in the Interest of I.M.B.

148 S.W.3d 653, 2004 Tex. App. LEXIS 9131, 2004 WL 2314547
CourtCourt of Appeals of Texas
DecidedOctober 14, 2004
Docket09-03-00551-CV
StatusPublished

This text of 148 S.W.3d 653 (in the Interest of I.M.B.) 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 the Interest of I.M.B., 148 S.W.3d 653, 2004 Tex. App. LEXIS 9131, 2004 WL 2314547 (Tex. Ct. App. 2004).

Opinion

OPINION

PER CURIAM.

Christie E. Cope (Christie) appeals an order which, inter alia, granted Michael P. Bain (Michael) the exclusive right to establish the primary residence of their child, I.M.B. Said order was entered following a bench trial. A detailed rendition of the facts presented to the trial court is not possible as the reporter’s record consists of six and one-half pages of noncontiguous testimonial excerpts. What does appear in the clerk’s record is that in February, 2002, Christie filed a petition seeking to establish paternity of I.M.B., conservator-ship of I.M.B., and medical and child support. Michael answered, admitted paternity, and counter-sued for possession of I.M.B. and child support from Christie. The trial court signed temporary orders on August 15, 2002, naming both Christie and Michael joint managing conservators of I.M.B., and further naming Michael as the parent with the right to establish I.M.B.’s primary residence. Over the course of the next year, circumstances between Christie and Michael appear to have been less than harmonious, as the record contains several motions , for emergency temporary orders filed by Christie, alleging endangerment of I.M.B.’s physical, emotional, psychological and mental health while in Michael’s possession. On August 11, 2003, the bench trial took place resulting in the order from which Christie prosecutes this appeal.

Christie raises four issues for our consideration:

Point 1: The Trial Court erred in denying Appellant her Constitutional and statutory right to trial by jury.
Point 2: The Trial Court erred in denying Appellant’s request for trial by jury, when she paid the jury fee 27 days before trial and gave written notice of her request for jury trial to opposing counsel and to the Court a few days later as required by Government Code, § 51.604.
Point 3: The Trial Court erred in impliedly finding Rule 216, T.R.C.P. to be constitutional and controlling in refusing a jury trial.
Point 4: The Trial Court erred in awarding the superior joint managing conservatorship (physical custody) of the young child to Appellee despite prohibitions in the Family Code and despite his pattern and history of family violence by one parent against the other, of his continuing alcohol abuse, of child endangerment, and of his recent felony DWI conviction.

At the outset, we find we must overrule issue four as Christie failed to comply with Tex.R.App. P. 34.6(c)(1) when she requested a partial reporter’s record from the court reporter. Rule 34.6(c)(1) provides that, if an appellant requests only a partial reporter’s record, the appellant must include in the request a statement of the points or issues to be presented on appeal, and, in the appeal,, appellant will be limited to those points or issues. Christie’s designation of the reporter’s record requests the court reporter to prepare only the following from the trial record:

1. Petitioner’s trial-opening oral request for a jury trial.
2. Petitioner’s offered Exhibit Nos. 1-5 and the Court’s rulings on each.

*655 Failure to comply with Rule 34.6(c)(1) results in a presumption that the omitted parts of the record are relevant to the disposition of the appeal, and that they support the trial court’s ruling. See Christiansen v. Prezelski, 782 S.W.2d 842, 843 (Tex.1990); Coleman v. Carpentier, 132 S.W.3d 108, 110 (Tex.App.-Beaumont 2004, no pet.). The record before us indicates a complete failure by Christie in filing the required statement of points. Therefore, we must presume that the missing portions of the record contain relevant evidence which supports the trial court’s granting Michael the right to establish I.M.B.’s primary residence. See Coleman, 132 S.W.3d at 111. Issue four is overruled.

With regard to issues one, two, and three, Christie admits that she filed her request for a jury trial less than thirty days prior to the trial date. 1 Under issue one, she contends that, because the right to a trial by jury is based in both the United States Constitution and the Texas Constitution, Rule 216, adopted by the Texas Supreme Court under its rule-making authority, cannot override rights guaranteed by both constitutions. Under issue two, she contends that Rule 216 contradicts the provisions contained in Tex. Gov’t Code Ann. § 51.604 (Vernon 1998); therefore, Rule 216 “must fall in the face of the Constitutional provisions and the enacted statute.” Issue three appears to be a combination of the arguments under issues one and two.

Initially, we must overrule issue one and a portion of issue three as we conclude that Christie failed to preserve her constitutional claims in the trial court. Her written request for a jury trial cites to no constitutional authority, and she did not raise the issue in any post-judgment motion. The partial reporter’s record does not indicate she brought it to the trial court’s attention. The only reference to the constitution we can locate in the record is in Christie’s notice of appeal. The only argument Christie presented to the trial court was that section 51.604 controlled. Under our rules of appellate procedure, a party must present to the trial court a timely request, motion, or objection, state the specific grounds therefor, and obtain a ruling. Tex.R.App. P. 33.1. See In re L.M.I. and J.A.I., 119 S.W.3d 707, 711 (Tex.2003). Accordingly, we find Christie’s constitution-based appellate issues were not preserved in the trial court. Issue one is overruled in its entirety and issue three is overruled insofar as it advances constitutional authority for relief.

With regard to issue two and the remainder of issue three, the solution is to be found in Universal Printing Co., Inc. v. Premier Victorian Homes, Inc., 73 S.W.3d 283 (Tex.App.-Houston [1st Dist.] 2001, pet. denied). In Universal Printing, although the request for a jury was made timely, the fee was paid less than thirty days before trial, but over ten days before trial. Id. at 289. Over timely objection, the trial court ruled that trial would proceed without a jury. Id. at 291. On appeal, the requesting party argued that the ten-day jury fee deadline under section 51.604 controlled rather than the thirty-day deadline under Rule 216. Id. at 291-92. They further argued that section 51.604 and Rule 216 conflict, and that a statute prevails over a rule. 2 Id. at 292.

*656

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Related

Coleman v. Carpentier
132 S.W.3d 108 (Court of Appeals of Texas, 2004)
Christiansen v. Prezelski
782 S.W.2d 842 (Texas Supreme Court, 1990)
Mercedes-Benz Credit Corp. v. Rhyne
925 S.W.2d 664 (Texas Supreme Court, 1996)
Universal Printing Co. v. Premier Victorian Homes, Inc.
73 S.W.3d 283 (Court of Appeals of Texas, 2002)
in the Interest of L.M.I. and J.A.I., Minor Children
119 S.W.3d 707 (Texas Supreme Court, 2003)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
148 S.W.3d 653, 2004 Tex. App. LEXIS 9131, 2004 WL 2314547, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/in-the-interest-of-imb-texapp-2004.