Poindexter v. State

802 S.W.2d 386, 1990 Tex. App. LEXIS 3101, 1990 WL 235841
CourtCourt of Appeals of Texas
DecidedDecember 31, 1990
DocketNo. 13-90-042-CV
StatusPublished
Cited by3 cases

This text of 802 S.W.2d 386 (Poindexter v. State) 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
Poindexter v. State, 802 S.W.2d 386, 1990 Tex. App. LEXIS 3101, 1990 WL 235841 (Tex. Ct. App. 1990).

Opinion

OPINION

BENAVIDES, Justice.

The trial court entered a post-answer default judgment in a forfeiture suit against Robert Poindexter, ordering that, among other things, sixteen $1,000 cashier’s checks be forfeited to the Nueces County Sheriff. Poindexter, individually, and Sixteen $1,000 Cashier’s Checks, in rem, (hereinafter “Poindexter”) raise fourteen points of error challenging the trial court’s jurisdiction, the trial court’s failure to grant a new trial and the legal and factual sufficiency of the evidence to support the judgment. We reverse the trial court’s judgment and remand the cause to the trial court for a new trial.

On March 20, 1989, the State of Texas filed its original petition and notice of seizure and forfeiture against Poindexter and specified property, alleging that sixteen $1,000 cashier’s checks, among other things, “[were] derived and used, or intended to be used for the distribution, delivery or [were] derived from the sale of or distribution of a controlled substance in violation of Tex.Rev.Civ.Stat. art. 4476-15 § 5.03 (Vernon Supp.1989).” The State prayed that the property be forfeited to the Nuec-es County Sheriff’s Department.

Subsequently, Poindexter filed a verified answer, asserting a general denial and that the cashier’s checks were in his possession and were received from the sale of property and various other business enterprises in which he was involved, and were not subject to forfeiture. He prayed that the property be returned to him.

After a bench trial at which neither Poin-dexter nor his attorney of record appeared, the trial court entered judgment ordering that the property be forfeited to the Nuec-es County Sheriff. Subsequently, Poindex-ter filed a timely verified motion for new trial and motion to set aside the default judgment. Poindexter asserted that good cause existed for setting aside the default judgment due to counsel’s inadvertence and mistake regarding the date of trial. He alleged a meritorious defense and that the State’s case would neither be delayed nor prejudiced. Although Poindexter challenged the legal and factual sufficiency of the evidence to support the forfeiture, he requested relief only in the form of a new trial; Poindexter did not request judgment in the event there was no evidence to support the trial court’s ruling.

At the initial hearing on the motion for new trial, Poindexter’s attorney orally moved that the matter be dismissed for want of jurisdiction. The trial court granted a continuance on the hearing on the motion for new trial until the motion to dismiss for want of jurisdiction, or plea to the jurisdiction, was filed and the State had the opportunity to review the motion. Subsequently, the trial court overruled Poin-dexter’s plea to the jurisdiction, held a hearing on Poindexter’s motion for new trial, and after hearing evidence, denied it.

We first address Poindexter’s five points of error challenging the jurisdiction of the [388]*388trial court. By his first point of error, Poindexter contends that the trial court does not have in personam jurisdiction because there is no basis in law which allows a judgment to be taken against a person individually in a forfeiture proceeding. By his second point of error, he contends that the trial court erred in entering a judgment and in failing to dismiss the claim for want of jurisdiction because neither the trial court nor the State ever had control over the cashier’s checks. By his third point of error, Poindexter contends that the trial court erred in entering judgment because it never obtained jurisdiction over the cashier’s checks or himself. By his fourth point of error, he contends that the judgment is moot because the trial court lost jurisdiction when thirteen of the checks were reissued and cashed. Poindex-ter’s fifth point of error is a challenge to the trial court’s subject matter jurisdiction.

We first address in personam jurisdiction. Poindexter contends that the trial court did not have jurisdiction over him because there is no basis in law which allows for a judgment to be taken against an individual in a forfeiture proceeding. He contends that forfeiture is an in rem proceeding only. The judgment in this case makes no mention of Poindexter; Po-indexter is listed only in the caption as a party to the action. The judgment simply orders that the cashier’s checks be forfeited to the State. Judgment against Poin-dexter in such a proceeding only affects him to the extent that he is the owner of the property which is subject to forfeiture.

The statute under which this forfeiture proceeding was held, Tex.Rev.Civ.Stat.Ann. art. 4476-15 § 5.05(b) (Vernon Supp.1988), provides that a certified copy of the notice of seizure and intended forfeiture be served upon the owner of the property by serving of process by citation in civil cases. Section 5.07(a) requires that the owner of the seized property file a verified answer to the notice. Tex.Rev.Civ.Stat.Ann. art. 4476-15 § 5.07(a) (Vernon Supp.1988). Such provisions in the statute require that Poindexter be made a party to the forfeiture proceeding. The State’s notice of seizure and forfeiture stated that the checks had been seized from Poindexter. The evidence established that the checks were seized from Poindexter’s apartment. Not only did evidence presented at trial identify Poindexter as the owner of the cashier’s checks (the checks were issued in Poindex-ter’s name) but also Poindexter admitted ownership in his answer. Since the statute required that Poindexter be a party to the suit, conferring in personam jurisdiction, and the judgment concerns only the cashier’s checks, we find no error in the judgment which contains Poindexter’s name in the caption.

We next address in rem jurisdiction. Poindexter complains regarding the lack of in rem jurisdiction, that the court never had jurisdiction over the checks because the State never cashed them. In the alternative, he argues that even if the court originally had jurisdiction over the checks, the jurisdiction was lost when thirteen of the checks were cashed. He contends that once custody of the checks was lost, so was the jurisdiction. The evidence showed that the cashier’s checks had been held by the Nueces County Sheriff's Department for disposition pending seizure proceedings. While there was some discussion that the cashier’s checks had been reissued and cashed, there was no evidence that the actual sixteen checks which were seized ever left the Sheriff’s Department.1 Generally when a court obtains jurisdiction of the parties and the subject matter, subsequent events will not divest it of jurisdiction. Megason v. State, 791 S.W.2d 221, 223 (Tex.App.—Corpus Christi 1990, writ denied). Since it is undisputed that the checks were in the Sheriff’s possession at the time of filing the notice of forfeiture, it is clear that the court had jurisdiction over [389]*389the property. Moreover, even if the checks were cashed, this would affect the validity or value of the checks held by the State and not the question of whether the State may prove to be entitled to the actual checks seized and sought to be forfeited.

Lastly, we address Poindexter’s challenge to the subject matter jurisdiction of the trial court. By his fifth point of error, Poindexter contends that the trial court did not have subject matter jurisdiction because the State failed to properly plead an amount in controversy.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
802 S.W.2d 386, 1990 Tex. App. LEXIS 3101, 1990 WL 235841, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/poindexter-v-state-texapp-1990.