1 ... S eeT EX . R. A PP . P. 47. 4. 2 ... S eeT EX . C IV . P RA C . & R EM . C ODE A NN . § 13 4 .0 0 1 et s eq. ( V er non 2 0 0 5 ). 

## COURT OF APPEALS SECOND DISTRICTOFTEXAS FORT WORTH
NO. 2 - 0 7 - 0 7 5 - CV
CL AR A P AT R I CK AP P E L L ANT V . D EW A YN E ALA N W A TSO 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 A ppe l l eeD eW ayn e A l a n W at so n s ued A ppe l l antCl ar a Pa t r i ckf or c o n v e rsi o n a n d v i o l a ti o n o f t h e T e x a s T h e ft L i a b i l i ty A c t. B a s e d o n th e j u ry ’s 2 f i ndi ngs, t he t r i al court r ender ed j udg m enti n f avorofW at son. Pat r i ck3 ... Pat r i ckdoe s nots pec i f i ca l l y i den t i f y w het hers he i s m ak i ng a l ega l or

f ac t uals uf f i ci enc y a r gu m e n t i n ea ch oft hes e i ss ues . I n pa rtofhe rbr i efs he des cr i beshow t her e w as“ f ac t ual l y i ns uffi c i e n t” ev i den cet o s upportea ch of th e s e i s s u e s , b u t l a te r s h e a s k s t h i s c o u r t to re n d e r j u d g m e n t i n h e r fa v o r, a re m e d y a v a i l a b l e o n l y i n th e c o n te x t o f a l e g a l s u fficie n c yc h a l l e n g e . See El i as v. Mr. Y

am aha, I

nc. , 33 S. W . 3d 54, 59 ( Tex. A pp. — E l P a s o 2000, no pet . ) ( const r ui ng appel l ant ’ s chal l enge as a l egal suf f i ci ency chal l enge becau se i n p ra y e r fo r re l i e f a p p e l l a n t a s k e d fo r c o u rt to re n d e r j u d g m e n t). W e th e re fo re c o n s tru e h e r i s s u e s a s b o th l e g a l a n d fa c tu a l s u fficie n c yc h a l l e n g e s . 2 c h a l l e n g e s th e l e g a l a n d fa c tu a l s u fficie n c yo f th e e v i d e n c e to s u p p o rt th e j u ry ’s fi n d i n g s a n d the tr i a l co u rt ’s j u d g m e n t. W e a ffir m . 3 I I . Back gr ound B e ca us e Pa t r i ckha s f ai l ed t o pr ovi de usw i t h a r epo rt er ’ s r ec or d, our bac kgr ound su m m ary i s t ak e n fro m t he al l ega t i onsm adei n t he var i ous p l e a d i n g s , th e j u ry ’sfi n d i n g s , a n d th e p ro c e d u ra l h i s to ryre fl e c te d i n th e c l e rk ’s
re c o rd . SeeT EX . R. A PP . P. 37. 3( c) . I n M a rc h 2004, W at so n— os t ens i bl y on beh al fofhi s chu r ch— si gne d a l ea se w i t h Pat r i ck f or com m er ci al pr ope rt y t o be
u s e d b yW a ts o n ’sc h u rc h . A fte r th e c h u rc h b e g a n u s i n g th e p r o p e r ty , a fi re dam age d t he pr em i se s. Bel i evi ng t hatPat r i ckha d br ea che d t he l ea seby f ai l i ng t o r epai rt he dam age caused by t he f i r e, t he chur c h abando ned t he pr em i ses and t er m i nat ed t he l ea se . Accor di ng t o W at so n’ s pet i ti o n , d e sp i t e p r ovi di ng a d e q u a te n o ti c e , P a tr i c kfai l e d to r e t u r n p e rso n a l p rop e rt ytha t be l o n g e d to W a ts o n , w ro n g fu l l ys o l d th e p e rs o n a l p ro p e rty , a n d k e p t th e p ro c e e d s .3

