Opinion ID: 1243098
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Satisfactory Reason for Defendant's Failure to Appear When Required

Text: Since there is no reason for penalizing... sureties where it appears that they are unable, through no fault of their own or of the principal, to perform the conditions of the bond, forfeitures of bail bonds will generally be vacated ... where it appears to the satisfaction of the court that uncontrollable circumstances prevented appearance pursuant to the stipulations in the bond, [or] that the default of the principal was excusable[.] 8 Am.Jur.2d Bail and Recognizance § 184 (1980) at 707; see, e.g., Makeig v. State, 802 S.W.2d 59, 62-63 (Tex.App.1990) (Generally, sufficient cause [to set aside a forfeiture] is a showing that the party did not break his [or her] recognizance intentionally, with the design of evading justice, or without a sufficient cause or reasonable excuse, such as unavoidable accident or inevitable necessity preventing his [or her] appearance.). In accordance with the general rule, we hold that the phrase good cause why execution should not issue upon the judgment encompasses a showing of a satisfactory reason for a defendant's failure to appear when required.