Levi Morin v. Law Office of Kleinhans Gruber, PLLC

CourtCourt of Appeals of Texas
DecidedApril 2, 2015
Docket03-15-00174-CV
StatusPublished

This text of Levi Morin v. Law Office of Kleinhans Gruber, PLLC (Levi Morin v. Law Office of Kleinhans Gruber, PLLC) 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
Levi Morin v. Law Office of Kleinhans Gruber, PLLC, (Tex. Ct. App. 2015).

Opinion

ACCEPTED 03-15-00174-CV 4745489 THIRD COURT OF APPEALS AUSTIN, TEXAS 4/2/2015 1:01:03 PM JEFFREY D. KYLE CLERK NO. 03-15-00174-CV

LEVI MORIN § FILED IN Appellant, § 3rd COURT OF APPEALS AUSTIN, TEXAS v. § 4/2/2015 1:01:03 PM § THIRD COURT OF APPEALS JEFFREY D. KYLE LAW OFFICE OF KLEINHANS § AUSTIN, TEXAS Clerk GRUBER, PLLC, § Appellee. §

RESPONSE TO MORIN'S MOTION TO EXTEND TIME TO NOTICE APPEAL AND MOTION TO DISMISS APPEAL

TO nm HONORABLE JUDGE OF SAID COURT: Now comes Appellee, LAW OFFICE OF KLEINHANS GRUBER, PLLC, in

the above styled and numbered cause, and moves the Court to deny LEVI MORIN's

Motion to Extend Time to Notice Appeal and moves this Court to grant this Motion

to Dismiss Appeal.

A. Untiled Record and/or Reference Abbreviations

"District Court" refers to the case subject to this appeal that is pending before Honorable Judge Stephen Yelenoski in the 201" District Court of Travis County, Texas, Cause No. D-1-GN-14-003874; Law Office ofKleinhans Gruber. PLLC v. Levi Morin.

"TCPA" refers to the Texas Participation Act.

"Amended Order; 03-05.15" refers to the Amended Order signed by the court on March 26, 2015, arising from the District Court hearing on March 5, 2015, which denied LEVI MORIN's Motion to Dismiss under the Texas Citizens Participation Act on various grounds, which is allachcd hereto and incorporated herein by ___________ reference as Exhibit A. .._____________ LiWI MORIN V. LAW OFFICI' OF KL.EINIIANS GRUBER, PLLC RFSI'ONSF. /\ND MOTION TO DISMISS APPEAL. PAGEl OF 12 "Motion to Extend _ _ ; 03~23~15" refers to the page number and paragraph number of the Motion to Extend Time to Notice Appeal filed by LEVI MORIN on March 23, 2015, which is the subject of this Response.

"Motion to Strike; __ ; 02~18-15" refers to the page number and paragraph number of LAW OFFICE OF KLEINHANS GRUBER, PLLC's Second Amended Plaintiffs Motion to Strike or Deny Morin's Motion to Dismiss and Motion for nonsuit or In the Alternative motion tor Continuance and Motion to Withdraw Nonsuit and Motion for Sanctions filed with the District Court on February 1R, 2015, which is attached hereto and incorporated herein by reference as hxhibit B.

"Return Citation; 09~30-14" refers to the citation served on LEVI MORIN with the District Court lawsuit, which is attached hereto and incorporated herein by reference as Exhibit C.

"TCPA Pleading; 12-03-14" refers to the Refiled Motion to Dismiss filed by LEVT MORIN on December 3, 2015, which was filed following the December 1, 2014 filing without exhibits or affidavits, as LEVI MORIN admits in his Motion to Extend.

R. Factual and Statutory Background

1. On September 30, 2014, Nicole M. Hybner of Austin Process, LLC

personally served LEVI MORIN at the front door of his residence located at

190 I Onion Creek Parkway #3107, Austin, Texas 7R748 at 8:06a.m. with the

Original Petition and Request for Disclosure that initiated the lawsuit in

District Court that is the subject of this appeal. 1

2. On December I, 2014, the Monday following the 60 1h day deadline pursuant

1 Return Citation; 09-30-14. """'""'"·-~~----· ·"-"'-----''-------------~--- LEVI MORIN V. LAW OFFICE OF KLEINHANS GRUBFR. PLLC RESPONSE AND MOTION TO DISMISS APPEAL PAGF 2 OF 12 to TCPA~, LEVI MORIN alleges that he liled his TCPA Pleading, as defined

above, under the Texas Citizens Participation Act. This filing was made

without any exhibits or aflidavits and therefore, lor purposes of meeting the

60-day deadline the District Court considered this to be no tiling at all~.

