in Re Gene Timberlake, Individually and on Behalf of the Estate of Joan Hughes Timberlake

501 S.W.3d 105, 2015 Tex. App. LEXIS 12279, 2015 WL 7873726
Court of Appeals of Texas·Decided December 3, 2015·No. NO. 14-15-00109-CV·Published·Cited by 7 cases

Opinions

MAJORITY OPINION

Marc W. Brown, Justice

On February 9, 2015, relator Gene Tim-berlake, individually and on behalf of the Estate of Joan Hughes Timberlake, filed a petition for writ of mandamus in this Court,. See Tex. Gov’t Code Ann, § 22.221 (West 2004); see also Tex. R. App. P. 52. In the petition, relator asks this Court to compel the Honorable Mike Wood, presiding judge of the Probate Court No. 2 of Harris County, to vacate the trial court’s September 18, 2013 order granting a new trial and to reinstate the trial court’s June 14, 2013 final judgment. We deny relator’s petition for writ of mandamus.

Background

The underlying action was initiated in September 2009 by relator, on his own behalf and on behalf of the Estate of Joan Hughes Timberlake—relator’s step-mother. Relator sought to remove Cecelia Timberlake1 as independent executrix and to recover damages for Cecelia’s allegedly improper conduct with respect to Joan’s assets both before and after Joan’s death. Relator also sought damages from Ray Timberlake—relator’s brother and Cecelia’s husband—who relator contended knowingly participated in Cecelia’s alleged breaches of fiduciary duty.

In April 2012, the trial court granted partial summary judgment in favor of Ray and Cecelia on several claims. The remaining claims were tried to a jury in September 2012. During trial, the trial court granted a directed verdict in favor of Ray and Cecelia on certain claims. The jury subsequently returned a unanimous verdict in favor of relator on all nine submitted issues.

On November 7, 2012, Ray and Cecelia filed a motion for new trial, or, alternatively, for judgment notwithstanding the verdict (the “2012 MNT/JNOV”). A hearing was held on November 27, 2012, at which the trial court heard argument concerning the portion of the motion requesting a judgment notwithstanding the verdict; however, the trial court recognized that the portion of the motion requesting a new trial was premature, as no final judgment had yet been signed.

On June 14, 2013, the trial court signed a final judgment. The final judgment granted, in part, Ray and Cecelia’s motion for judgment notwithstanding the verdict.2

[107] On July 12,2013, Ray and- Cecelia filed a second motion for new trial, or, alternatively, for judgment notwithstanding the verdict (the “2013 MNT/JNOV”).

On September 18, 2013, the trial court signed an order granting Ray and Cecelia’s 2013 MNT/JNOV. The new trial order set aside the entirety of the jury’s verdict and vacated the court’s June 14, 2013 final judgment.' The new trial order stated that the partial summary judgment and directed verdict rulings granted before the jury’s verdict in favor of Cecelia and Ray were thereby severed and made final, with the result that only the claims that Ray and Cecelia lost were to be re-tried.

Relator subsequently filed a motion for reconsideration, which was orally denied by the trial court on October 8, 2013. On November 4, 2013, relator requested the preparation of the reporter’s record, which was completed on March 3, 2014. The instant mandamus petition was not filed until February 9, 2015—over 11 months after the record was completed, and nearly 17 months after the order granting a new trial was signed.

Analysis

In three issues, relator contends that the trial court erred by granting a new trial because: (1) there is legally and factually sufficient evidence to support the jury’s answers to all nine issues, in the jury charge;3 (2) the new trial was granted in part on legally impermissible grounds— specifically, that a new trial was necessary because the jury was not permitted to learn of Ray and Cecelia’s partial summary judgment and directed verdict victories; and (3) the new trial order was signed after the trial court lost plenary power to grant a new trial and was therefore void.

Ray and Cecelia responded that relator’s claims were barred by laches or, alternatively, that the trial court did not abuse its discretion by granting a new trial.

I. Laches

Mandamus is an extraordinary remedy, not issued as a matter of right, but at the discretion of the court. Rivercenter Assocs. v. Rivera, 858 S.W.2d 366, 367 (Tex.1993). Although mandamus is not an equitable remedy, its issuance is largely controlled by equitable principles, including the principle that equity aids the diligent and not those who slumber on their rights. Id. Therefore, “delay alone can provide ample ground to deny mandamus relief.” In re Boehme, 256 S.W.3d 878, 887 (Tex.App.-Houston [14th Dist.] 2008, orig. proceeding); see also In re Int’l Profit Assocs., Inc., 274 S.W.3d 672, 676 (Tex.2009) (per curiam) (orig.proceeding) (“[Delaying the filing of a petition for mandamus relief may waive the right to mandamus unless the relator can justify the delay.”); In re E. Tex. Salt Water Disposal Co., 72 S.W.3d 445, 448 (Tex.App.-Tyler 2002, orig. proceeding) (“Texas courts often deny mandamus relief on the [108] basis of delay alone.”); In re Xeller, 6 S.W.3d 618, 624 (Tex.App.-Houston [14th Dist.] 1999, orig. proceeding) (“Delay alone provides ample ground to deny mandamus relief.... Because relators waited sixteen months to seek mandamus relief from the appointment of a master, we hold that mandamus relief on that basis is barred by laches.”); Int’l Awards, Inc. v. Medina, 900 S.W.2d 934, 935-36 (Tex.App.-Amarillo 1995, orig. proceeding) (“Why [relator] waited more than four months from the date severance was ordered, and until the eve of trial, to petition for relief went unexplained. Moreover, such a delay alone provides ample ground to deny leave to petition for mandamus relief.”).

In the instant suit, relator waited nearly 17 months from the trial court’s granting of new trial to file his petition for writ of mandamus. Even discounting the time for preparation of the record, relator still waited more than 11 months after the record was completed to file his petition. The only explanation relator offers for the delay is that his counsel was busy and was also running for a' judicial position, and that the petition required extensive time to draft and revise. We do not find such explanation sufficient to justify the delay. See, e.g., In re Little, 998 S.W.2d 287, 290 (Tex.App.-Houston [1st Dist.] 1999, orig. proceeding) (attorney’s busy schedule was insufficient justification for delay). Accordingly, we conclude that because relator waited approximately Í7 months from the signing of the order to seek mandamus relief, relator’s first and second issues are barred by laches. See, e.g., Rivercenter Assocs., 858 S.W.2d at 367-68 (four month delay sufficient to deny); In re Little, 998 S.W.2d at 290 (six month delay sufficient to deny); Furr’s Supermarkets, Inc. v. Mulanax, 897 S.W.2d 442, 443 (Tex.App.-El Paso 1995, orig. proceeding) (four month delay sufficient to deny).

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in Re Gene Timberlake, Individually and on Behalf of the Estate of Joan Hughes Timberlake, 501 S.W.3d 105, 2015 Tex. App. LEXIS 12279, 2015 WL 7873726 (Tex. Ct. App. 2015).

501 S.W.3d 105 (in Re Gene Timberlake, Individually and on Behalf of the Estate of Joan Hughes Timberlake) — published by Counsel Stack Legal Research, free access to 12M+ legal documents.

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