1 ... See T EX . R. A PP . P. 47. 4.
2 ... E l l i s a p p e a rs p ro s e , a s s h e d i d i n the j u sti c e co u rtan d the co u n ty c o u rta tl a w. 

## COURT OF APPEALS SECOND DISTRICTOFTEXAS FORT WORTH NO. 2 - 0 6 -4 1 4 - CV
L ESL I E M . E L L I S AN D APPE L L AN TS ALLOTH ER O CCU PANTS V . FREM O N T I N V ESTM EN T A N D LOA N A PPELL EE

----- ----- -- FR O M CO UN TY CO URT AT LAW NO . 2 OF DENTO N CO UN TY

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### M E M ORANDU M OP I NI ON 1

----- ----- -- I . I nt r oduc t i on I n t w o i ssues, A ppel l ant s Lesl i e M . El l i s and A l l O t herO ccupan t s ( “El l i s”)
assert , as bestw e c a n sur m i se, t hatt heyi m pr ope r l y l os tpos se ss i on of 2 p rop e rt ythe yo c c u p i e d b e c a u se ( 1 ) a n o ti c e req u i rem e n t of T e x a s P rop e rt y3 ... S e c ti o n 2 4 .0 0 5 o f t h e p rop e rt yco d e p rov i d e s i n rel e v a n t pa rt :

(b ) I f th e o c c u p a n t i s a te n a n t a t w i l l o r b ys u ffe ra n c e , th e l a n d l o rd m u s t g i v e th e te n a n t a t l e a s t th re e d a y s ’ w ri tte n n o ti c e to v a c a te [.]

. . . . ( f ) The n ot i cet o va ca t e s hal l be gi ven i n pe r so n orby m ai l att he pr em i se s i n que st i on. . . . N ot i ceby m ai l m ay be by r egu l arm ai l , by r egi st er ed m ai l , or by ce rt i f i ed m ai l , r et ur n r ec ei ptr equ es t ed, t o t he pr em i se s i n que st i on. T EX . P R OP . C ODE A NN . § 2 4 .0 0 5 (b ), (f) (V e rn o n 2 0 0 0 ).
2 C o d e se c ti o n 2 4 . 0 0 5 w a s n o t co m p l i e d w i th and ( 2) t he pr opert y w as 3 i n a d e q u a te l yd e s c ri b e d i n th e “ p e ti ti o n .” II . F a c tu a la n d P ro c e d u ra lH i s to ry O n M ay 2, 20 06 , A ppel l ee F re m o n t I nvest m entand Loan ( “Fr em ont” ) pur cha se d a f or ec l os ur e p r ope rt y, 1400 O ak cr est, A ubr ey, D ent on Count y, Tex as ( “t he Pr opert y”) , descr i bed m or e speci f i cal l y as: L OT6 3 , B L OCK “ W , ” OF P R OVI DE NC E , P HAS E 4 , AN AD DI T I ON TO THE CI TY O F AU BRE Y, DENTO N CO UN T Y , TE XA S, A C C O R D IN G T O T H E M A PT H E R E O F R E C O R D E D IN C A B IN E T“ V ,” PAG E 246, O F THE M AP RECORD S OF DENTON CO UN TY, TE XA S. O n A ugu st10 , 20 06 , Fr em ont f i l ed sui tagai nstEl l i s i n t he Just i ce oft he Peace C ourt , Pr ec i nct5, D ent on Count y, f or f or ci bl e det ai ner unde r cha pt er 24 oft he Te xa sPr op e rt y Cod e , s e e k i ng p os s e s s i on o ft hePr op e rt y . O n Augu s t21,3

200 6, El l i s, w i t houtf i l i ng a w r i tt en ans w er , app ea r ed f ora t r i alt o t he ben ch,

