Opinion ID: 895218
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Direct Attack on 1949 Judgment

Text: Because Fernandez's claims are a direct attack on the 1949 Humble Oil judgment, brought by bill of review, the district court had authority to determine Fernandez's standing to proceed, including whether she can establish heirship. A bill of review is brought as a direct attack on a judgment that is no longer appealable or subject to a motion for new trial. King Ranch, Inc. v. Chapman, 118 S.W.3d 742, 751 (Tex.2003). Because it is a direct attack, a bill of review must be brought in the court that rendered the original judgment, and only that court has jurisdiction over the bill. See, e.g., In re The John G. & Marie Stella Kenedy Mem'l Found., et al., 159 S.W.3d 133, 141, 146 (Tex.App.-Corpus Christi 2004, orig. proceeding) (holding that Judge Herman not only erroneously concluded he had jurisdiction over these matters, but also actively interfered with the jurisdiction of the district courts); [21] Richards v. Comm'n for Lawyer Discipline, 81 S.W.3d 506, 508 (Tex. App.-Houston [1st Dist.] 2002, no pet.) (Because a bill of review is a direct attack on a judgment, only the court rendering the original judgment has jurisdiction over the proceeding.); Solomon, Lambert, Roth & Assocs. Inc. v. Kidd, 904 S.W.2d 896, 900 (Tex.App.-Houston [1st Dist.] 1995, no writ) (The requirement that a bill of review be filed in the same court that rendered the judgment under attack is a matter of jurisdiction. . . .); Martin v. Stein, 649 S.W.2d 342, 346 (Tex.App.-Fort Worth 1983, writ ref'd n.r.e.) (per curiam) (A bill of review or a petition in the nature of a bill of review is a proceeding in equity that has for its purpose the reversal or modification of a prior judgment of the same trial court. It is not a means of appeal of a judgment of one trial court to another trial court.); cf. Austin Indep. Sch. Dist. v. Sierra Club, 495 S.W.2d 878, 881 (Tex.1973) (A direct attack is a proceeding instituted for the purpose of correcting the earlier judgment. It may be brought in the court rendering the judgment or in another court that is authorized to review the judgment on appeal or by writ of error. The purpose of a direct attack is to change the former judgment and secure the entry of a correct judgment in lieu of the earlier incorrect one.). Here, the district court that rendered the 1949 will construction judgment has exclusive jurisdiction over any attack on that judgment by bill of review. See In re Kenedy Mem'l Found., 159 S.W.3d at 143-44, 146 (holding that, because the bill of review cases in the underlying proceedings were properly filed in the courts that rendered the judgments under attack, jurisdiction attached in the district court). It follows that, under the facts of this case, all issues bearing on the validity of Fernandez's attack on that earlier judgment are necessarily resolvable by the district court as part of its determination of the bill of review. When the district court has exclusive jurisdiction over the subject matter of a claim, Fernandez cannot procure relief in the probate court by characterizing the issue as solely one of heirship. See, e.g., Taylor v. Hill, 249 S.W.3d 618, 625 (Tex.App.-Austin 2008, pet. denied) (holding that district court had jurisdiction over partition action and rejecting argument that claim requiring determination of heirs' interest must be heard only in probate court); Trevino v. Lerma, 486 S.W.2d 199, 200 (Tex.Civ.App.-Beaumont 1972, no writ) (holding that district court had exclusive jurisdiction to hear suit to set aside deed and that claimants could procure no relief in the probate court under the provisions of § 48 of the Probate Code).