purchase and sale of real estate. Estrada sold a lot in Edin-burg to the real parties in interest, Daniel Hernandez, Alma Veronica Hernandez, and their principal, Abel Avitia Quezada. The real parties allegedly failed to perform their obligations under the contract for sale, and Estrada foreclosed on the property. Real parties subsequently brought suit against Estrada for partition and trespass to try title in cause number C-3396-12-C in the 139th District Court of Hidal-[45]*45go County, Texas, and Estrada filed a counterclaim in that suit seeking to quiet title to the real estate involved in the sale. During the course of the case, Estrada filed a traditional motion for summary judgment. The real parties filed a response to the motion for summary judgment, and the trial court took the motion under advisement. On December 16,2014, the trial court rendered a final summary judgment in favor of Estrada.

Real parties alleged that they did not receive notice that. final judgment had been rendered. By email sent on February 13, 2015, Estrada’s counsel provided the real parties with a copy of the final judgment.

On April 16, 2015, real parties filed a petition for bill of review seeking to set aside the judgment in .cause number C-1579-15-C in the 139th District Court of Hidalgo County, Texas. Real parties also sought and received injunctive relief. Estrada filed an answer and an amended answer to the petition for bill of review.

The trial court held a non-evidentiary hearing on the petition for bill of review on June 4, 2015. On- August 10, 2015, the trial court granted the bill of review, extended, the temporary injunction previously rendered in favor of the real parties, vacated the final summary judgment rendered in cause number C-3396-12-C, and ordered the ease to be reset for trial on the merits.

This original proceeding ensued. By five issues, Estrada contends: (1) atrial court cannot grant a bill of review premised merely on the argument of counsel; (2) affidavits which are not admitted into evidence cannot support a bill of review; (3) a trial court cannot take judicial notice of the truth of the contents of affidavits; (4) a litigant cannot obtain relief by bill of review when he has not exercised his rights under Texas Rule of Civil Procedure 306a; and (5) a litigant lacks an adequate remedy by appeal from an order granting a bill of review.

This Court requested and received a response to tlie petition for writ of mandamus from the real parties in interest. The real parties filed numerous “objection's” to' the petition for writ of mandamus on grounds that “it is‘not in proper form and deliberately omits documents material to [rjelator’s claim for mandamus relief.” The real patties contend generally that (1) the trial court did not abuse its discretion in granting the bill of review, and (2) Estrada possessed an adequate remedy by appeal but did not utilize it because she could have filed an appeal from the order granting the bill of review. The real parties request “just damages” if we find this original proceeding to be frivolous.

.By reply, Estrada contends, inter alia, that the granting of a bill of review is not an immediately appealable order; that real parties improperly utilize the “old mandamus harm test”; that real parties have failed to point out any evidence supporting the trial court’s order; and'that Estrada properly presented her contention to the trial court that Rule 306a controlled. Estrada also requests that the real parties be sanctioned for their “frivolous” request for sanctions.

II. STANDARD OF REVIEW-

Mandamus is an “extraordinary remedy, not issued as a matter of right, but at the discretion of the court.” In re Prudential Ins. Co. of Am., 148 S.W.3d 124, 138 (Tex.2004) (orig.proceeding). “Mandamus relief is proper to correct a clear abuse of discretion when there is no adequate remedy by appeal.” In re Frank Motor Co., 361 S.W.3d 628, 630 (Tex.2012) (orig.proceeding); see In re Olshan Found Repair Co., 328 S.W.3d 883, 887 [46]*46(Tex.2010) (orig.proceeding); In re Prudential Ins. Co. of Am., 148 S.W.3d at 135-36; Walker v. Packer, 827 S.W.2d 833, 839 (Tex.1992) (orig.proceeding). A trial court abuses its discretion if it reaches a decision so arbi|rary and unreasonable that it amounts to a clear and. prejudicial error of law or if it clearly fails to correctly analyze or apply the law. In re Olshan Found Repair Co., 328 S.W.3d at 888; Walker, 827 S.W.2d at. 840. Mandamus will not issue “when the law provides another plain, adequate, and complete remedy.” In re Tex. Dep’t of Family & Protective Servs., 210 S.W.3d 609, 613 (Tex.2006) (orig.proceeding) (quoting In re Prudential Ins. Co. of Am., 148S.W.3d at 135-36). Stated otherwise, mandamus should not issue to correct grievances that may be addressed by other remedies. In re Columbia Med. Ctr. of Las Colinas, Subsidiary, L.P., 290 S.W.3d 204, 207 (Tex.2009) (orig.proceeding); Walker, 827 S.W.2d at 840.

The. parties in this case vigorously dispute whether or, not an erroneously granted bill of review is subject to mandamus review. By her fifth, issue, which we take out of turn, Estrada contends that she lacks an adequate remedy by. appeal and the improper granting of a bill of review merits mandamus relief:

If the bill of review is improperly granted, taxpayers, the court system, and the parties themselves will suffer a meaningless trial, only to have the results set aside on appeal. Such pleadings, motions, discovery, jury selection, evidence, trial and eventual judgment amount to a clear waste of judicial resources, causing the loss of rights, rendering mandamus proper.

In contrast, real parties allege that Estrada has an adequate remedy by appeal either from the trial court’s order granting the bill of review or by appeal from the final judgment in the case.

An order granting a bill of review is not subject to interlocutory appeal, but may instead be reviewed' on appeal from a final judgment. It is a well-established rule in Texas that if a judgment rendered in a bill of review proceeding does not dispose of the entire controversy, it is interlocutory in nature and not a fínál judgment from which an appeal will lie; See Tesoro Petroleum v. Smith, 796 S.W.2d 705, 705 (Tex.1990) (per curiam); Shahbaz v. Feizy Import & Export Co., 827 S.W.2d 63, 64 (Tex.App.-Houston [1st Dist.] 1992, no writ). Stated otherwise, a court lacks jurisdiction to hear an appeal of an order setting aside a previous judgment by bill of review but not disposing of the case on the merits. See Jordan v. Jordan, 907 S.W.2d 471, 471 (Tex.1995) (per curiam).

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492 S.W.3d 42, 2016 WL 1393945, 2016 Tex. App. LEXIS 3481, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/in-re-estrada-texapp-2016.