in the Interest of L.R.S. and C.M.S., Children

CourtCourt of Appeals of Texas
DecidedMarch 3, 2011
Docket02-09-00244-CV
StatusPublished

This text of in the Interest of L.R.S. and C.M.S., Children (in the Interest of L.R.S. and C.M.S., Children) 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 L.R.S. and C.M.S., Children, (Tex. Ct. App. 2011).

Opinion

COURT OF APPEALS SECOND DISTRICT OF TEXAS FORT WORTH

NO. 02-09-00244-CV

IN THE INTEREST OF L.R.S. AND C.M.S., CHILDREN

----------

FROM THE 325TH DISTRICT COURT OF TARRANT COUNTY

MEMORANDUM OPINION1 ---------- I. Introduction

Appellant Zaida Basora appeals the trial court’s order in this post-divorce

modification and enforcement suit filed against her by Mark Swanson. Basora

contends in five issues that the trial court abused its discretion by excluding her

trial evidence for failure to sufficiently answer interrogatories, by finding that she

overcharged Swanson for health and dental insurance premiums, by failing to

1 See Tex. R. App. P. 47.4. find that Swanson breached his contractual obligation to pay fifty percent of their

daughter’s college expenses, by failing to find that Swanson owed additional

arrearages of $2,100 plus interest, and by denying her request for attorney’s

fees. We affirm.

II. Background

Basora and Swanson have four daughters. Their two oldest daughters are

twins, and one of the twins is hearing-impaired. Basora and Swanson divorced,

and the trial court signed the agreed divorce decree in September 1995. Basora

was appointed sole managing conservator, Swanson was appointed possessory

conservator, and Swanson agreed to pay child support and to provide health

insurance until the youngest child became emancipated. In addition, the agreed

divorce decree included the following contractual obligation:

Education Beyond High School

The parties have AGREED that each party will be responsible for and will pay fifty (50) percent of any and all reasonable education expenses incurred to send the parties[’] children, . . ., either to college or to technical, vocational, or business school, provided the child is a full-time student . . . and maintains at least a ―C‖ or equivalent grade-point average toward the completion either of a college bachelor’s degree or of a technical, vocational, or business school diploma. This obligation will include tuition, activities fees, laboratory fees, books, room and board, and other charges normally related to such education. This obligation will terminate at the time each child reaches the age of 25 years.

Beginning in 1996, Basora carried the children on her employer-provided

health insurance plan, and Swanson made payments to Basora to reimburse her

2 for the cost. In 2007, Basora and Swanson’s twin daughters graduated from high

school and made arrangements to attend college.

In December 2007, Swanson filed a petition to modify the parent-child

relationship. Swanson’s live pleading at the time of the hearing sought a

decrease in child support payments, requested that any decrease be applied

retroactively, alleged that Basora had overcharged him for health and dental

insurance premiums, and requested judgment for the excessive health and

dental insurance payments. Basora filed a counter-petition and motion to confirm

child support arrearages in March 2008, and her live pleading at the time of the

hearing sought a retroactive increase in Swanson’s child support obligation and

judgment for Swanson’s alleged cumulative arrearage and failure to pay fifty

percent of college expenses for their two oldest daughters.

The trial court conducted a hearing on the petition and counter-petition to

modify the parent-child relationship on March 4, 2009. At the hearing, the trial

court sustained Swanson’s numerous objections to Basora’s exhibits and

testimony because the trial court determined that Basora had not adequately

responded to several interrogatories. After the hearing, the trial court signed an

order that retroactively reduced Swanson’s child support obligation, reduced

Swanson’s future child support obligations, required Swanson to continue

providing health insurance for the children, found that Swanson had overpaid

Basora for past health and dental insurance premiums in the amount of

$16,228.18, found that Swanson was in arrears in the amount of $792.66,

3 awarded Swanson $15,991.23 as reimbursement for the health and dental

insurance premium overpayments, ordered Basora to pay Swanson’s attorney’s

fees, and expressly denied Basora’s breach of contract claim for nonpayment of

college expenses. This appeal followed.

III. Exclusion of Evidence

In her first issue, Basora contends that the trial court abused its discretion

by excluding her trial evidence as a discovery sanction based on her failure to

sufficiently answer interrogatories propounded by Swanson. Specifically, Basora

argues that she offered exhibits and attempted to elicit cross-examination

testimony from Swanson at the hearing relating to the cost of health insurance for

the children, how much Swanson paid for the children’s health insurance each

month, and the college expenses Basora had incurred for their daughters but that

the trial court excluded the exhibits and testimony.

The penalty under rule 193.6 for a party’s failure to respond to a discovery

request is the mandatory exclusion of the evidence requested. See Alvarado v.

Farah Mfg. Co., 830 S.W.2d 911, 914 (Tex. 1992); F & H Invs., Inc. v. State, 55

S.W.3d 663, 669 (Tex. App.—Waco 2001, no pet.). A party who fails to make,

amend, or supplement a discovery response in a timely manner may not

introduce in evidence the material or information that was not timely disclosed

unless the court finds that (1) there was good cause for the failure to timely

disclose or (2) the failure will not unfairly surprise or prejudice the other parties.

Tex. Mun. League Intergovernmental Risk Pool v. Burns, 209 S.W.3d 806, 817

4 (Tex. App.—Fort Worth 2006, no pet.) (citing Tex. R. Civ. P. 193.6(a)). The trial

court has discretion to determine whether the offering party has met its burden,

Id. (citing Alvarado, 830 S.W.2d at 914), but any ―finding of good cause or of the

lack of unfair surprise or unfair prejudice must be supported by the record.‖ Tex.

R. Civ. P. 193.6(b). Moreover, parties have a duty to amend or supplement

discovery responses ―reasonably promptly‖ after discovering the need to amend

or supplement, and ―it is presumed that an amended or supplemental [discovery]

response made less than 30 days before trial was not made reasonably

promptly.‖ Tex. R. Civ. P. 193.5(b).

Here, the trial court excluded Basora’s exhibits and testimony relating to

the cost of the children’s health insurance, the amount Swanson paid for the

children’s health insurance and the college expenses Basora incurred because

Basora did not adequately respond to interrogatories. Concerning health

insurance, Swanson’s interrogatory had requested that Basora state the cost of

the health insurance that she provided for the children, the amount she

requested that Swanson pay, and the amount that Swanson paid each month for

the insurance. Basora’s responses, subject to a relevancy objection, were that

the amounts ―varied annually,‖ ―varied annually over the past 13 years,‖ and

―varied annually over the last 13 years‖ and that she did not have documents

containing the information. Concerning college expenses, Swanson’s

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