In re Sewell

472 S.W.3d 449, 2015 Tex. App. LEXIS 8854, 2015 WL 5011635
CourtCourt of Appeals of Texas
DecidedAugust 25, 2015
DocketNo. 06-15-00032-CV
StatusPublished
Cited by10 cases

This text of 472 S.W.3d 449 (In re Sewell) 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 Sewell, 472 S.W.3d 449, 2015 Tex. App. LEXIS 8854, 2015 WL 5011635 (Tex. Ct. App. 2015).

Opinion

OPINION

Opinion by

Justice Burgess

Carlton Sewell, Relator, has filed a petition for a writ of mandamus seeking relief from an order denying his motion to withdraw deemed admissions. After considering Relator’s petition and the response by the real parties in interest (RPI),1 we hold that the trial court erred in denying Relator’s motion to withdraw his deemed admissions. We conditionally grant the writ of mandamus and order the trial court to vacate its orders denying withdrawal of Relator’s deemed admissions and to grant his motion to withdraw the deemed admissions.

1. Background Facts

On January 15, 2008, Relator obtained an order from the County Court of Hopkins County probating as a muniment of title Velma Ruth Fitzgerald’s will dated August 8, 2007 (the Will). On January 30, 2008, the RPI- filed an opposition to the probate of the Will alleging that Fitzgerald lacked testamentary capacity and that the Will was the result of undue influence exerted by Relator. The RPI alleged that Relator systematically gained psychological control over Fitzgerald by sequestering her and preventing contact between her and other family members. The RPI further alleged that Relator utilized the authority Fitzgerald granted to. him through a power of attorney to convert certain of her assets to his benefit. The contested probate proceeding was then transferred to-the County, Court at Law of Hopkins County. The issue before the Court in this original proceeding arises from Relator’s failure to timely answer requests for admissions during a period in which he was not represented by counsel.

On May 13, 2008, the RPI deposed Relator. On January 23, 2009, Relator’s original attorney was allowed to withdraw from his representation of Relator. On May 13, 2010, which was during'the period in which Relator was unrepresented by counsel, he was served with requests for admissions2 by the RPI. Relator admitted that the signature on the certified mail return receipt was his, but he did not remember the document. Relator did not answer the requests for admissions by-the deadline, and under Rule 198.2 of the Texas Rules of Civil Procedure, they were deemed admit[454]*454ted. See Tex. R. Civ. P. 198.2(c). Relator remained unrepresented by counsel until August 4, 2010, when Frank Bauer filed his notice of appearance on Relator’s behalf. When Bauer entered his appearance, less than three months after the requests were served, he requested that all notices given and papers that had been served in the proceeding be served on him. The RPI did not serve the requests for admissions on Bauer.

The parties agree that after the requests for admissions were served,' they conducted additional discovery, including requests for disclosures, interrogatories, requests for production, and additional depositions. On April 22, 2013, Bauer was allowed to withdraw as counsel for Relator. On July 19, 2013, Relator retained the services of his current counsel, J. Brad McCampbell, to represent him in the suit.

The case was set for a jury trial on the afternoon of January 12, 2015. That morning, the RPI filed a certificate of deemed admissions, attaching the requests for admissions previously served on Relator. Neither Bauer nor McCampbell had any knowledge of the requests for admissions before the certificate was filed on the morning the case was set for trial. The trial court continued the case, and on February 10, 2015, Relator filed a motion to withdraw the deemed admissions, along with responses denying each of the requests for admissions.

On April 7, 2015, the trial court held a hearing on Relator’s motion to withdraw the deemed admissions. Shortly before the hearing, the RPI filed a motion for summary judgment based on the deemed admissions. By order dated April 14, 2015, the trial court denied Relator’s motion to withdraw the deemed admissions and set the RPI’s motion for summary judgment for a hearing. After Relator filed his petition for a writ of mandamus in this Court, the RPI filed a notice withdrawing eight of the deemed admissions that they acknowledged were merit-preclu-sive. Of the eight remaining non-withdrawn deemed admissions, the RPI admit that two are merit-preclusive. In the same filing, the RPI repudiated their motion for summary judgment.

On July 7, 2015, the trial court entered an order accepting the RPI’s withdrawal of eight deemed admissions, reaffirming its order denying Relator’s motion to withdraw the eight remaining deemed admissions, and finding that Relator did not have good cause to withdraw the admissions because he had acted with conscious indifference. The trial court accepted the RPI’s withdrawal of their motion for summary judgment.

II. General Standard of Review Applicable to Petitions Seeking a Writ of Mandamus

Mandamus issues only when the record shows (1) a clear abuse of discretion by the trial court or the failure of the trial court to perform a ministerial act or duty and (2) the absence of an adequate remedy at law. Walker v. Packer, 827 S.W.2d 833, 839-40 (Tex.1992) (orig. proceeding); In re Ingram, 433 S.W.3d 769, 771 (Tex.App.—Texarkana 2014, orig. proceeding); In re Rozelle, 229 S.W.3d 757, 760 (Tex.App.— San Antonio 2007, orig. proceeding). The trial court errs in this context when “ ‘it reaches a decision so arbitrary and unreasonable as to amount to a clear and prejudicial error of law.’ ” Walker, 827 S.W.2d at 839 (quoting Johnson v. Fourth Court of Appeals, 700 S.W.2d 916, 917 (Tex.1985) (orig. proceeding)); Ingram, 433 S.W.3d at 771; see also Rozelle, 229 S.W.3d at 760. Under this standard, when determining applicable law or applying the law to the facts, the trial court has no discretion. Walker, 827 S.W.2d at 840; Ingram, 433 [455]*455S.W.3d at 771. When the trial court clearly fails to correctly analyze or apply the law in this context, mandamus may issue. Walker, 827 S.W.2d at 840; Ingram, 433 S.W.3d at 771; Rozelle, 229 S.W.3d at 761. Thus, mandamus will issue when a trial court fails to apply the proper legal standard. See NCNB Tex. Nat’l Bank v. Coker, 765 S.W.2d 398, 400 (Tex.1989).

Generally, a trial court’s orders relating to discovery can be corrected on appeal, and consequently, mandamus is typically not available with respect to discovery issues. Rozelle, 229 S.W.3d at 761, For this reason, a party seeking mandamus review of a trial court’s discovery order must also show that an ordinary appeal is an inadequate remedy. Walker, 827 S.W.2d at 841-42; Rozelle, 229 S.W.3d at 761. If the trial court imposes discovery sanctions that effectively preclude a party from presenting, his claims or defenses, such as striking pleadings, dismissing the action, or entering a default judgment, then an ordinary appeal is an inadequate remedy unless a final, ap-pealable judgment is entered simultaneously. Walker, 827 S.W.2d at 843; TransAmerican Natural Gas Corp. v. Powell,

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Bluebook (online)
472 S.W.3d 449, 2015 Tex. App. LEXIS 8854, 2015 WL 5011635, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/in-re-sewell-texapp-2015.