Jul 02 15 03:28p p.1

hlo.0615-00027-Cv



### In the 

### Court ofAppeals Sixth 

### Judicial Dietrict Terarkanar Texas


### In rc STACEY 

### IIIANE SARTOR, Relator
RESPONSE, TO 

### REAL PARTY 

### IN n'TEREST'S RESPONSE 

### TO

PETITION FOR

### WRIT OF 

### MANDAMUS

lv{arianne 

### Howlurd State Bar No. 24055693 Gle,nWietzel State Bar No. 24047704 1910 Forest I.nGarlan4

### TX75M? Tel:214.288.1731 

### Fax 214.853.5835 mhowland@dlivcustody, com

Sartor fResJrnse Pag" 1

### ofll ACCEPTED

06-15-00027-CV SIXTH COURT OF APPEALS TEXARKANA, TEXAS 7/7/2015 2:20:55 AM DEBBIE AUTREY

CLERK

### Identity of 

### Parties and Counsel



### The 

### following is a 

### list of all parties and 

### all counsel 

### who have appeared 

### in this matter: 

### Relator: STACEY 

### DIANE SARTOR 

### Attorneys 

### for Relator 

## in the

### trial court: Marianne 

### Howland, 1940 Forest Ln., Garland, 

### TX 75A42, State 

### Bar 

### No. 24055693 and 

### Glen 

### Wietzel, 1940 Forest 

### Ln., Garland,

### TX75042, State Bar 

### No. 24047704. Respondent: 

### ERIC CLIFFORD Attorney for Respondent in the

### trial court: 

### N/A Real party 

### in interest: JASON SARTOR 

### Attomey 

### for real party 

### in interest 

### in the

### trial court: SE, Paris, Texas 75460, State Bar 

### No. 24032343. Table 

### of Contents Index of

### Authorities PETITION FOR 

### WRIT OF 

### MANDAMUS 

# I. Statement 

### of the Case 

# il. Statement 

### of Jurisdiction 

# ru. Issues Presented Issue 

### No. I 

# ry. Statement 

### of Facts 

### Jennifer

### Gibo. 109 

### 1" Street

IV

1 4 4 4

4 Sartor I Response Page 2 of11

### V. Argument and 

### Authorities



# A. Standard 

### of Review: 

### Availabilitv of Mandamus 

### Relief 

# B. Issue 

### No. 1: Respondent abused his discretion when he denied 

### Motion to Transfer Venue 

### Prayer Certification Certfficate of Service 

### APPENDICES: 

### The followine documents

### are attached incorporated 

### in 

### it for all purposes. 

### Appendix

# A: Affidavit of STACEY 

### DIANE SARTOR 

## to this petition and



### Appendix

# B: Attached to this Response arethe

### following documents: 

### A certified copy 

### of the 

### First Amended 

### Motion to Transfer Venue. 

### Appendix

# C: Affidavit 

## of Marianne Howland, 

### one

## of the attorneys 

### for Relator. Statement of the Case 

# 1. The underlying 

### suit 

### is a suit

### to 

### modiff parent-child relationship, 

### in which Relator 

### filed a 

### motion to transfer venue. 

# 2. Respondent denied Relator's 

### motion to transfer venue on 

### May 

### 5,2015. 

# 3. Respondent 

### is ERIC CLIFFORD, Judge

### of the 6rH

### Judicial District Court 

### of Lamar County, Texas,whose address 

## is 119 

### N. Main St. Paris, Texas Sartor I Response Page 3

## ofll75460.

Statement 

### ofJuris

### diction 

### This Court has

### jurisdiction 

### to issue a

### writ of mandamus 

### under section 

### 6

### of article

### V of the Texas 

### Constitution and section 22.221(a) 

### of the Texas Government Code. Issues Presented by Real 

### Party in 

### Interest Issue 

### No. 1: Respondent abused 

### his discretionwhen 

### he denied 

### Relator's First Amended 

### Motion to Transfer Venue. 

### Texas 

### Family Code 

### Section 155.201 states 

### that

## "if a suit

### to modiff or a 

### motion

## to enforce arL

### order 

## is filed 

## in the court having continuing, exclusive 

### jurisdiction 

### of a suit, on the

### timely motion 

### of a 

### party 

### the court shall, 

### within the 

### time required 

### by Section 155.204, transfer the proceeding 

### to another county 

### in this state 

### if the 

### child has resided in the other county 

### for six months or longer. Statement of Facts 

### Relator, 

### STACEY 

### DIANE SARTO& resides 

### in Hunt County, Texas 

### with the children 

### the subject 

### of this 

### suit. Relator resided 

### in Hopkins County 

### with the 

### children for six months 

### prior to the

### filing of the 

### underlying suit. 

