Jay Cohen v. Midtown Management District, Greater Southeast Management District, Harris County, the Harris County Department of Education, the Port of Houston Authority of Harris County, the Harris County Flood Control District, and the Harris County Hospital District

Procedural entryThis page is a short order in Jay Cohen v. Midtown Management District, Greater Southeast Management District, Harris County, the Harris County Department of Education, the Port of Houston Authority of Harris County, the Harris County Flood Control District, and the Harris County Hospital District. Read the opinion of the Court — 2016 Tex. App. LEXIS 2410
Court of Appeals of Texas·Decided October 23, 2015·No. 01-14-00914-CV·Published

Opinion

ACCEPTED 01-14-00914-CV FIRST COURT OF APPEALS HOUSTON, TEXAS 10/23/2015 8:19:19 AM CHRISTOPHER PRINE CLERK

CASE NO. 01-14-00914-CV

FILED IN 1st COURT OF APPEALS IN THE COURT OF APPEALS HOUSTON, TEXAS FOR THE FIRST JUDICIAL DISTRICT OF 10/23/2015 8:19:19 AM TEXAS HOUSTON, TEXAS CHRISTOPHER A. PRINE Clerk

JAY COHEN, APPELLANT v. MIDTOWN MANAGEMENT DISTRICT, ET AL, APPELLEES

On Appeal from the 133rd Judicial District Court of Harris County, Texas, Trial Court Case No. 2013-16814

HARRIS COUNTY APPELLEES’ BRIEF

LINEBARGER GOGGAN BLAIR & SAMPSON, LLP

4828 Loop Central Drive, Suite 600 Houston, Texas 77081 (713) 844-3400 main phone (713) 844-3504 fax Edward J. (Nick) Nicholas State Bar No. 14991350 Nick.Nicholas@LGBS.com Anthony W. (Tony) Nims State Bar No. 15031500 Anthony.Nims@LGBS.com

ATTORNEYS FOR HARRIS COUNTY APPELLEES

ORAL ARGUMENT REQUESTED CASE NO. 01-14-00914-CV

JAY COHEN, APPELLANT v. MIDTOWN MANAGEMENT DISTRICT, ET AL, APPELLEES

IDENTITY OF THE PARTIES AND COUNSEL

“Appellant” Jay Cohen correctly identified the parties, but for purposes of

clarity, the Appellees (Plaintiffs) will be referred to as the “Midtown Appellees”, the

Appellees (Intervenors) will be referred to as the “Harris County Appellees”, and

both will be referred to collectively as the “Appellees”.

i TABLE OF CONTENTS

INDEX OF AUTHORITIES ............................................................................ iv

STATEMENT REGARDING ORAL ARGUMENT ...................................... 1

STATEMENT OF THE CASE ........................................................................ 2

STATEMENT OF FACTS ............................................................................... 4

SUMMARY OF THE ARGUMENT ............................................................... 7

ARGUMENT AND AUTHORITIES ............................................................... 9

I. THE FIRST AND SECOND NUNC PRO TUNC JUDGMENTS WERE PROPERLY ISSUED ................................ 9

A. THE PURPOSE OF A JUDGMENT NUNC PRO TUNC ... 9

B. THE TRIAL COURT’S INHERENT POWER ................... 10

C. THE TRIAL COURT DETERMINES WHAT JUDGMENT WAS RENDERED ......................................... 10

D. THE TRIAL COURT DETERMINED THAT THE JUDGEMENTS ENTERED DID NOT CORRESPOND TO THE JUDGMENT RENDERED ........ 11

• THE FIRST NUNC PRO TUNC JUDGMENT ................. 11

• THE SECOND NUNC PRO TUNC JUDGMENT ............ 13

II. APPELLANT’S ISSUES HAVE NO MERIT ............................... 15

A. ISSUE NO. 1. APPELLANT’S ISSUE NO. 1 HAS NO MERIT BECAUSE THE FIRST AND SECOND NUNC PRO TUNC JUDGMENTS ARE BASED ON SUFFICIENT EVIDENCE ................................................... 16

ii B. ISSUE NO. 2. APPELLANT’S ISSUE NO. 2 HAS NO MERIT BECAUSE IT IS BASED ON A FALSE PREMISES, I.E. THAT THE FINAL JUDGMENT DID NOT AWARD HISD A JUDGMENT AGAINST APPELLANT ........................................................................ 18

C. ISSUE NO. 3. APPELLANT’S ISSUE NO. 3 HAS NO MERIT FOR THE SAME REASON, AND BECAUSE HCCS WAS A NAMED PLAINTIFF TAXING UNIT WHO WAS AWARDED A JUDGMENT AGAINST APPELLANT ................................ 19

