### TEXA S C OU R T OF A PPEAL S, THIR D DIST R ICT , AT AU STIN

NO. 03-05-00058- CV

De ut sc he Bank

Tr ustCo m panyAm e r ic as f/k/a Bank e r s Tr ustCo m pany , A ppe lla nt
v. Steve E. Mahoney, Appellee

F ROM THE COUNTY COURT AT LAW NO. 1 OF HAY S COUNTY NO. 9444- P , HO NORAB LE HO WARD S. WARNER, II, JUDGE P RESIDING

M E M O R

A N D UM O P I N I O N
Deutsche Ba

nk Trust Company

Americ as f/k/a B anker s Trust Company a p p e a ls f rom the def ault judgme nt rende red in fa vor of Steve E . Mahoney
. De u s t che B ank conte nds that the jud g me nt i s v oid

be c a us e se rv ic e on

De uts c he B ank

wa s d e fe c tiv e . Am on ga pp e lla nt’ s th e or ie s is the lack of

a sig nature on the citation re turn by the serving office r. Mahone y filed a le tter in lieu of a brief i n which he states t hat he can find no authority for the contra ry proposition. W e re verse the jud g me nt a

nd re mand fo r f ur the r p ro c e e din g s. For a def ault judgme nt to stand, the rec ord must show strict compliance with the rules of civil pr ocedur e relating to the issuance, se rvice , and re turn of citation. Primate Constr., Inc. v

. Silver , 8 84 S.W. 2d

15 1, 15 2 ( Te x. 19 94 ); Uvalde Countr y C l u b v. Martin Linen Supply Co. , 690 S.W .2d 884, 885 (Tex. 1985). There is no presumption in favor of valid issuance , service , and re turn of citation in such a case. Pr im ate , 884 S.W .2d at 152. The re turn of ser vice must “state when theDeutsche Ba nk also complains beca

use the return rec eipt is signed by an individual who 1 is not the addresse e and w as not shown to be author ized to rece ive servic e for Deutsche Ba

nk. 2 citation was ser

ved and the manner

of ser vice a nd be si gn ed b y t h e office r off icially or by the authorized person.” Tex. R. C iv. P. 107.

Service was attempted by

cer tif ie d mail
. A lt houg h someone signe d the re turn rec eipt 1 indicating that citation was delivered, the blanks for the require d information in the offic er’ s return section of the citation rema in unfilled. These e mpty blanks rende r the ser

vice of citation defe ctive and re quire re versa l and re mand of the judg ment. See Laidlaw W aste Sys., Inc . v. W

allace , 944 S.W. 2d 72 , 7 4 ( Te x. Ap p. —Wa c o 1 99 7, wr it d e nie d) ; Retail Techs., Inc. v. Palm City T.V., Inc. , 791 S.W .2d 345, 346-47 (Te x . App.—Corpus Christi 1990, no writ); Am e ric an Ba nk e rs I ns . Co

. v . S

tate , 74 9 S. W.2 d 1 95 , 1 97 (T e x. Ap p. —H ou st on [ 14 th Dis t.] 1 98 8, no wr it) ; Metc alf v. Taylor , 708 S. W. 2 d 5 7 , 5 8
- 5 9 ( T e x. Ap p . —F o rt Wo rth 1 9 8 6 , n o w r it). B ut see W alker v . W

.J.T., Inc. , 737 S.W .2d 48, 49 (Tex. App.—San Antonio 198 7 , n o writ ) (signed ce rtificate of ser vice f ills gap of blank offic er’ s return)
.

Be cause the re cord a ffirmatively shows a lack of strict compliance with the rules of
c ivi l pr oc e dure , w e re ve rs e the de fa ult jud g me nt a

nd re mand thi s c a us e fo r f ur the r p ro c e e din g s.

G. Alan Waldrop, Just ice Be fore Chief J ustice L aw, Justi ces Pembe rton and Waldrop Reverse d and Remande d Filed: F ebrua

ry 10, 2006