### JASON SARTOR resides

## in Kansas. The exact address

## of JASON SARTOR is 

### unknown. 

### It is undisputed that

### JASON SARTOR resides in Kansas. None 

### of the parties to

### this case reside in Lamar County, Texas. Sartor I Response Page 4of 11

### Relator 

### timely filed Defendant's 

### Notice 

### of Motion and 

### Motion to Dismiss



### for Lack 

### of Personal 

### Jurisdiction and Improper Venue, 

### or, 

### in the 

### Alternative, to 

### Transfer Venue and 

### the First Amended 

### Motion 

## to Transfer

## Venue. JASON 

### SARTOR 

### failed

## tofile a controverting 

### affidavit 

## in response

### to the 

### Motion to Transfer 

### Venue. The 

### affidavit thatJASON SARTOR 

### filed was 

### not controverting 

### in nature. The 

### affidavit did not allege 

### that Relator 

### did not reside 

### in Hopkins or 

### Hunt County 

### for at least 

### six months 

### priorto the

### filing of her

## suit. Respondent, Judge 

### Eric Clifford, heard 

### the 

### motion on 

### March 2A,2015 

### at 10:00 

### a.m. Relator 

### testified that she had resided 

### in Hopkins County

### for at least 

### six months before the 

### underlying

### suit was

## filed. Respondent 

### denied 

### Relator's motion even though Respondent had a mandatory 

### ministerial duty

### to transfer the case

### to Hunt County, Texas, 

### wherethe children 

### the subject 

### of this suit have resided 

### for more than six months 

### or, in the alternative, 

### Hopkins County, where the

### children 

### lived for at least six months 

### prior to the

### filing of the 

### underlying suit. 

### Respondent

### only took testimony 

### from Relator and JASON SARTOR's 

### father. No testimony 

### fromJASON SARTOR was taken. Respondent

### verbally denied 

### Relator's 

### motion

### to transfer (see 

### page 19, 

### line 

### 20 through 

### 23

### of the transcript attached

### to Real 

### Parly 

## in lnterest's Response). 

### Therefore, 

### Relator 

### did not submit 

### an order granting 

### the motion 

## to transfer. Respondent issued an Order 

### Denying 

### Motion to Transfer on 

### May

### 5,2015. Sartor lResponse Page 5

## ofllJul 02 15 03:29o p.2

Argument and,Authorities 

# A. Standard of Review: Availabilitv of Mandamus Relief. Requisites of mandamus relief are a showing of (1) a legal duty to perforrn a nondiscretionary act, (2) a demand for performance of a nondiscretionary act, and (3) a refusal to perforrn after zuch demand was made. Erbs v. Bedard,760 S,W.2d 

### 750, 755 (Tex. 

### App.-Dallas 1988) 

### (orig proceeding). Mandamus 

### relief is availablewhen underthe circwn$tances 

### of the case tbe facts and law 

### perrrit the 

### trial court to make but one decision--and the

### trial court has refusedto make that decision*and remedy 

### by appeal

### to correct the 

### ruling 

### is inadequate. 

### Proffer v. Yates, 734 S.W.2 d 67 1, 673 (Tex. 1987) (orig. proceedine). Mandamus 

### is available 

### to compel mandatory transfer 

### in suits affecting the parent-child 

### relationship. Proffer, 734 S.W.2d 

### at 672; 

### Arias 

### v. Sputor, 623 S.W.2d 312, 313

### (Iex. l98l) (orig. proceeding)- Transfer

### of a case

### to a county where the child has resided 

### for more than six months 

### is a mandarcry ministerial 

### duty under section 11.06(b) 

### (now section 155.201) 

### of the Texas 

### Family Code. 

### Proffer, 734 S.W.2d 

### at 673- Parents and children

### who have a 

### right under the mandatory venue provisions to venue in a particular county should not be forced to go through a

### fial that isfor naught. Proffer,734 S.W.2d, at 673. Justice demands
a speedy resolution of child custody andchild support issues. Proffer,734 S.W.zd at673. Sanor f Response Page 6of

