Dismissed and Memorandum Opinion filed April 5, 2012.

In The

Fourteenth Court of Appeals 

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NO. 14-11-00527-CV

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RALPH O. DOUGLAS, Appellant

V.

THE HONORABLE TEXAS BOARD OF PARDONS AND PAROLES, Appellee

On Appeal from the 400th District Court

Fort Bend County, Texas

Trial Court Cause No. 10-DCV-184526

M E M O R A N D U M O P I N I O N

This is an attempted appeal from a trial court order granting appellee’s motion to 

declare appellant, Ralph O. Douglas, a vexatious litigant. See Tex. Civ. Prac. & Rem. 

Code Ann. § 11.001–.104 (West 2002 & Supp. 2011). 

On June 25, 2010, appellee, the Honorable Board of Pardons and Paroles, filed a 

motion with the trial court asking it to “determine that [appellant] is a vexatious litigant”

and “stay the proceedings and order [appellant] to furnish security in the amount 
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determined by the Court.” After a hearing on the motion, the trial court issued an order 

granting appellee’s motion. The Order stated that:

On this day came to be heard [appellee’s] Motion to Declare 

[appellant] A Vexatious Litigant. After reviewing the pleadings on file 

herein, the Court is of the opinion that said motion is meritorious, and should 

be in all things, GRANTED. 

IT IS THEREFORE ORDERED, ADJUDGED AND DECREED that 

the [appellee’s] Motion to Declare [appellant] A Vexatious Litigant is hereby 

GRANTED.

Also included in the appellate record is appellant’s “Notice of Interlocutory Appeal.” It 

appears from the appellate record that no further action has been taken by or in the trial 

court. 

Generally, appeals may be taken only from final judgments. Lehmann v. Har-Con 

Corp., 39 S.W.3d 191, 195 (Tex. 2001). Interlocutory orders may be appealed only if 

authorized by statute. Bally Total Fitness Corp. v. Jackson, 53 S.W.3d 352, 352 (Tex. 

2001). Appellant cites no authority, and we have found none, providing for an 

interlocutory appeal from an order staying a proceeding pending compliance with the 

vexatious litigant statute. See Tex. Civ. Prac. & Rem. Code Ann. § 51.014 (West 2008); 

Almanza v. Keller, 345 S.W.3d 442, 443 (Tex. App.—Waco 2011, no pet.) (“[T]here is no 

statutory right of an interlocutory appeal of a vexatious litigant order or the related order 

requiring security.”); see also Pandozy v. Beaty, 254 S.W.3d 613, 618 (Tex. 

App.—Texarkana 2008, no pet.) (“There is no provision in Section 51.014 authorizing an 

appeal of an order which declares a person a vexatious litigant...”); cf. Douglas v. Am. Title 

Co., 196 S.W.3d 876, 877 (Tex. App.—Houston [1st Dist.] 2006, no pet.) (appealing order

of the trial court declaring appellant vexatious litigant and dismissing his lawsuit after he 

failed to furnish court-ordered security); Leonard v. Abbott, 171 S.W.3d 451, 454 (Tex. 

App.—Austin 2005, pet. denied) (same).
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This Court notified the parties of our intent to dismiss for want of jurisdiction. See 

Tex. R. App. P. 42.3(a). Neither party filed a timely response to our notice. 

Accordingly, we dismiss the appeal for want of jurisdiction. See Tex. R. App. P. 

43.2(f). 

/s/ Leslie Brock Yates

Senior Justice

Panel consists of Justices Seymore, Boyce, and Yates.

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Senior Justice Leslie Brock Yates sitting by assignment.