Lee-Hickman's Investments v. Alpha Invesco Corp.

139 S.W.3d 698, 2004 Tex. App. LEXIS 2099, 2004 WL 396976
CourtCourt of Appeals of Texas
DecidedMarch 4, 2004
Docket13-00-610-CV
StatusPublished
Cited by22 cases

This text of 139 S.W.3d 698 (Lee-Hickman's Investments v. Alpha Invesco Corp.) 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
Lee-Hickman's Investments v. Alpha Invesco Corp., 139 S.W.3d 698, 2004 Tex. App. LEXIS 2099, 2004 WL 396976 (Tex. Ct. App. 2004).

Opinion

OPINION

PER CURIAM.

Lee-Hickman’s Investments, appellant, appeals from a take nothing summary judgment granted during the pendency of appellant’s interlocutory appeal of the dissolution of a temporary injunction restraining Alpha Invesco Corporation, ap-pellee, from marketing, selling, or conveying property pursuant to a trustee’s deed and from filing the deed for record. Appellant claims that the interlocutory appeal effected an automatic stay under former section 51.014(b) of the Texas Civil Practice and Remedies Code and the summary judgment should be set aside because it was granted while the automatic stay was still in effect, and the temporary injunction reinstated. See Act of June 20, 1997, 75th Leg., R.S., ch. 1296, 1997 Tex. Gen. Laws 5 (amended 2001) (current version at Tex. Civ. PRac. & Rem.Code Ann. § 51.014(b) (Vernon Supp. 2003)). 2

*700 Appellant’s suit alleged breach of duty, fraudulent inducement, misrepresentation, fraud, DTPA violations, wrongful foreclosure, and requested injunctive relief. After a hearing, the trial court granted appellant a temporary injunction on May 31, 2000. The case was set for trial on July 3, 2000, but was continued until July 20, 2000, and then continued again until August 28, 2000. Over appellant’s written objection on August 7, 2000, the trial court granted appellee’s oral motion to dissolve the temporary injunction. On August 10, 2000, appellant filed a notice of interlocutory appeal to the Fourteenth Court of Appeals. Notwithstanding such appeal on August 30, 2000, the trial court granted appellee’s motion for summary judgment, ordering that appellant take nothing, and voiding the appellant’s lis pendens notice. On October 26, 2000, the Fourteenth Court of Appeals dismissed appellant’s interlocutory appeal as moot because of the summary judgment. See Lee-Hickman’s Inv. v. Alpha Invesco Corp., No. 14-00-00997-CV, 2000 WL 1588677, 2000 Tex.App. LEXIS 7202 (Tex.App.-Houston [14th Dist.] 2000, no pet.) (not designated for publication). We reverse and render the trial court’s order dissolving the temporary injunction and lis pendens notice and reverse and remand its judgment granting the summary judgment.

Standard of Review

The primary rule of statutory interpretation is that a court must look to the intent of the legislature and must construe the statute so as to give effect to that intent. City of Austin v. L.S. Ranch, Ltd,., 970 S.W.2d 750, 752 (Tex.App.-Austin 1998, no writ). When determining legislative intent, courts look to the language of the statute, legislative history, the nature and object to be obtained, and the consequences that follow alternate constructions. Id. If possible, however, we are to discern legislative intent from the plain meaning of the words of the statute. Id.

The appellant’s prior appeal to the Fourteenth Court of Appeals was a proper interlocutory appeal under former section 51.014(b), as is the present appeal. There is no restriction in the statute to prevent appellant from asserting the stay provisions of section 51.014 in this appeal, notwithstanding the prior dismissal by the Fourteenth Court of Appeals. See Act of June 20, 1997, 75th Leg., R.S., ch. 1296, 1997 Tex. Gen. Laws 5 (amended 1991) (current version at Tex. Civ. Prac. & Rem. Code Ann. § 51.014(b) (Vernon Supp. 2003)).

When, as here, the interlocutory appeal is from an order granting a motion to dissolve, and the initial order granting temporary injunctive relief was not appealed, we do not consider the propriety of the trial court’s decision granting the initial injunctive relief. Murphy v. McDaniel, 20 S.W.3d 873, 877 (Tex.App.-Dallas 2000, no pet.). Rather, we presume the injunction was not improvidently granted and the record as a whole supports the trial court’s action in granting the temporary injunction. Id. We will not, therefore, review the reporter’s record from the hearing on the motion to grant to ascertain if the evidence supports such grant. Id. Our review of the trial court’s order of dissolution is limited to the narrow question of whether the trial court’s action in dissolving the injunction constituted a clear abuse of discretion. Id. Our limited review of the dissolution of the temporary injunction does not allow us to consider the propriety of the evidence offered in support of the motion for summary judgment. Id. We conclude the trial court’s ruling on the merits of appellant’s *701 claims is not, in and of itself, a “change in circumstances” authorizing dissolution of the trial court’s otherwise properly granted temporary injunction.

An incorrect application of the law by the trial court is an abuse of discretion. St. Louis S.W. Ry. Co. v. Voluntary Purchasing Groups, 929 S.W.2d 25, 33 (Tex.App.-Texarkana 1996, no writ)(when the additional order was on the same topic as the one appealed from and granted substantially the same relief as well as additional relief, the trial court acted in a manner specifically forbidden under rule 29.5 of the appellate rules).

Issues Presented

Appellant’s first issue claims that its appeal of the trial court’s interlocutory order had the effect of staying the commencement of trial pending the resolution of the appeal, and the trial court violated the stay by granting the summary judgment, which was the same as commencing trial. 3 Appellee argues that a summary judgment motion proceeding is not the commencement of trial.

Appellant cites Goswami v. Metro. Sav. & Loan, 751 S.W.2d 487 (Tex.1988), for the proposition that a summary judgment proceeding is a trial of a case. While Goswami held that a summary judgment proceeding is a trial within the meaning of rule 63 of the Texas Rules of Civil Procedure, which governs the amendment of pleadings within seven days of trial, we conclude the same reasoning applies in this case to hold a summary judgment proceedings is a trial within the meaning of section 51.014(b). See id. at 490. The cases cited by appellee are not on point. See, e.g., City of Austin, 970 S.W.2d at 754 (the interlocutory appeal was held moot because of amended pleading in the trial court, not because summary judgment proceedings were or were not the commencement of trial). Amerivest Inc. v. Bluebonnet Sav. Bank, 897 S.W.2d 513, 515 (Tex.App.-Fort Worth 1995, writ denied), and Rogers v. Ricane Enters., Inc., 852 S.W.2d 751, 760 (Tex.App.-Amarillo 1993), rev’d,

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139 S.W.3d 698, 2004 Tex. App. LEXIS 2099, 2004 WL 396976, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/lee-hickmans-investments-v-alpha-invesco-corp-texapp-2004.