Opinion ID: 1465768
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Post-judgment Action

Text: Sonat contends that, even if Lumbermens had a right to participate on appeal, the court of appeals did not abuse its discretion in denying Lumbermens' intervention because Lumbermens only attempted to do so after the trial court's judgment became final. Ordinarily, a trial court does not abuse its discretion by denying a motion to intervene after the court has rendered a final judgment. Comal County Rural High Sch. Dist. No. 705 v. Nelson, 158 Tex. 564, 314 S.W.2d 956, 957 (1958). But our decisions in City of San Benito and El Paso Independent Automobile Dealers Ass'n demonstrate that one who has been virtually represented may be entitled to invoke a right of participation as a named party after judgment has been rendered. Those decisions stem from our recognition that `[t]o hold otherwise would deprive nonnamed [parties who will be bound by a judgment] of the power to preserve their own interests.' City of San Benito, 109 S.W.3d at 754 (quoting Devlin v. Scardelletti, 536 U.S. 1, 10, 122 S.Ct. 2005, 153 L.Ed.2d 27 (2002)); see also United Airlines, Inc. v. McDonald, 432 U.S. 385, 395-96, 97 S.Ct. 2464, 53 L.Ed.2d 423 (1977) (holding that member of putative class was entitled to intervene to appeal denial of class certification after trial court rendered final judgment incorporating named plaintiffs' settlement with defendant); Ross v. Marshall, 426 F.3d 745, 761 (5th Cir.2005) (holding that insurer that correctly anticipated its insured would drop its appeal was entitled to intervene to appeal adverse judgment against insured). It is true that, because virtual representation is an equitable doctrine, other factors may weigh against allowing intervention after final judgment has been rendered. While other equitable factors may weigh against allowing a virtually-represented party to invoke appellate rights, the mere fact that the party does not attempt to invoke those rights until after judgment, when the need to invoke them arose, is not dispositive.