R____ S____ v. B____ J____ J____

883 S.W.2d 711, 1994 WL 449104
CourtCourt of Appeals of Texas
DecidedAugust 17, 1994
Docket05-93-00848-CV
StatusPublished
Cited by20 cases

This text of 883 S.W.2d 711 (R____ S____ v. B____ J____ J____) 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
R____ S____ v. B____ J____ J____, 883 S.W.2d 711, 1994 WL 449104 (Tex. Ct. App. 1994).

Opinion

883 S.W.2d 711 (1994)

R____ S____ and J____ S____, Appellants,
v.
B____ J____ J____ and B____ C____ J____, Appellees.

No. 05-93-00848-CV.

Court of Appeals of Texas, Dallas.

August 17, 1994.

*713 Richard D. William, Greenville, for appellants.

Russell P. Brooks, H. Craig Black, Atty. ad litem, Greenville, for appellees.

Before LAGARDE, BARBER and WHITTINGTON, JJ.

OPINION

LAGARDE, Justice.

R__ and J__ S__ ("Mr. S__" and "Mrs. S__" or collectively "the parents") appeal an order naming appellees B__ and C__ J__ ("Mr. J__" and "Mrs. J__" or collectively "the nonparents") managing conservators of two of the parents' three children.[1] In two points of error, the parents (i) challenge the sufficiency of the evidence and (ii) argue that separating their children is against public policy. We affirm.

The parents have three children: R__ R__ S__ ("B__"), L__ M__ S__ ("L__"), and J__ D__ S__ ("P__").[2] L__ and P__ (collectively *714 "the children") are the subject of this litigation. The testimony at trial was confusing and, at times, hotly disputed. Briefly, however, the basic undisputed facts are as follows.

In 1987, Mrs. J__ was a good friend of the parents.[3] In August 1987, Mrs. S__ voluntarily relinquished P__, then only fifteen and one-half months old, into the care of Mrs. J__. This arrangement was originally intended to be temporary. Except for a couple of overnight outings with the parents before 1989, however, P__ lived continuously with Mrs. J__ until September 1990. In January 1989, Mrs. S__ voluntarily placed L__, then six years old, into the care of Mrs. J__. From this date until September 1990, the parents had no contact whatsoever with either child. The parents never provided Mrs. J__ with any child support for the costs incurred in raising their children.

In September 1990, the nonparents filed this action seeking managing conservatorship of the children. Following a hearing, the nonparents were named temporary managing conservators and the parents were named temporary possessory conservators with standard visitation rights. Despite living more than one hundred miles away, the parents frequently exercised their visitation rights after September 1990.

The parents counterclaimed, seeking managing conservatorship and alleging intentional and negligent infliction of emotional distress through the nonparents' acts of "secluding" and "abducting" the children. The nonparents amended their pleadings to request termination of parental rights and adoption or, in the alternative, managing conservatorship. Following a trial to the court, the judge declined to terminate the parents' parental rights; however, the court's judgment named the nonparents as managing conservators and the parents as possessory conservators. The court also denied recovery on the parents' counterclaims.

SUFFICIENCY OF THE EVIDENCE

In their first point of error, the parents assert that the trial court erred in awarding custody of the children to the nonparents "because the evidence was not sufficient for this ruling." This point of error is ambiguous because it can be interpreted as challenging either the legal or factual insufficiency of the evidence. Garza v. Alviar, 395 S.W.2d 821, 823 (Tex.1965). The general rule is that unless the context shows that the words were used in a different sense, references to the insufficiency of the evidence are usually construed to mean factual insufficiency. Id.

The parents' own statement best summarizes their argument on appeal: "Appellees have not met their burden of proof and [sic] introducing into evidence specific acts of the natural parents which would disqualify them as being managing conservators over the children." The thrust of the parents' argument is that no evidence was presented to overcome the legislative presumption that children belong in the custody of their natural parents. See Tex.Fam.Code Ann. § 14.01(b) (Vernon Supp.1994). Further, the parents' brief did not suggest a standard of review to be applied.[4] The parents conclude their brief by "pray[ing] that this Court reverse the decision of the [t]rial [c]ourt and render a judgment in favor of [a]ppellants." Legal insufficiency points call for the reversal and rendering of a judgment in favor of appellant, while factual insufficiency points call for the reversal and remanding for a new trial. Alstan Corp. v. Board of Admin., 713 S.W.2d 130, 132 (Tex.App.-Austin 1986, writ ref'd n.r.e.) (citing Robert W. Calvert, "No Evidence" and "Insufficient Evidence" Points of Error, 38 Tex.L.Rev. 361, 362 & 365 (1960)).

We conclude from the parents' arguments and prayer that this point of error challenges *715 only the legal sufficiency of the evidence. See Alstan Corp., 713 S.W.2d at 132 (prayer for rendition of judgment a factor in determining point of error was "no evidence" point). Assuming, arguendo, that our construction of the parents' point of error is incorrect, the parents' point of error is a factual insufficiency point. See Garza, 395 S.W.2d at 823 (general rule). In the interest of judicial economy and with the welfare of the real parties-in-interest in this case, the children, in mind, we will also consider the factual sufficiency of the evidence.

Standards of Review

A. Legal Sufficiency

Legal insufficiency or no-evidence points are questions of law. Tomlinson v. Jones, 677 S.W.2d 490, 492 (Tex.1984). In reviewing a no-evidence point, we consider only the evidence and reasonable inferences drawn therefrom which, when viewed in their most favorable light, support the trial court's findings. Lewelling v. Lewelling, 796 S.W.2d 164, 166 (Tex.1990). We disregard all evidence and inferences to the contrary. Id. The findings must be upheld if there is more than a scintilla of evidence to support them. Stedman v. Georgetown Sav. & Loan Ass'n, 595 S.W.2d 486, 488 (Tex.1979). Evidence is no more than a scintilla when it is "so weak as to do no more than create a mere surmise or suspicion of [the fact's] existence." Seideneck v. Cal Bayreuther Assocs., 451 S.W.2d 752, 755 (Tex.1970) (quoting Robert W. Calvert, "No Evidence" and "Insufficient Evidence" Points of Error, 38 Tex.L.Rev. at 363). If the evidence supplies some reasonable basis for differing conclusions by reasonable minds about the existence of a vital fact, however, then there is some evidence, or, in other words, more than a scintilla of evidence. Kindred v. Con/Chem, Inc., 650 S.W.2d 61, 63 (Tex.1983).

B. Factual Sufficiency

In reviewing a factual sufficiency point, we consider all the evidence, including any evidence contrary to the judgment. PlasTex, Inc. v. U.S. Steel Corp., 772 S.W.2d 442, 445 (Tex.1989).

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Bluebook (online)
883 S.W.2d 711, 1994 WL 449104, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/r____-s____-v-b____-j____-j____-texapp-1994.