James Brickley v. Nicholas Watson

Court of Appeals of Texas·Decided September 9, 2025·No. 15-25-00118-CV·Published

Opinion

NO. 15-25-00118-CV

IN THE FIFTEENTH COURT OF APPEALS

at AUSTIN FILED IN’ 15th COURT OF APPEALS AUSTIN, TEXAS JAMES BRICKLEY Appellant, SEP 09 202 CHRISTOPHER A. PRINE Vv. CLERK NICHOLAS WALTON, Appellee. Appealed from the 440th Court of Coryell County, Texas APPELLANT'S BRIEF JAMFS RRICKLEY Appellant pro se

3201 FM 929

Gatesville, Texas 76597

JAMES BRICKLEY PRO SE

APPELLANT REQUESTS ORAL ARGUMENT

NO. 15-25-00118-CV

JAMES BRICKLEY, Appellant,

Vie

NICHOLAS WALTON, Appellee.

IDENTITY OF PARTIES & COUNSEL

Appellant, James Brickley, pro se, 3201 FM 929, Gatesville, Texas

76597.

Appellee, Nicholas Walton, represented ny Jacob I. Pons, Asst. Attorney General, Texas State Rar No. 24139435, Office of the Attorney General, P.O. Box 12548, Capitol Station, Austin, Texas 78711. phone: (512)-463-2080 fax: (512)-370-9814, email: jacob.po

ns@oag.texas.gov

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STATEMENT OF THE CASE. cece.

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STATEMENT ON ORAL ARGUMENT..... ISSUES PRESENTED FOR REVIFV......

STATEMENT OF FACTS....

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SUMMARY OF THE ARGUMENT... cccecces

ARGUMENT... ccc ccc cece eens

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Issue 1: The trial court erred in dismissing the case with Prejudice. .,.sceccs0ee em ee oeeoceeveaneeoeeovneeseae oo 86 © & coe oa

Issue 2: The trial court erred in dismissing the case for jurisdiction......... nome

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Issue 3; The trial court erred by not first taking up the

matter of plaintiff's request for defense attorney to show authority to act.......ee. wawe nee ses save Cae eans 7

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INDEX OF AUTHORITIES page

CASES American Motorists Ins. v. Fodge, 63 S.'.3d 801,805 (Tex.2006)..4

Black v. Jackson, 82 S.1.3d 44,546 (Tex.App.-Tyler 2002, no

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City of Carrollton v. Harlan, 180 S$.1W.3d 894,898 (Tex.App.= Dallas 2005, pet. denied).........

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City of Lancaster v. Chambers, 883 S.W.2d 650,453 (Tex.1994)....9 Harris Cty. v. Sykes, 136 S.W.3d 635,629 (Tex.2004)......4. ¢ fennel

Jansen v. Fitzpatrick, 14 S.W.3d 476,431 (Tex.App.-Houston P14th Dist.) 2000, no pet.decececcene

eoeoeeo 6 82 26 6 HB O&O & @ eoeoee9e fo oo J&J Sports Prods. v. JWJ Memt., Tne., 324 S,W.2d 892 (Tex. Anp.= Fort Woth 20190, no pet.).

60 G82 6B GOOF Oo EKBE HERE ea © © © ae a © 6 oe oO 7

Mazaheri v. Rosenblatt Law Firm, No.04-24-00453-CV, 2025 Tex.

App. LEXIS 4380 (Tex.App.- San Antonio June25,2925, no pet hoy... ccc cece eee

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Sanchez v. Boone, 579 S.W.3d 526, 2019 Tex.App. LEXIS 4001 (Tex. App.-Houston 14th Dist. May16,2019 no pet.)..... wmawenencal

State v. Holland, 221 S.W.3d 629,642 (Tex.2007)

esecoevve es eave ee oD

Texas A&M Univ. Sys. v. Koseoglu, 233 $.W.3d &35,839-40 (Tex. 2007 Verses eee ec ccc cns cence ete eee e cree tect een een cee nee ce 598 Tex. Dep't of Parks & Wildlife v. Miranda, 133 S.W.3d 217, 226 (Tex.2004)....cccccuee

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Thomas v. Long, 207 $.W.3d 334,338 (Tex.2006).sccceceucsccccacce 4

Webster v. Comm'n for Law Discipline, 704 SW.2d 478, 2094 Tex. LEXTS 1175 (Tex.2024)

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STATUTES Texas Civil Practice and Remedies Code §134.005................. 2

Texas Government Code 8§407,021....