w her ei n a j udg m entf or possessi on i n f avorofFr em ont w as si gned . El l i s t hen app ea l ed t he dec i si on a nd t he ca se w as as si gne d t o Count y CourtatLa w N o. 2, D ent on Count y. O n Sept em ber 12, 200 6, t he D ent on C ount y C l er k g avenot i ce , t hr ough a l ett er , t o El l i s t hatt he t r anscr i pt f r om t he Just i ce oft he Peace case had been f i l ed i n t he C oun t y C o u rt a t L a w N o. 2 and t hatEl l i s shoul d f i l e a w r i tt en
a ns w e rw i t hi n e i gh td a ys . E l l i sn e ve rf i l e d a w r i tt e n a ns w e r . On Nov e m be r8, 2 0 0 6 , t h e c a s e w a sc a lle d t o t r ia l in t h e C o u n t yC o u rto fL a w N o . 2 . E llis
a p p e a r e d b u tf a ile d t o c o n t e s ta n yp a rto fF r e m o n t ’s c a s e . S p e c if ic a lly , E llis fa i l e d t o o bj e c t to th e e v i d e n c e o ffe re d b yF re m o n t, a n d th e c o u n tyc o u rt
a d m i tte d i n to e v i d e n c e F re m o n t’s“ T ru s te e ’sD e e d ” a n d “ N o ti c e to V a c a te .” O n exam i nat i on, and af t ert he coun t y court adm i tt ed Fr em ont’ s exhi bi t s, El l i s t est i f i ed as f ol l ow s: Q : W oul d yo u i nt r oduc e y our se l ff ort he r ec or d? A : Lesl i e M . El l i s. Q : A n d y o u l i v e at th i s p rop e rt yi n q u e sti o n ; i s th a t co rr e c t? A : Y e s , sir. Q : A n d the p rop e rt yw a s fo rec l o se d o n ; i s th a t r i g h t? A : Y e s , sir.4 . . . . Q : D i d yo u r ec ei ve a n ot i cet o va ca t e t he pr ope rt y? A : Y e s , sir. The c ount y c ourtgr ant ed t he r el i efs oughtby Fr em ontan d s i g n e d a j udg m enti n f a v o rofFr em ont f orpossessi on of t he Pr opert y. Thi s appeal f ol l ow ed. III . A n a ly s is A s pr evi ous l y r ec ount ed, al t hough sh e a ppe ar ed att he t r i al s, El l i s di d not f i l e a w r i t t en ans w er and di d notco nt es tt he evi den ceFr em ontpr es ent ed i n t he
c o u n tyc o u rt. St r i ct l y s pea ki ng, a j udgm entr end er ed aga i ns ta def end antw ho a p p e a rs b u t do e s n o t f i l e an an sw e r i s . . . a j u d g m e n t nihil d icit . Ni hi l d i cit l i te ra l l y m ea ns“ he sa ysnot hi ng, ” t hati s, “ def end ant sa ys n o thi ng. ” Ade f end antw ho a ppe ar s, butdoe s notputt he m e ri ts o f t h e p l a i n ti ff’ s c a se at i ss u e , is s u b je c t t o j u d g m e n t nihil d icit . . . . A j udgm entni hi l d i cit i s, i n i t s ef f ec t , s i m i l art o a n o - a n sw e r de fau l t j u d g m e n t. H o w e v e r, a j u d g m e n t nihil d icit
“ c a rri e sa n e v e n s tro n g e r c o n fe s s i o n th a n th e d e fa u l t j u d g m e n t.” T h e su b m i ss i o n to a j u d g m e n t ni hi l d i cit “i s an aba ndonm entof e v e ryk n o w n d e f e n s e o r a n y d e f e n s e w h ic h o r d in a ry d ilig e n c e c o u ld have di scl osed. ” Rose v. Ro se , 117 S. W . 3d 84, 88 ( Tex. A pp. — W ac o 2003, no p et . ) ( ci t at i ons
o m i tte d ). A n e x a m in a t io n o ft h e re c o r d f ir s t le a d s u s t o t h e “ C o m p la in tf o rF o r c ib le D e t a in e ra n d O r ig in a l P e t it io n .” T h isp e t it io n d e s c r ib e st h e P r o p e rt yin5