3. LEVI MORIN Missed 60-day Filing Deadline: December 3, 2014, LEVI

MORIN refiled his TCPA Pleading, this time, with exhibits and affidavits,

and therefore, this is the date the District Court considered the TCPA Pleading

to be untimely filed, and likewise, the District Court found no good cause to

extend this deadline beyond 60 days 4 •

4. LEVI MORIN Also Missed 60-day Hearing Deadline: Had LEVT

MORIN's TCPA Pleading been timely filed, Jtmuary 30, 2015 would be the

second deadline, which is the 60-day hearing deadline on his TCPA Pleading

pursuant to TCPA 5 -of which good cause was NOT found to extend the

2 PursuanLL(J Tex. Civ. Prac. & Rem. Code§ 27.003(b), "a Motion to Dismiss a legal action under this section must be filed not later than the 60th day aticr the date of service or the legal action." 3 " ..• the Court: I) Finds no good cause to extend the deadline for Morin to tile his motion to dismiss; ... 3) Strikes the exhibits to Morin's motion to dismiss, which were f11ed aller the deadline for Morin to file his motion ... " (Amended Order: 03-05-15). 4 !d.

' Pursuant to Tex. Civ. Prac. & Rem. Code § 27.004(a), "A hearing on a motion under Section 27.003 must be set not later than the 60th day allcr the date of service of this moti(>n ... " LEVI MOll TN V, LAW OFFICE OF KLEINHANS GRURER, PLLC Rt'.SI'ONSF. AND MOTION TO DISMISS Al'l'EAL PAGI·:3 01' 12 h<:aring deadline past this January 30, 2015 1h deadlin<: 6 •

5. On Febmary 17, 2015, the District Court heard LAW OFFiCE OF

KLEINHANS GRUBER, PLLC's Motion for Continuance and the parties

agreed in open court that LAW OFFICE OF KLEINHANS GRUBER,

PLLC's presence was not necessary on Fcbmary 26, 2015 because the case

would merely be resent on February 26, 2015 to March 5, 2015.

6. On Febmary 26, 2015, the case was be announced by LEVI MORIN and

recessed/reset to March 5, 2015 7•

7. On March 5, 2015, the District Court began and concluded the hearing on

LEV! MORIN's TCPA Pleading and LAW OFFICE OF KLEINHANS

GRUBER, PLLC's Second Amended Motion to Strike or Deny Morin's

Motion to Dismiss and the responses and replies to those motions; the parties

objections; the evidence; and counsel's arguments. (Amended Order;

03-05-15).

8. On March 6, 2015, LEVI MORIN filed his Notice of Appeal.

9. On March 23, 2015, LEVI MORIN filed his Motion that is the subject of this

Response.

" " ... the Court: 2) Finds Morin did not set the hearing on his motion to dismiss within 60 dnys after service of the motion. and did not meet any of the exceptions indicating the h0aring can be set later than the 60'h d:ty ... " (Amended Order; 03-05-15). 7 Motion to Strike; 3-4:15-16 and 5:21 (a); 02-18-15. Li'.Vt Mol\ IN V. LAW 0FFTCE OF KLEINHANS G!!Uill',!(, PLLC RESPONSE AND MOTION TO DISMISS APPEAL 10. On March 25, 2015, lht: Di~tricl Court signt:d tht: ordt:rs rt:ndt:rt:d on March 5,

2015. Jd.

II. On March 26, 2015, the District Court signed amended orders as rendered on

March 5, 2015./d.

C. Appellate Deadlines Missed

12. March 6, 2015 l)eadline to File Appellate Motion for Extension has

Passed. As LEVI MORIN admits, TCPA deems a motion denied if the

deadline passes without a hcaringH. As no good cause extension was granted,

it is clear that Jtmmuy 30, 2015 was the deadline for the hearing on LEVI

MORIN's TCPA Pleading and it is undisputed that no hearing occurred on the 9 TCPA Pleading on or prior to the January 30, 2015 dcadline (Amended

Order; 03-05-15). Likewise, the motion is denied by opt:ration of law 10 and

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