O n Ja nua r y 16, 2007 , a j ury t r i al w ashe l d. The j ury f ound t hatW at so n
w as nota part y t o t he l ease bet w een Pat r i ck and t he chur ch. The j ur y al so f ou nd t ha tPa t r i c kc om m i t t e d c on ve r s i on a nd t he f t i n t he a m ou nt of$4, 840. 00
a n d a w a rd e d W a ts o n a tto rn e y fe e s i n th e a m o u n t o f $ 2 0 ,0 0 0 .0 0 . O n F e b ru a ry 7, 2007 , t he t r i al co urtr end er ed j udgm enton t hes e f i ndi ngs i n f avo rofW at so n. O n M a rc h 5 , 2 0 0 7 , P a tri c kfi l e d th i s a p p e a l . O n Ju ne 6, 2007 , t hi s cou rt se nt a l ett er t o Pa t r i cki nf or m i ng he rt hats he had un t i l June 2 1, 20 07 , t o pr ovi de t h is c o urtw i t h pr oof t hatshe had ei t her p a i d o r m a d e a rra n g e m e n ts to p a yth e c o u rt re p o rte r fo r p re p a ri n g th e re c o rd and t h a t h e r f a i l u r e t o d o s o wo u l d l i mi t t h i s c o u rt ’ s c o n s i d e r a t i o n t o t hose i s s u e s th a t d i d n o t re q u i re a re p o rte r’s re c o rd fo r a d e c i s i o n . SeeT EX . R. A PP . P. 37. 3( c) . Pa t r i ck di d notpr ovi de t hi s cou rtw i t h pr oofofpa ym ent . O n Ju ne 2 2 , 2 0 0 7 , th i s c o u rt se n t a l e tter t o P a tr i c ki n fo rm i n g h e r t h a t sh e h a d fai l e d to p a yo r m a k e a rra n g e m e n ts to p a yfo r th e re p o rte r’sre c o rd a n d th a t th i s c o u rt
w o u l d o n l yc o n s i d e r a n d d e c i d e th o s e is s u e s t h a t d i d n o t re q u i re a re p o rte r’s
re c o rd fo r a d e c i s i o n . S e eId. I I I . D i sc us si on I n t hr eei ss ues , Pat r i ckch al l eng es t he l ega l and f ac t uals uf f i ci enc y oft he evi dence t o suppo rtt he j ur y’ s f i ndi ngs t hat W at son w as nota part y t o t he l ease a n d th a t h e w a s e n ti tl e d to a tto rn e y ’sfe e s i n th e a m o u n t o f $ 2 0 ,0 0 0 .0 0 .4

Tex as Rul e ofA ppel l at e Pr ocedu r e 3 7 . 3( c) di r ect s us t o addr ess t hose i s s u e s th a t d o n o t n e e d th e re p o rte r’sre c o rd fo r d e c i s i o n . S eeT EX . R. A PP . P. 37 . 3( c) . I m pl i ci tt her ei n i s t he noti on t hat w e need not consi dert hose i ssues th a t a re d e p e n d e n t u p o n th e re p o rte r’sre c o rd . I n re Sp i egel, 6 S . W . 3d 643, 6 4 6 (T e x . A p p .— A m a ri l l o 1 9 9 9 , n o p e t.). In o th e r w o rd s , w h e n th e re p o rte r’s
r ecor d i s m i ssi ng and t he i ssue bef or e us depends up on m a tt e r s w i t hi n t hat
rec o rd, w e m a y o v e rr u l e o r rej e c t i t. Id. W e m ustpr esum e t her e w as evi dence t o s upportt he f i n d i n g s o ft he j ury a nd t he t r i al co urt ’ s j udgm entr end er ed on th o s e fi n d i n g s . Bryant v. United Shortl i ne, I nc. A ssurance S ervs. , 972 S. W . 2d 2 6 , 3 1 (T e x . 1 9 9 8 ); Mays v. Pierce , 2 8 1 S .W .2 d 7 9 , 8 2 (T e x . 1 9 5 5 ). T h e refo re, w e m u st o v e rr u l e P a tr i c k ’s l e g a l an d fac tu a l su ffi c i e n c yco m p l a i n ts b e c a u s e th e re i s n o re p o rte r’s re c o rd o f th e j u rytri a l i n th i s c a s e . See Bryan t, 97 2 S . W . 2d at31 . A ccor di ngl y, w e over r ul e Pat r i ck’ s t hr ee i ssues. I V . C onc l us i on H a v i n g o v e rru l e d e a c h o f P a tri c k ’si s s u e s , w ea ffir m t h e tri a l c o u rt’s j u d g m e n t. P E R CU R I AM PA N EL B: G A RD N ER, W A LKER, an d M C C O Y, JJ. DEL I VERE D: J ul y 24, 2008