London v. London

94 S.W.3d 139, 2002 Tex. App. LEXIS 8105, 2002 WL 31525567
CourtCourt of Appeals of Texas
DecidedNovember 14, 2002
Docket14-01-00603-CV
StatusPublished
Cited by143 cases

This text of 94 S.W.3d 139 (London v. London) 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
London v. London, 94 S.W.3d 139, 2002 Tex. App. LEXIS 8105, 2002 WL 31525567 (Tex. Ct. App. 2002).

Opinions

MAJORITY OPINION

J. HARVEY HUDSON, Justice.

Jeffrey London (“Jeff’) appeals the trial court’s modification order increasing his monthly child support from $1,500 to $4,500 for his two children and awarding $40,000 in attorney fees to his former wife, Leticia London (“Leticia”). Leticia appeals the trial court’s modification order restricting the children’s primary residence to Harris County and awarding Jeff the sole right to make education decisions for the children and more periods of possession. We affirm, in part, and reverse and render, in part.

I. BACKGROUND

Jeff and Leticia’s final decree of divorce was signed on December 27, 1995. Jeff filed a petition to modify the parent-child relationship in which he sought the right to establish the children’s primary residence, or, in the alternative, modification of his periods of possession to correctly reflect the actual possession being exercised by the parties, and an extension of the restriction regarding the children’s primary residence as set forth in the divorce decree. Jeff also sought the sole right to make education decisions for the children. Leticia subsequently filed a petition to modify the parent-child relationship seeking an increase in child support and removal of the same restriction regarding the children’s primary residence which Jeff sought to extend.

The issues concerning the right to establish the children’s primary residence and the restriction of the children’s primary residence were tried to a jury. The jury found Leticia should have the exclusive right to establish the primary residence of the children, but that the children’s primary residence should be restricted to “Harris County and any contiguous counties.” The issues concerning child support, attorney fees, periods of possession, [143]*143and the right to make education decisions were tried to the court. The trial court awarded attorney fees to Leticia in the amount of $40,000 and increased the amount of monthly child support from $1,500 to $4,500. The court awarded Jeff the sole right to make the decisions regarding the children’s education and additional periods of possession. Although the jury found the children’s primary residence should be restricted to “Harris County and any contiguous counties,” the trial court stated in its order that their primary residence was restricted to Harris County.

II. Limited Appeal

A.S a preliminary matter, Leticia asserts Jeff has not presented a sufficient record on appeal because he requested only a partial, rather than a complete, reporter’s record for his appeal. The rules of appellate procedure authorize limited appeals. Furr’s Supermarkets, Inc. v. Bethune, 53 S.W.3d 375, 377 (Tex.2001) (citing Tex.R.App. P. 34.6(c)(1)). If the appellant requests a partial reporter’s record, he must include in the request a statement of the points or issues to be presented on appeal and will accordingly be limited to those points or issues. Tex.R.App. P. 34.6(c)(1). Our review of the record shows Jeff complied with the rule for filing a limited appeal by filing with his request for a partial reporter’s record a statement of the issues he intended to present in this appeal. For the issues raised in Jeffs appeal, we must presume the partial reporter’s record “ ‘constitutes the entire record for purposes of reviewing the stated points or issues.’ ” Furr’s Supermarkets, Inc., 53 S.W.3d at 377 (quoting Tex. R.App. P. 34.6(c)(4)). “This presumption applies even if the statement includes a point or issue complaining of the legal or factual insufficiency of the evidence to support a specific factual finding identified in that point or issue.” Tex.R.App. P. 34.6(c)(4).

A review of the record shows that while Leticia filed her own notice of appeal, she did not file a notice of limited appeal stating the issues she intended to present on appeal. Tex.R.App. P. 34.6(c)(1). Therefore, because Leticia did not follow the procedure provided in Tex. R.App. P. 34.6(c)(1), she is not entitled to the presumption that the partial record constitutes the entire record for the issues she raised in her appeal. Leticia, moreover, did not request the remaining portions of the reporter’s record. If the appellant fails to present a complete reporter’s record on appeal, the court of appeals must presume the omitted portions are relevant and support the trial court’s judgment. Feldman v. Marks, 960 S.W.2d 613, 614 (Tex.1996). Therefore, in considering Leticia’s issues on appeal, we must presume the omitted portions of the record support the judgment of the trial court.

III. Jeff’s Appeal

A. Child Support

In his thirteenth through eighteenth issues, Jeff claims the trial court abused its discretion in increasing his monthly child support payments from $1,500 to $4,500 because the evidence is legally and factually insufficient to support such an increase. A trial court’s child support order will be overturned only upon a showing of an abuse of discretion. Rodriguez v. Rodriguez, 860 S.W.2d 414, 415 (Tex.1993). A trial court abuses its discretion when its ruling is arbitrary, unreasonable, or without reference to any guiding rules or legal principles. K-Mart Corp. v. Honeycutt, 24 S.W.3d 357, 360 (Tex.2000). Under the abuse of discretion standard, the legal and factual sufficiency of the [144]*144evidence are not independent grounds of error, but are merely factors in assessing whether the trial court abused its discretion. Beaumont Bank, N.A. v. Buller, 806 S.W.2d 223, 226 (Tex.1991); Zieba v. Martin, 928 S.W.2d 782, 786 (Tex.App.-Houston [14th Dist.] 1996, no writ).

We review the trial court’s findings of fact for legal and factual sufficiency of the evidence by the same standards applied in reviewing the evidence supporting a jury’s finding. Catalina v. Blasdel, 881 S.W.2d 295, 297 (Tex.1994). When reviewing the legal sufficiency of the evidence, we consider only the evidence and inferences tending to support the trial court’s finding, disregarding all contrary evidence and inferences. Bradford v. Vento, 48 S.W.3d 749, 754 (Tex.2001). A “no evidence” point will be sustained if there is no more than a scintilla of evidence to support the finding. Minyard Food Stores, Inc. v. Goodman, 80 S.W.3d 573, 577 (Tex.2002). In conducting a factual sufficiency review, we must examine the entire record, considering both the evidence in favor of, and contrary to, the challenged finding, and set aside the finding only if it is so contrary to the overwhelming weight of the evidence as to be clearly wrong and unjust. Maritime Overseas Corp. v. Ellis, 971 S.W.2d 402, 406-07 (Tex.1998).

The trial court may modify a prior child support order if “the circumstances of the child or a person affected by the order have materially and substantially changed since the date of the order’s rendition.” Tex. Fam.Code Ann. § 156.401(a)(1) (Vernon Supp.2002).

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Bluebook (online)
94 S.W.3d 139, 2002 Tex. App. LEXIS 8105, 2002 WL 31525567, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/london-v-london-texapp-2002.