III. APPELLANT FAILED TO PROVE ANY REVERSIBLE ERROR OCCURRED, OR THAT THE TRIAL COURT ABUSED ITS DISCRETION ............................. 20

CONCLUSION AND PRAYER FOR RELIEF .............................................. 22

CERTIFICATE OF COMPLIANCE ............................................................... 23

CERTIFICATE OF SERVICE ......................................................................... 23

APPENDIX ...................................................................................................... 24

Tab 1: Harris County’s Original Intervention (SCR2 at 3-6)

Tab 1A: Original Intervention Exhibit A – Harris County Appellees’ Certified Tax Records (SCR2 at 7-15) Tab 2: Transcript of November 15, 2013 Final Trial (RR Vol. 1, p. 1-7)

Tab 2A: Trial Exhibit A – Harris County Appellees’ Certified Tax Records (RR Vol. 2)

iii INDEX OF AUTHORITIES

Cases Page

America’s Favorite Chicken Co. v. Galvan, 897 S.W.2d 874, 877 (Tex.App.-San Antonio 1995, writ denied) .......................................... 11

Andrews v. Koch, 702 S.W.2d 584, 585 (Tex. 1986) ....................................... 9

Barton v. Gillespie, 178 S.W.3d 121, 127 (Tex.App.-Houston [1st Dist.] 2005, no pet.) .......................................................................... 17

Batson v. Bentley, 4 S.W.2d 577, 578 (Tex.Civ.App.-Amarillo 1928, no pet.)..................................................................................................... 12

Burgess v. Burgess, 834 S.W.2d 538, 540 (Tex.App.-Houston [1st Dist.] 1992, no writ) .................................................................... 10, 15

Carlyle Real Estate Ltd. P’ship-X v. Leibman, 782 S.W.2d 230, 233 (Tex.App.-Houston [1st Dist.] 1989, no writ.) ........................................ 12

Cire v. Cummings, 134 S.W.3d 835, 838-39 (Tex.2004) ................................. 21

Claxton v. (Upper) Lake Fork Water Control and Imp. Dist. No. 1, 220 S.W.3d 537, 545 (Tex.App.-Texarkana 2006, pet. denied) ...... 16, 17

Coleman v. Zapp, 151 S.W. 1040, 1041 (Tex. 1912) ...................................... 10

Davis v. City of Austin, 632 S.W.2d 331, 333 (Tex. 1982) ............................... 14

Escobar v. Escobar, 711 S.W.2d 230, 231 (Tex. 1986) ............................... 9, 11

Ex parte Hogan, 916 S.W.2d 82, 85 (Tex.App.-Houston [1st Dist.] 1996, orig. proceeding) .......................................................................... 11

Ferguson v. Naylor, 860 S.W.2d 123 127 (Tex.App.-Amarillo 1993, writ denied) ............................................................................................ 10

iv Fiske v. Fiske, No. 01-03-00048-CV, 2004 WL 1847368, at *5 (Tex.App.-Houston [1st Dist.] Aug. 19, 2004, no pet.) (mem.op.) ........ 15

Ft. Worth & D.C. Ry. Co. v. Roberts, 81 S.W. 25, 26 (Tex. 1904) ................. 17

Hernandez v. Lopez, 288 S.W.3d 180, 189-90 (Tex.App-Houston [1st Dist.] 2009, no pet) ................................................................. 9, 11, 20

In re Barber, 982 S.W.2d 364, 366 (Tex. 1998) .............................................. 21

LaGoye v. Victoria Wood Condominium Ass’n, 112 S.W.3d 777, 783 (Tex.App.-Houston [14th Dist.] 2003, no pet.) ....................................... 9

Operation Rescue-National v. Planned Parenthood of Houston and Southeast Texas, Inc.,

Jay Cohen v. Midtown Management District, Greater Southeast Management District, Harris County, the Harris County Department of Education, the Port of Houston Authority of Harris County, the Harris County Flood Control District, and the Harris County Hospital District, (Tex. Ct. App. 2015).

Jay Cohen v. Midtown Management District, Greater Southeast Management District, Harris County, the Harris County Department of Education, the Port of Houston Authority of Harris County, the Harris County Flood Control District, and the Harris County Hospital District (Jay Cohen v. Midtown Management District, Greater Southeast Management District, Harris County, the Harris County Department of Education, the Port of Houston Authority of Harris County, the Harris County Flood Control District, and the Harris County Hospital District) — published by Counsel Stack Legal Research, free access to 12M+ legal documents.

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