Kimi-Lyn Murray v. Phillip Murray

CourtCourt of Appeals of Texas
DecidedJune 21, 2023
Docket04-21-00416-CV
StatusPublished

This text of Kimi-Lyn Murray v. Phillip Murray (Kimi-Lyn Murray v. Phillip Murray) 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
Kimi-Lyn Murray v. Phillip Murray, (Tex. Ct. App. 2023).

Opinion

Fourth Court of Appeals San Antonio, Texas MEMORANDUM OPINION

No. 04-21-00416-CV

Kimi-Lyn MURRAY, Appellant

v.

Philip MURRAY, Appellee

From the 45th Judicial District Court, Bexar County, Texas Trial Court No. 2018-CI-19449 Honorable Monique Diaz, Judge Presiding

Opinion by: Luz Elena D. Chapa, Justice

Sitting: Luz Elena D. Chapa, Justice Irene Rios, Justice Liza A. Rodriguez, Justice

Delivered and Filed: June 21, 2023

AFFIRMED

Appellant Kimi-Lyn Murray appeals from a final divorce decree, ending her marriage to

appellee Philip Murray. On appeal, Kimi-Lyn asserts the trial court abused its discretion in

denying her request for a jury trial; appointing her possessory conservator of one of the couple’s

children, J.M.; denying her possession and access to J.M.; and dividing the community estate. We

affirm. 04-21-00416-CV

BACKGROUND

Kimi-Lyn and Philip married in 2002. During their marriage, they had two children, H.M.

and J.M. In 2017, the couple separated, and after a year of separation, Philip filed a petition for

divorce citing insupportability and cruelty. He also requested child support and a just and right

division of the community estate. Kimi-Lyn filed a counterpetition for divorce citing

insupportability and seeking managing conservatorship of the children, child support, and a just

and right division of the community estate.

In 2019, Kimi-Lyn and Philip each filed a request for a jury trial and paid the required fee.

Thereafter, Kimi-Lyn’s counsel withdrew, and Kimi-Lyn represented herself pro se. In February

2020, Philip moved to withdraw his jury demand. A hearing on Philip’s motion occurred on

February 14, 2020, and on that day, the trial court signed an order permitting Philip to withdraw

his request for a jury trial, reimbursing his jury fee deposit, and resetting the trial for April 27,

2020. The order is signed and approved as to form by the parties.

On March 20, 2020, the parties appeared for a temporary injunction hearing, and at the end

of the hearing, the parties discussed how many days would be needed for the upcoming trial.

Philip’s counsel suggested five days, and Kimi-Lyn agreed but also indicated she was uncertain as

to whether the courthouse would be open for jury trials due to the Covid-19 pandemic. The trial

court clarified the court was open, but it was not open for jury trials. Philip’s counsel indicated

his request for a jury trial had been withdrawn, and the trial court informed everyone the case was

currently set on the nonjury docket.

The parties again appeared on June 18, 2020, and the case proceeded before a bench trial.

After a two-day bench trial, the trial court took the matter under advisement. On July 2, 2021, the

-2- 04-21-00416-CV

trial court signed a final divorce decree appointing Kimi-Lyn possessory conservator of J.M., 1

denying Kimi-Lyn possession and access to J.M. until she engaged and completed therapy, and

dividing the couple’s community and separate property. The trial court later entered findings of

fact and conclusions of law to support its order. Kimi-Lyn now appeals.

JURY TRIAL

Kimi-Lyn asserts the trial court abused its discretion in denying her request for a jury trial.

She argues she timely filed her request for a jury trial and paid the required fee, and the trial court

improperly ruled she waived her right to a jury trial “by virtue of her signature” on the February

14, 2020 order resetting the trial date. Kimi-Lyn points out she never withdrew her request for a

jury trial, and there is nothing in the February order indicating the reset trial would be a bench trial.

Philip responds by arguing Kimi-Lyn failed to preserve this issue for appeal.

We review a trial court’s denial of a jury trial for an abuse of discretion. In re A.L.M.-F.,

593 S.W.3d 271, 282 (Tex. 2019); Mercedes-Benz Credit Corp. v. Rhyne, 925 S.W.2d 664, 666

(Tex. 1996). A trial court abuses its discretion when its “decision is arbitrary, unreasonable, and

without reference to guiding principles.” A.L.M.-F., 593 S.W.3d at 282 (quoting Mercedes-Benz,

925 S.W.2d at 666) (internal quotation marks omitted).

The right to a jury trial in a divorce proceeding is guaranteed by the Texas Constitution.

Tex. Const. art. I, § 15 (“The right of trial by jury shall remain inviolate.”), art. V, § 10 (“In the

trial of all causes in the District Courts, the plaintiff or defendant shall, upon application made in

open court, have the right of trial by jury . . . .”); TEX. FAM. CODE § 6.703 (“In a suit for dissolution

of marriage, either party may demand a jury trial . . . .”). The right, however, is “not self-

executing,” and “a litigant must take certain steps to invoke and perfect his jury right.” Matter of

1 By the time of trial, H.M. had turned eighteen years old.

-3- 04-21-00416-CV

Troy S. Poe Tr., 646 S.W.3d 771, 778 (Tex. 2022) (quoting Sunwest Reliance Acquisitions Grp.,

Inc. v. Provident Nat’l Assurance Co., 875 S.W.2d 385, 387 (Tex. App.—Dallas 1993, no writ)

(internal quotation marks omitted). “To invoke a right to a jury trial, a party must file a written

request for a jury trial a reasonable time before the date set for trial on the non-jury docket, but not

less than thirty days in advance.” In re I.I.T., 648 S.W.3d 467, 471 (Tex. App.—San Antonio

2021, no pet.) (citing TEX. R. CIV. P. 216(a)).

Yet, even when a party perfects her right to a jury trial, the right may still be waived by a

party’s failure to act. See, e.g., Sunwest Reliance Acquisitions Grp., Inc., 875 S.W.2d at 387

(“[W]hen a party has perfected its right to a jury trial in accordance with rule 216 but the trial court

instead proceeds to trial without a jury, the party must, in order to preserve any error by the trial

court in doing so, either object on the record to the trial court’s action or indicate affirmatively in

the record it intends to stand on its perfected right to a jury trial.”); In re E.S., No. 02-20-00407-

CV, 2021 WL 2149627, at *4 (Tex. App.—Fort Worth May 27, 2021, pet. denied.) (mem. op.)

(“Mother never objected to the trial court’s failure to hold a jury trial. Accordingly, she waived

her right to a jury trial by failing to object when the case was called for trial.”); In re D.R., 177

S.W.3d 574, 580 (Tex. App.—Houston [1st Dist.] 2005, pet. denied) (“[A] perfected right to a jury

trial in a civil case may be waived by a party’s failure to act when the trial court proceeds with a

bench trial.”); In re A.M., 936 S.W.2d 59, 61 (Tex. App.—San Antonio 1996, no writ) (observing

perfected right to jury trial in civil case may be waived by party’s failure to act when trial court

proceeds with bench trial). As recently stated by the Texas Supreme Court, “[i]f a trial court

indicates that it will proceed with a bench trial in a case where a jury demand was timely perfected,

a demanding party that still wishes to have a jury trial must ensure that the court is aware of the

demand.” Browder v. Moree, 659 S.W.3d 421, 423 (Tex. 2022) (per curiam).

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