Preston State Bank, F/K/A Dallas City Bank v. Roach, John, in His Official Capacity as Collin County DA, and Collin County, Texas

443 S.W.3d 428, 2014 Tex. App. LEXIS 9519, 2014 WL 4199195
CourtCourt of Appeals of Texas
DecidedAugust 26, 2014
Docket05-12-00688-CV
StatusPublished
Cited by9 cases

This text of 443 S.W.3d 428 (Preston State Bank, F/K/A Dallas City Bank v. Roach, John, in His Official Capacity as Collin County DA, and Collin County, Texas) 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.

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Preston State Bank, F/K/A Dallas City Bank v. Roach, John, in His Official Capacity as Collin County DA, and Collin County, Texas, 443 S.W.3d 428, 2014 Tex. App. LEXIS 9519, 2014 WL 4199195 (Tex. Ct. App. 2014).

Opinion

OPINION

Opinion by Justice BRIDGES.

In this appeal, we decide whether a financial institution that complies with a grand jury subpoena seeking an account holder’s records suffers an unconstitutional taking of its property by bearing the expense of copying and producing the requested documents. Appellant Preston State Bank, formerly known as Dallas City Bank (Bank) contends that Section 59.006 of the Texas Finance Code, governing discovery of customer records from financial institutions, is unconstitutional because it allowed appellees to take property for public use without providing just or adequate compensation. We conclude that we have jurisdiction over the appeal; there was no unconstitutional taking; and that it was within the trial court’s discretion to deny the parties’ motions for attorney’s fees. *432 We therefore affirm the trial court’s judgment.

Background

In October 2009, the Bank was served with a subpoena for production of documents issued by the Grand Jury of Collin County. The subpoena sought production of documents from two of the Bank’s account holders. The Bank contacted the Collin County District Attorney’s office to inquire about payment of the costs of complying with the subpoena under section 59.006 of the Texas Finance Code. An assistant District Attorney responded that the Bank was not entitled to recover its costs in response to a criminal grand jury subpoena. The Bank and the District Attorney then entered into a written “Rule 11 Agreement,” filed with the trial court, that the Bank would produce the documents requested, but its compliance with the subpoena would not act as a waiver of its right to complain that it had not been paid for the costs of the production. In the trial court’s later description, the Bank “nobly complied with the grand jury subpoena so as not to delay the prompt and efficient administration of justice and agreed to take its arguments to court to settle.” The Bank produced 88,966 pages of records in response to the subpoena. 1

The Bank filed a motion for protection in the trial court (the court which had issued the subpoena), asking the court to quash the subpoena or order the County to pay the costs of production pursuant to section 59.006 of the Texas Finance Code. This motion was docketed as a miscellaneous proceeding. The Collin County District Attorney 2 was served and responded to the motion. After hearing, the trial court denied the motion. The Bank then filed a motion for declaratory relief and for reconsideration, and obtained service of the motion on the Collin County District Attorney and the Texas Attorney General. A hearing on the motion was held at which only the Bank appeared. The Bank offered testimony regarding the cost of producing the documents and its attorney’s fees. The court took the motion under advisement. Several weeks later, the trial court notified the Bank that the matter should be filed as a new lawsuit before any ruling would be made on the issues presented. The Bank complied, filing this suit in the same trial court.

In its original petition, the Bank sought a declaratory judgment that “if Texas Finance Code § 59.006(a)(3) purports to exempt the government from payment of costs and fees incurred in producing private records in response to a government subpoena, then Texas Finance Code § 59.006(a)(3) is unconstitutional as written or as applied because it allows a taking of private property by the government for public use and without just or adequate compensation having to .be made, which is in contravention of the United States Constitution, Amendment V, and the Texas Constitution, Article I, Section 17.”

*433 The State of Texas intervened to defend the statute’s constitutionality.

The parties filed cross-motions for summary judgment; appellees also filed pleas to the jurisdiction. 3 In an order dated January 23, 2012, the trial court denied the Bank’s motion for partial summary judgment and granted appellees’ cross-motions. The Bank and the County then moved to recover their attorney’s fees. The court denied all motions for attorney’s fees and rendered a final judgment on May 16, 2012. This appeal followed.

Issues

In three issues, the Bank complains of the trial court’s judgment. First, the Bank contends the trial court erred by refusing to declare section 59.006(a)(3) of the Texas Finance Code unconstitutional to the extent it allows a governmental taking without just or adequate compensation. Second, the Bank contends that because the statute is unconstitutional, the trial court erred by failing to allow the Bank to recover either just and adequate compensation for the property taken or its statutory costs under the Finance Code. Third, the Bank argues the trial court erred by refusing to award its attorney’s fees, or in the alternative by failing to remand the case for determination of its attorney’s fees.

In two cross-points, the County asserts the trial court erred by failing to find that the Bank’s claims are barred by res judica-ta, and by failing to award the County its attorney’s fees. In addition, the appellees challenge this court’s jurisdiction over the Bank’s appeal. We address the jurisdictional issues first before considering the Bank’s constitutional challenge and the claims for attorney’s fees.

STANDARDS OF REVIEW

When both sides move for summary judgment and the trial court grants one motion and denies the other, the reviewing court should review both sides’ summary judgment evidence and determine all questions presented. FM Props. Operating Co. v. City of Austin, 22 S.W.3d 868, 872 (Tex.2000). The reviewing court should render the judgment that the trial court should have rendered. Id. We consider all summary judgment grounds the trial court rules on and the movant preserves for appellate review that are necessary for the final disposition of the appeal. Cincinnati Life Ins. Co. v. Cates, 927 S.W.2d 623, 626 (Tex.1996).

When reviewing the constitutionality of a statute, we begin with a presumption that it is constitutional. Walker v. Gutierrez, 111 S.W.3d 56, 66 (Tex.2003); see also Tex. Gov’t Code Ann. § 311.021(1) (West 2013) (in enacting statute, it is presumed that compliance with state and federal constitutions is intended). The party challenging a statute’s constitutionality has the burden of proving that the statute fails to meet constitutional requirements. Walker, 111 S.W.3d at 66. In challenging the constitutionality of a statute, a party may show that the statute is unconstitutional on its face or as applied to that party. Johnson ex rel. MAII Holdings, Inc. v. Jackson Walker, L.L.P., 247 S.W.3d 765, 777 (Tex.App.-Dallas 2008, pet. denied) (citing Tex. Workers’ Comp. Comm’n v. Garcia,

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443 S.W.3d 428, 2014 Tex. App. LEXIS 9519, 2014 WL 4199195, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/preston-state-bank-fka-dallas-city-bank-v-roach-john-in-his-official-texapp-2014.