NO. 07-09 -013 6-CV IN THE CO UR T OF APPEA LS FO R THE S EVEN TH D ISTRI CT O F TEXAS

AT AM AR ILLO PAN EL D AU GU ST 20, 2009

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___ IN THE IN TERES T OF Z. A.S. , A CH ILD

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______ FRO M T HE 15 4 T H DI ST RI CT COU RT OF L AM B CO UNT Y; NO . 17, 297; HO NO RA BLE F ELIX KLEI N, JU DG E

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____ Before QUINN, C.J., and CAMPBELL and PIRT LE, JJ. ME MO RA ND UM OPI NI ON In t his rest ri cte d appea l, appel lan t J .S.J . app eal s a defaultj udg ment adj udi cat ing p a te rn ity of a c hil d, Z .A.S
. Appel lee Office o f the At tor ney Gene ra l of Tex as confess es er ro r throug h a joi nt moti on of t he par ti es re q uest ing re v ersal and re mand. Bas ed on our findi ng of re v ersi ble e rro r o n the face of the re cord, t he j udg ment w il l be rev ersed and rema nde d for f urthe r proceed ings. Back g ro und The Att or ney

Gene ra l sued to es tabl is h J .S.J . as bi olo g ic al father of Z.A. S. a nd s et chi ld supp ort. J.S.J . w as ser v ed w it h proces s a nd fil ed a pr o s e g eneral deni al. The t ri al2

cour t s et t he matt er

for fin al hear ing . The cl er k’ s rec ord c ontai ns an “ Order Es tabl is hin g the P ar ent- Chi ld Rel ati onshi p,” si g ned O cto ber 29, 2008. Ac cord in g t o findi ng s i n the o rd e r, J. S. J. , “a lt h o u gh d u l y n o t i f i e d , d id no t a p p e a r, ” an d “[a ] re co rd of th e pro ce e d in gs w as w aiv ed by

the par ti es w it h the co nsentof the c o u rt .” T he order adj udg ed J .S.J . t he bio log ic al father of Z.A. S., appoi nted him a pos ses sor y co nser v ator of the c hil d, an d ordered J .S.J . mak e current and retroact iv e chil d suppor t pay ments. J.S .J. f il ed no post tr ial moti ons and t he record c ontai ns no acti on byhim i n the ca se unti l he fil ed a noti ce of re str ic ted a ppeal w it hin si x months of the t ri al cour t’ s o rd er . The Atto rn ey General did not file an appe ll ate b ri ef. Ins tead, on A ug ust13, 2009, the p arti es filed a do cumententi tl ed “ Joi nt M oti on for Rev ersal and Remand and for Immedia te I ss uance of Ma ndate. ” T he moti on bears t he s ig natures of an ass is tant attor ney g eneral and c ounse l for J.S.J
. The moti on s tates J. S.J . w as not p re senti n person or by co unsel for t he hear ing of the Atto rn ey General’ s sui t, and by cons enti ng to w aiv er of a record i n J .S.J .’ s a bsenc e the tr ial co urt er re d. Ana ly sis J. S. J. pre se n ts th re e i ss u e s o n a p p e a l. W e f in d hi s f irs t is su e di sp o sit ive. Th ro u gh ithe c hal len g es the t ri al cour t’ s p ro ceedi ng to jud g ment i n defaul t w it hout a proper w aiv er of a repor

ter ’s record. A restricted a ppe al mu st be bro ught w ithin six mon ths of

the d a t e t h e trial court si g ns the j udg ment, by a par ty to the s uit , w ho di d notpar ti ci pate in the a ctu al tr ial , and the error comp lained of

mustbe ap pare nt f rom th e face o f the reco rd. T ex. R . App . P. 26 .1(c);3

Nor m an Com m unicat

ion s v. Texas East

m an C o., 955 S.W .2d 269, 270 ( Tex . 199 7) ( per curiam ) ( discu ssing fo rmer w rit of error procedu re). Of th e grounds n ecessa ry for a re str ic ted a ppeal , t he s ole q uest ion i n the p re sentmatte r is w hether er ro r appears o n the face o f the reco rd. For purpose s of restricted ap pea l, t he face of t he reco rd consists of

all papers o n fil e i n the appeal . Id. From the jud g ment of the tr ial co urt and the all eg ati ons of the joi nt motion, the tr ial co u rttri e d th e At to rn e y Gen e ra l’s pe ti ti o n in th e ab se n ce of J. S. J. w it h o u t m a kin g a repo rter’s record. Family Code Section 105 .00 3 requires a record of the pro ceed ing unless w aived by the partie s w ith the conse nt of the court. T ex. Fam . Code Ann . § 1 0 5 . 0 0 3 (c) (Verno n 20 08). In Stubbs

v. Stu bbs, the c our

t hel d that the s tatut or

y predece ss or

of sec ti on 105. 003 place d an af

f irmative duty on the trial court to ensu re tha tt h e c ourt rep orter ma kes a re cord of proceed ing s inv olv ing parent- chi ld re lat ion shi ps, and failu re to do s o c onst it utes error on the face o f

