Johnson v. Sepulveda

178 S.W.3d 117, 2005 WL 1513150
CourtCourt of Appeals of Texas
DecidedOctober 6, 2005
Docket14-04-00098-CV
StatusPublished
Cited by14 cases

This text of 178 S.W.3d 117 (Johnson v. Sepulveda) 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
Johnson v. Sepulveda, 178 S.W.3d 117, 2005 WL 1513150 (Tex. Ct. App. 2005).

Opinion

OPINION

JOHN S. ANDERSON, Justice.

Appellant, Arthur Johnson, filed suit against appellees in February of 2003. The trial court dismissed appellant’s suit for want of prosecution on October 8, 2003. In this pro se appeal, appellant contends: (1) the trial court abused its discretion in not complying with his motion for recusal; and (2) the trial court erred in not setting and holding a hearing on his motion to reinstate. We affirm.

Motion for Recusal

Appellant argues in his first and fourth points of error that the trial court abused its discretion in “not complying” with his motion for recusal.

To recuse a judge, a party must follow the procedure prescribed by Texas Rule of Civil Procedure 18a. Tex.R. Crv. P. 18a. According to Rule 18a, on the day a motion for recusal is filed, copies must be served on all other parties or their counsel of record, together with a notice that the movant expects the motion to be presented to the judge three days after the filing of such motion unless otherwise ordered by the judge. Tex.R. Crv. P. 18a(b). Additionally under Rule 18a, the motion to recuse must be verified and state with particularity the grounds why the judge before whom the case is pending should not sit. Tex.R. Crv. P. 18a(a). The motion must be made on personal knowledge and set forth such facts as would be admissible in evidence, provided that facts may be stated upon information and belief if the grounds of such belief are specifically stated. Id. If a party fails to follow the mandatory requirements of Rule 18a, he waives the right to complain of a judge’s failure to recuse himself. Carson v. Serrano, 96 S.W.3d 697, 698 (Tex.App.-Texar- *119 kana 2003, pet. denied); Gill v. Texas Dept. of Criminal Justice, Institutional Div., 3 S.W.3d 576, 579 (Tex.App.-Houston [1st Dist.] 1999, no pet.).

Here, appellant filed a general motion for recusal. There is no evidence he gave notice of expectancy of presentment to the judge three days after filing, and there is no evidence the judge was presented with the motion three days after filing. See Tex.R. Civ. P. 18a(b). Additionally, appellant’s motion to recuse is not properly verified because the affidavit attached to the motion addresses only appellant’s indigence. See Tex.R. Crv. P. 18a(a). Furthermore, appellant’s motion to recuse does not state with particularity the grounds why the trial judge should not sit and is not made on personal knowledge or information and belief. Id. Because appellant did not comply with the mandatory procedures prescribed by Rule 18a, appellant waived his right to complain on appeal about the trial judge’s failure to take any action in response to the motion. See Barron v. State Atty. Gen., 108 S.W.3d 379, 382 (Tex.App.-Tyler 2003, no pet.) (stating the procedural requisites for recusal are mandatory and party failing to conform waives right to complain of judges failure to recuse himself). Thus, the provisions of the rule obligating the trial judge either to recuse herself or refer the motion to the presiding judge of the administrative judicial district were never triggered. Id. at 383.

Accordingly, we overrule points of error one and four.

Failure to Hold a Hearing on Motion to Reinstate

In points of error two and three, appellant argues the trial court erred in not setting and holding an oral hearing on his motion to reinstate after his suit was dismissed for want of prosecution. Texas Rule of Civil Procedure 165a(3) requires a trial court to set an oral hearing on any timely filed and properly verified motion to reinstate after dismissal of a suit for want of prosecution. See Tex.R. Civ. P. 165 a(3); Thordson v. City of Houston, 815 S.W.2d 550, 550 (Tex.1991).

Here, appellant’s affidavit accompanying his motion to reinstate is not properly verified as required by Rule 165a(3). Specifically, the affidavit attached to the motion to reinstate addresses only appellant’s indigence and does not reference the attached motion to reinstate. See Guest v. Dixon, 153 S.W.3d 466, 468 (Tex.App.Amarillo 2004, pet. filed) (holding motion to reinstate was not properly verified because affiant was former attorney of party and because alleged verification was incomplete). Indeed, the affidavit attached to the motion to reinstate is virtually identical to the one attached to the recusal motion. Appellant’s improper affidavits vitiate his motions. Additionally, there is no showing in the record appellant requested a hearing on his motion in the trial court. “Clearly before trial court error can be found in the failure to set a hearing on a motion to reinstate the movant must request a hearing.” Cabrera v. Cedarapids Inc., 834 S.W.2d 615, 618-19 (Tex.App.Houston [14th Dist.] 1992, writ denied) (stating that a party may not lead a trial court into error and then complain about it on appeal); see Rainbow Home Health, Inc. v. Schmidt, 76 S.W.3d 53, 57 (Tex. App.-San Antonio 2002, pet. denied) (holding trial court did not err in failing to conduct a hearing on motion for reinstatement when appellants failed to call to the trial court’s attention the need for a hearing); see also Smith v. McKee, 145 S.W.3d 299, 305-06 (Tex.App.-Fort Worth 2004, no pet.) (reversing trial court for failure to hold a hearing on motion to reinstate, but noting the motion to reinstate requested a hearing).

*120 Because appellant’s motion to reinstate is unverified and no request was made for a hearing on the motion, we overrule points of error two and three.

Vexatious Litigant

Arthur Johnson has been declared to be a vexatious litigant pursuant to Chapter 11, Civil Practice and Remedies Code. See Johnson v. Johnson, No. 01-03-00209-CV, 2004 WL 219795, at *1 (Tex.App.-Houston [1st Dist.] Jan. 30, 2004, no pet.)(mem op.); In re Johnson, No. 01-03-01229-CV, 2004 WL 36248, at *1 (Tex.App.-Houston [1st Dist.] Jan. 7, 2004, orig.proceeding)(mem op.); see also http://www.courts.state.tx.us/ocaArexa-tious — litigants.pdf (June 8, 2005) (listing Arthur Johnson as a vexatious litigant).

Under section 11.101 of the Texas Civil Practice and Remedies Code:

(a) A court may, on its own motion or the motion of any party, enter an order prohibiting a person from filing, in pro-pria persona, 1

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