a c c o rda n c e w i th the l e g a l d e sc r ip ti o n fou n d i n the d e e d o f t rus t ( E x h i b i t Ato t he pet i t i on) , w hi ch i den ti fi e s t he Pr ope rt y a s 140 0 O ak cr es tD r i ve, A ubr ey, T e x a s7 6 2 2 7 , t h e s a me a d d r e s swh e r e E l l i swa ss e rv e d wi t h t h e p e t i t i on. Exhi bi t s B and C t o t he pet i t i on a r e e ac h a “Not i ce t o V ac at e Pr em i se s” se ntby
cert i f i ed m a il a n d f i r stcl ass m ai l t o “M r . Lesl i e M . El l i s” and t o “A l l O t her O ccupan t s, ” at 14 00 O akcr est D r i ve, A ubr ey, Tex as. I n one partofEl l i s’ s br i ef t o t hi s court , El l i s com pl ai ns of r ecei vi ng no noti ce at al l and i n anotherpl ace,
c o m p l a i n s th a t “[p]l a i n ti ff d i d n o t give [ d ]efe n d a n ts w ri tten n o ti c e p u rsu a n t t o 24. 001 eteq . [ si c] oft he Texa s Pr ope rt y C ode , ” w i t hout des cr i bi ng w hatt he st at ut or y def i ci ency m ay be. Th e docu m ent ary evi dence, how ever , bel i es t hese
c o m p l a i n ts b e c a u se , i n t h e c o u n ty c o u rt , E l l i s a d m i tted rec e i v i n g n o ti c e to
vac at e t he pr ope rt y. E l l i sc i te s to tw o c a s e s i n T e x a sj u ri s p ru d e n c e . Granber ry v. Storey , 127 S.W . 1122 ( Tex. Ci v. A pp. 1910 , no w r i t ) , El l i s i nf or m s us , s t and s f ort he prop os i t i on t ha t “[ a]n ob j ec t i on t ha t t he prop ert y so ug ht t o be r ec ov e r e d in f or ci bl e e nt ry a nd de t ai nerw asi ns uf f i ci ent l y de sc r i bed i n t he com pl ai ntca n be fi rst m a d e o n ap p e a l .” N o t so . T h e ca se ac tu a l l ysa y s th a t: [t]h e o b j ec t i on t o t he j udgm ent , m adef ort he f i r stt i m e i n t he m o ti o n n o w b e i n g c o n s i d e re d , t h a t th e d e s c ri p ti o n i n a p p e l l e e ’s c o m p la in to ft h e p r e m is e sin c o n t r o v e r s yw a sin s u f f ic ie n t , if m e rito rio u s , w h ic h w e d o n o t c o n c e d e it to b e , c o m e sto o la te . It sh o u l d h a v e b e e n m a d e , i n the fi rst i n sta n c e , b y a n e x c e p ti o n to6

com pl ai ntur ged i n t he t r i alco urt , w her e, ha d i tbe en f ound t o be w e l l ta k e n , th e c o m p l a i n t c o u l d h a v e b e e n a m e n d e d . Id. a t 1 1 2 5 (o p . o n re h ’g ). El l i s al so ci t es S te elev. S te ele , 2 W i l l so n 2 9 9 , 1 8 8 4W L8 3 3 8 ( T e x . C t. A p p . 1 8 8 4 ), a p p a ren tl y fo r so m e p rop o sit i o n co n c e rning an ex h i b i t attac h e d to
a “ c o m p la in tf o rf o r c ib le d e t a in e r ,” w h ic h “ d id n o tc o n t a in a f u ll a n d s p e c if ic des cr i pt i on oft he pr em i se s. ” I n S te ele , t h e c o u rtf o u n d n o t h in g o bje c t io n a b le

w her e t he co m p la in t d escr i bed t he pr em i ses by r ef er r i ng t o an exhi bi tw hi ch
con t ai ned a f ul l an d s pec i f i c d es cr i pt i on oft he pr em i se s, an d “ [ t ] he des cr i pt i on oft h e pr em i ses [ w as] m er el y f ori denti f i cat i on, and [ w as] notsuch m at t eras i s r equi r ed t o be f or m al l y aver r ed. ” Id . a t * 2 . W h a tev e r po i n t Ell i s i s trying to
m ake t hr oug h t hi s ci t at i on, i ti s not re le v a n tt o t he f act s bef or e us because t her e i s a com pl et e l egal descr i pt i on i n t he pet i t i on. The i ssues w hi ch appear t o be r ai sed by El l i s ar e w i t hou tm er i t . W e over r ul e t hem . I V . Concl us i on H avi ng ov er r ul ed t he i ss uesr ai se d byEl l i s, w e a f f i r m t he j udgm ent oft he tr i a l co u rt . P E RCU R I AM PA N EL F: M C C O Y, J. ; CA YC E, C. J. ; an d W A LKER, J. DEL I VERE D: M a y 22, 2008