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Texas Rule of Civil Procedure 12

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Tex.Giv.Prac.& Rem.Gode 8101.9002,..

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Tex.Civ.Prac.& Rem.Code 8$134.001

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Tex.Civ.Prac.& Rem.Code 8134.00?

INDEX OF AUTHORITIES CONT...

Tex.Civ.Prac.& Rem.Gode §41.003...... cee

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Tex.Giv.Prac.& Rem.Code §§134.001-005

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STATEMENT OF THE CASE

Nature of the Case. Appellant sued apnellee for the theft of

hi

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legal materials and violation to his civil rights in his individual capacity.(C.R. at 6-18)

Course of Proceedings. After service on the defendant of citation (C.R. at 79 £80), Asst. Attorney Genderal, Jacob I. Pons filed a plea to jurisdiction (C.R. at 88-92), Brickley filed a motion for Mr. Pons to show authority to act (G.R. at 114-18). The court ordered Dismissal with prejudice for jurisdiction on June 11,2025 (C.R. at 122),(APP. TAR 1), unbeknownst to the plaintiff. Plaintiff filed a request for findings of fact and conclusions of Law. (G.R. pp. 149-41). The trial court has refused to file such findings of fact and conclusions of law, despite notice.

Trial Court Disposition. The trial court rendered judement on

the plea to jurisdiction on June 11,2025. (C.R. at 122).

Lv

STATEMENT ON ORAL ARGUMENT

The Gourt should grant oral argument for the following reasons: Oral argument would give the Court a more complete understanding

of the facts of the case presented on apveal without the risk of

a complaint of appellee's affiliates withholding documents, answers, replys or motions as in Brickley v. Wagner, Cause number 15=-24-00- 057-GV3 and Brickley v. Mitchell, Cause number 15-25-00062-CYV, See

Tex.R.App.P. 29.1(c).

ISSUES PRESENTED FOR REVIEW

Tssue 1: The trial court erred in dismissing the case with

prejudice.

Issue 2: The trial court erred in dismissing the case for jurisdiction.

Issue 3: The court erred by not first taking up the matter of plaintiff's request for defendant's attorney to show

authority to act.

Vv

STATEMENT OF FACTS

Appellant, James Brickley, filed a suit against appellee, Nichoas Walton for theft of RBrickley's legal mail and as a result of the theft violation of Brickley's inmate civil rights by preventing him from effectively participating in a legal process, by way of denying him access to his legal work in a seperate case.

The theft occured on June 14,2023, during a bi-annual shakedown, where officers, led by Property Officer Nicholas Walton, took

legal work belonging to Brickley in violation of TDCI policy;

and refused to provide confiscation paperwork, in violation of

the same policy; after requesting the names of other officers involved who conducted the shake down and reasons for the confisc-= ation of legal work, Walton provided Brickley with no answers, in violation of TDCJ policy. Brickley filed a timely grievance and exhausted all administrative remedies, and filed a timely petition against Officer Nicholas Walton in his individual capacity.(C.R.

pp 12-17 and 6-18).

SUMMARY OF THE ARGUMENT

Brickley's first argument challenges the lower court's decision to dismiss the case with prejudice. The trial court first erred

in dismissing the case as shown below, however, even in dismissing the case the court was without authority to do so with prejudice; where dismissal with prejudice would require either’a final determination on the merits, or an opportunity to amend the petition

to add facts to overcome a claim of immunity. Neither of which

happened.

Appellee's attorney argued that Brickley was not entitled to leave y to amend because he belived there were no additional facts which could cure a jurisdictional defect by changing a ,»previouslypled claim for relief. (C.R. at 89). However, Brickley would not need

to do so at all because he claim relief under the Texas Civil Practice and Remedies Code § 134.005, also known as the Texas

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