Litman v. Litman

402 S.W.3d 280, 2013 WL 2075356, 2013 Tex. App. LEXIS 6059
CourtCourt of Appeals of Texas
DecidedMay 15, 2013
DocketNo. 05-11-00903-CV
StatusPublished
Cited by5 cases

This text of 402 S.W.3d 280 (Litman v. Litman) 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
Litman v. Litman, 402 S.W.3d 280, 2013 WL 2075356, 2013 Tex. App. LEXIS 6059 (Tex. Ct. App. 2013).

Opinion

OPINION

Opinion by

Justice FRANCIS.

Andra S. Litman (Wife) appeals a final decree of divorce rendered by the trial court. In five issues, Wife complains that the trial court erred by denying her motions for continuance, recusal, disqualification, and new trial. Because we conclude the trial court did not abuse its discretion in denying Wifes motions, we affirm the trial courts judgment.

Wife and appellee Craig Litman (Husband) were married on January 7, 1984. On January 21, 2010, Husband filed for divorce. After changing counsel twice, Wife sought and obtained a continuance of the October 27, 2010 trial setting. The [282]*282trial was reset to December 15, 2010. On December 8, Wife filed a second motion for continuance of the trial date. After conducting an evidentiary hearing, the trial court denied this motion. In the hallway outside the courtroom after the hearing, Wifes counsel told Husbands counsel, “Don’t work all weekend because I am going to file a Motion to Recuse.” On December 14, 2010, the day before trial, Wife filed a third motion for continuance, which the trial court also denied. At 9:08 a.m. the next day, as trial was commencing, Wife filed a motion to recuse the trial judge. Neither she nor her counsel appeared at trial. The trial judge referred the motion to the presiding judge of the administrative judicial district, but also struck the motion as untimely and proceeded to trial. After hearing Husbands evidence, the trial judge stated on the record that the divorce was granted and that Husbands proposed division of assets was adopted. The only written order signed by the trial judge on December 15, 2010, however, was the order referring Wifes motion to recuse to the Presiding Judge of the First Administrative Region.

Two days later, on December 17, 2010, the Regional Presiding Judge denied the motion to recuse by written order. The order stated the Regional Presiding Judge determined ... that the motion is based on legal rulings, and is untimely filed, and was therefore facially insufficient to merit a hearing. Following this ruling, on December 21, 2010, the trial court signed a final decree of divorce.

Wife filed a timely motion for new trial. The trial judges term of office ended. The successor judge heard the motion for new trial and denied it, but signed an order vacating the December 21, 2010, decree and entering a modified decree on April 5, 2011. Wife filed a motion for new trial objecting to the modified decree. The trial court signed amended findings of fact and conclusions of law on May 18, 2011. On June 23, 2011, Wife filed a motion to disqualify the law firm of Goranson Bain, Husbands counsel. The trial court heard the motion and denied it. This appeal followed.

In her first issue, Wife complains that the December 15, 2010 proceedings were a nullity because they occurred while her recusal motion was pending. Therefore, Wife argues, no evidence supports the marital property division in the trial courts modified decree. We review the denial of a motion to recuse for an abuse of discretion. Tex.R. Civ. P. 18a(j)1; Carmody v. State Farm Lloyds, 184 S.W.3d 419, 420 (Tex.App.Dallas 2006, no pet.). Wife contends any action taken by the trial court after her recusal motion was filed was void, thus the evidence offered by Husband at the December 15, 2010 hearing was no evidence as a matter of law and any subsequent order was not supported by any evidence. She does not contend the Regional Presiding Judge abused his discretion by denying the motion to recuse, however.

Wife’s counsel filed the motion to recuse on the morning set for trial, and left the courthouse without presenting the motion to the trial court. The trial court called the case and Husbands attorney announced ready. ' No one appeared on Wi-[283]*283fes behalf. The trial court declined to recuse himself, stating on the record the motion was not timely filed and the filing of the motion for continuance as well as the motion to recuse was dilatory in the extrem[e]. In the written order referring the motion to recuse to the Regional Presiding Judge, the trial judge wrote that the motion was not timely filed and therefore struck. The trial court called Wifes counsel and left messages for him to return to the courtroom. When no one appeared on behalf of Wife, the trial court proceeded to hear evidence. Just after the proceedings concluded, Wifes attorney appeared in the courtroom and was informed that the hearing had taken place and the divorce granted. Further, the trial judge told him he had determined the recusal motion was not timely filed and had struck it, called for him twice in the hall, and the attorneys showing up to file a Motion to Recuse and then scurrying out is disingenuous at best. Wifes attorney responded, You certainly have the all right [sic] to believe that, Your Honor. Finally, the trial judge said he had adopted Husbands generous proposed division of assets, to which the attorney replied, Not a problem, Your Honor. Wi-fes attorney did not request that the trial court reopen the evidence or allow him to make an offer of proof.

Wife contends that once she filed the motion to recuse, the trial judge could take no action other than to forward the motion to the presiding judge of the administrative region, and await the presiding judges ruling on the motion. See Tex.R. Crv. P. 18a(d) (Except for good cause stated in the order in which further action is taken, the judge shall make no further orders and shah take no further action in the ease after filing of the motion and prior to a hearing on the motion.).

Wife relies on Hudson v. Texas Childrens Hosp., 177 S.W.3d 232 (Tex.App.-Houston [1st Dist.] 2005, no pet.). In Hudson, as here, the motion to recuse the trial judge was filed the morning of the scheduled hearing. Id. at 234. The trial judge orally denied the motion, stating that it was untimely, and proceeded with the hearing. The First Court of Appeals acknowledged it had previously implied that a trial judge may determine whether the ten-day requirement of Rule 18a has been met before deciding whether to re-cuse or refer. Id. at 235. In Hudson, however, the claimed event triggering the motion to recuse occurred less than ten days before the next scheduled hearing. Consequently, the court reversed the trial courts judgment, concluding the trial judge was required to either recuse himself or refer the motion to the presiding judge for determination. Id. at 236. The court stated that under Rule 18a, the trial judge did not have the option of determining the motion was untimely. Id.

Wife makes the same argument here. She contends the reason for her motion to recuse was not known within ten days before the hearing, that is, that the trial judge was dismissive when denying her motion for continuance on the day before trial. What Wife fails to acknowledge, however, is that her counsel told Husbands counsel the week before that he planned to file a motion to recuse. Regardless, Husband relies on our opinion in Carmody to support the trial judges actions here.

In Carmody, we concluded a trial judge did not abuse his discretion in ruling that appellants motion for recusal was untimely with respect to a summary judgment hearing that had already commenced at the time the motion was filed. Carmody, 184 S.W.3d at 422.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
402 S.W.3d 280, 2013 WL 2075356, 2013 Tex. App. LEXIS 6059, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/litman-v-litman-texapp-2013.