the reco rd re qu ir in g rev ersal. 685 S.W .2d 643 , 645 -46 (Te x . 198 5); In r e Vega , 10 S. W .3d 720 , 722 (Tex.App .–A ma rill o 19 99, no pe t.). Section 1 0 5 .00 3(c) pla ces t h e s ame duty on t he tr ial co urt. See In r e D .J. M. , 114 S. W .3d 6 37, 6 39 (Te x .Ap p.– Fort W orth 20 03, pet. den ied). The order

at bar reci tes the par

ti es w aiv ed a re cord o f t h e proce edi ng s. J. S.J ., how ev er , w as not p re senti n person or bycounsel to make a v ali d w aiv er . In In r e Vega , w hen c onfronte d w it h si mil ar ci rc umstan ces , w e hel d w here a p arty i s n eit her

presentnor re present ed by

co unsel at the hear ing , making a re cord cannot be w aiv ed as to the a bsent4

par ty and a tri al cour

t commits error

in consent ing to the w aiv er of a re cord. 10 S. W .3d a t 722 ( citi ng O'Con nel

l v. O’Con nel

l, 661 S. W .2d 2 61, 2 63 ( Tex .App. –Ho ust on [1 st Di st. ] 1983, no w ri t) ; G.S. K. v . T .K.N., 940 S.W .2d 797 , 799 (Tex.App .–E l Paso 19 97, no w rit))
. The hol din g appl ies here. The tr ial co urt’ s e rror i s rev ersi ble er ro r becau se, w it hout a repo rter’s record, we c a n n ot de term ine w het her the ev iden ce sup portin g the trial court’s jud g ment w as factual ly or l eg all y su ff ic ien t. Tex . R . Ap p. P . 44. 1( a) (2 ). J.S .J. ’s pray er

for rel ief al so ask s t hat w e v acat e an admini strati v e w ri t of w it hhol din g i ss ued by

the At to rn e y

Gene ra l. See Tex . F am. C ode An n. § 158.501 (a ) (V er non 200 8)
. The record cont ain s no ind ic ati on J.S .J. present ed his re q uest for v acat ion of the w ri t of w it hhol din g to the t ri al cour t. See T e x. F a m . C o d e A nn. § 158 .50 6(a)-(c) (V er non 200 8)
. Hi s a ppel lat e c omplai nt c oncer nin g the w ri t of w it hhol din g present s n othi ng for our rev iew . See Tex . R . Ap p. P . 3 3 .1 ( req uir ing ti mely req uestto tr ial co urt as pr ereq uis it e to appel lat e rev iew ). Acc ordin g ly , w e s ust ain the first is sue of J.S .J. to the e xtent itse eks rev ersal of the tr ial co urt’ s o rd er . Det er minat ion of his remai nin g iss ues is unnec ess ar y to our di spos it ion of the appe al. See Tex . R . Ap p. P . 47. 1. The par ti es broug ht t he joi nt moti on acc ordin g to R ule of Appel lat e Procedu re 42.1 seekin g rev ersal and rem and and imm edia te issua nce o f man dat e. W e ma y

not “orde r a new tr ial merely

on t he agreement of the part ies absent rev ersi ble error . . . .” N otes and Comment s, Tex . R. App. P. 42.1. H ere, ho w ev er , rev ersi ble er ro r appears o n the face of the record. The par

ti es als o as k t hat mand ate i ss ue c oncur re n tly w it h our opi nio n and5

jud g ment. R ule of

Appell ate Pro cedure 18.1(c ) author iz es the earl y i ss uance of mandate on th e moti on of the par ti es. Tex . R . Ap p. P . 18. 1( c)
. W e g ra nt t he j oin t moti on. Rul e of Appel lat e Procedu re 39.8 req uires the c ler k p ro v ide the par ti es a s peci fied form of noti ce at l easttw enty -o ne day s b efore arg ument or submi ss ion w it hout arg ument. See Tex . R. App. P. 3 9.8. To ex pedi te a deci si on, R ule of Appel lat e Procedu re 2 author iz es a c o u rt o n i ts ow n i nit iat iv e to sus pend t he operati on of a r ule i n a p arti cul ar c a s e . T e x . R . A p p . P . 2
. B y t h e j o i n tm o t i o n , t h e p a rt i e s s e e ki mm e d i a t e a p p e l l a t e re l i e f. On ou r ow n i n it ia ti v e, w e hav e appl ied R ule 2 an d s ubmit ted t he c ase w it hout Rul e 39. 8 noti ce. Con cl usi on Hav ing su sta ine d the f irst is sue of J.S .J. w it h resp ectto the a cti on of the tr ial co urt, and g ra nted the p arti es’ j oin t moti on, w e rev erse the t ri al cour t’ s “ Order

Es tabl is hin g the Parent- Chi ld Rel ati onshi p,” si g ned O ct o b e r 29, 2 008, and remand th e c ase for furt her proceed ing s. Tex . R . Ap p. P . 43. 2( d)
. Ma ndate shal l is sue conc ur re ntl y w it h thi s o pin ion and our j udg ment.

Jam es T . Camp bell Justice