### llJul 02 15 03:29p p.3

B. Issue No. I Relator should be granted relief brcause the hial judge abused his discretion 

### in denying the motion 

### to transfer 

### venue. The 

### hial judge failed 

### to perfonn his mandatory ministerial duty 

### to transfer the case

### to Hunt Count;r, Toras

### or, in the alternative, Hopkins County, Texas. Prayer Relator pray$ thatthis Court issue

### ia writ of mandamus comnanding 

### he triai court to vacate the order of May 5,2015 denying Relatot's Defendant's Notice 

### of Motion and Motion to 

### Disniss for Lack 

### of Personal Jurisdictioa and Improper Venue, 

### or, 

### in the Alternativeo

### to Transfer Venue and Relator's 

### First Amendod Motion to Transfer Venue and ordering the 

### hial court to grant RelatoCs Motion to Transfer andtransferthe case to Hunt County, Texas or, in the altemative, Hopkins Connty, Texas. Law Office of Marianne Howland 1940 ForestLn. Garland 

### TX 75Mz Tel:214.288.1731 

### Far 214.853.5835 Em

### ail mhowland@dfrvcustody.com

Sartor lRespons€ Page 7

## ofll State BsrNo.24055693Jul 02 15 03:29p p,4



### Certilication 

## I certifr that 

### I have reviewed the above response and have concluded tbal 

### every factual statement 

### in the reqponse 

## is srrpported 

### by con:petent evidence included in the atrached appendix or rwordCertificate of Senice 

# I certi$ that 

### a mrc copy 

### of this Response

### to Real Party

### in Interest's Response to Petition for

### Writ of Mandamus lr'irs served in accordance with nrle 9.5 

### of the Texas Rules

### of Appellatc Procedure 

### on each 

### party 

### or that party's lead corrnsel asfollows: Parry: JASON SARTOR Lead attorney: Jennifer Gibo Address of service: 119 lo Street SE, Paris,Texas

## 75ffi Method of service: via facsimile: 903-9054966 Date of senrice:

## JuY

# -\ ,2015 

### A copy 

### of

### ftis notice 

### is being 

### filed 

### u'i& the appellate clerk 

### in accodance with rule 25.1(e) of Sre Texas Rules ofAppellate



# a

Sstor I Response Page 8

## ofll Attorney for RelatorJu1021503:29p p.5



### Apperd.ixl.'Affidavit of STACEY 

### DIANE SARTOR STACEY 

### DIANE SARTOR eppeared in person before me today and stabd under oath: 

### "My uame is STACEY 

### DIANE SARTOR. 

### I am abovethe age 

### of eighteen yearsof age, and 

### I arn

### futly compstent to makethis 

### affidavit. 

### I am the Relator in this Petitionfor

### Writ of Mandamus. The fbcts stated in this affidavit arewithin my personal knowledge and are tnre and correcl 

### I have resided in 

### llunt Countywith the children the subject ofthis suit since May

### 2014. I resided in Hopkins Countyfor six months before the underlying zuit
was filed

### I filed my Defendant's Notice of Motion and Motionto Dismiss for Lack

### of Personal Jgrisdiction and 

### Impropu Venue:

### or, 

### in the Alternative, 

### to Transfer Venue on Decembef 9,

### 2014. 

### My attorney &en 

### filed a FirstAnended Motion to Transfer Veirue on January 5, 2015, and 

## I appeared at the hearing on tvlarch 20, 2015 

### at 10:00

### a.m. Judge 

### Eric Clifford did not taketestimony

### from JASON SARTOR on

### tris issue. Judge 

### Eric Clifford ver$ally denied my motion and &en issued an order denying my motion on May 5, 2015.

Sartor lResponse Page9 of

## llp.6

Jul 02 15 03:30p

SIGNED under oath before me

### on .1"tu 

## 1'l ^''

### u

# ) '

# { 

# ffi

Sartor I RssPonse Paga 10

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