Opinion ID: 1780219
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: The Challenge to the County's Representation

Text: The Respondent McFarland filed a motion to dismiss the application for writ of error filed on behalf of the County and the sheriff by the law firm of Garrison, Renfrow, Zeleskey, Cornelius and Rogers of Lufkin on the ground that the firm was not authorized to represent Angelina County or the sheriff. He challenges their authority under our Rule 12. He points out that the sheriff abandoned his appeal to the Court of Civil Appeals. In the district court, the County was represented by the County Judge, and the sheriff was represented by the County and District Attorneys. There, too, McFarland challenged the County's representation on the ground that there was no order of the Commissioners' Court of that County authorizing the County Judge to represent the County. McFarland's challenge was apparently overruled in the district court, or McFarland got no ruling on his challenge. The record is silent on this point. In any event, McFarland did not preserve the point in the Court of Civil Appeals that the County was not properly represented. The County Judge, representing Angelina County, filed no brief in the Court of Civil Appeals for the County. And we are informed by an affidavit, which is not contested on this point, that he made no oral argument for the County in the Court of Civil Appeals. Before the opinion of the Court of Civil Appeals was rendered, the County Judge who had acted for the County went out of office and was succeeded by Judge O. L. Hubbard. The opinion of the Court of Civil Appeals was against the County and the sheriff. We are informed by the affidavit of Judge Hubbard that he then asked the Garrison firm to represent the County, and this request was joined in by the County Attorney. The Sheriff, Jones, also requested the Garrison firm to represent him. So that firm undertook to represent both the County and the Sheriff; and on the motion for rehearing in the Court of Civil Appeals, that firm pointed out the lack of that court's jurisdiction. Respondent McFarland challenged the Garrison firm's right to represent the county and Jones in the Court of Civil Appeals on the motion for rehearing. That court ignored McFarland's motion or challenge. It overruled the motion filed by the Garrison firm without opinion. Respondent McFarland has attached to his motion in this Court a number of affidavits which say, among others things, that the former County Judge has never withdrawn from the case; that he has never been requested to withdraw, even though he filed no brief for the County in the Court of Civil Appeals or this Court and did not make an oral argument in either of such courts. There is also an affidavit of the County Clerk in which he says that he has searched the records of the Commissioners' Court and has found no resolution or order authorizing the employment of the Garrison firm. There are affidavits of two of the County Commissioners and one of their successors that the Commissioners' Court had not authorized the Garrison firm to represent it, and that the former County Judge was representing the County and has not been relieved. The challenge to the Garrison firm by McFarland is based on our Rule 12 which says: Any defendant in any suit or proceeding pending in any court of this state may, by sworn written motion stating that such defendant believes that such suit or proceeding was instituted against him or is being prosecuted against him without authority on the part of the plaintiff's attorney, cause such attorney to be cited to appear before such court and show his authority for same, notice of which motion shall be served upon such attorney at least ten days before the trial of such motion. Upon the hearing of such motion, the burden of proof shall be upon the attorney appearing for the plaintiff to show sufficient authority from the plaintiff in such suit or proceeding to institute or prosecute the same. Upon his failure to show such authority, the court shall refuse to permit such attorney to appear in said cause, and shall dismiss the same if no person who is authorized to prosecute said cause appears. Such motion may be heard and determined at any time before the parties have announced ready for trial, but the trial shall not be unnecessarily continued or delayed for the hearing thereof. Rule 12 was taken from Article 320 of the Texas Revised Civil Statutes of 1925, and is substantially similar thereto. The statute was repealed upon the enactment of the Rule. The statute had been on the books since the early days of Texas. Its apparent purpose was to discourage and to cause the dismissal of suits brought without authority. It was to protect defendants from groundless suits. It was thought that a person who was sued was entitled to known that the named plaintiff had in fact authorized the suit. The statute and the Rule were plainly worded to give this right to defendants; to authorize defendants to challenge the bringing of the suit. The Rule says nothing about a plaintiff challenging the authority of defendant's attorney. Moreover, by stating that the motion shall be heard and determined before the parties have announced ready for trial, the Rule and its predecessor statute have application to challenges in the trial court or the court in which the action is commenced. In Victory v. State, 138 Tex. 285, 158 S.W.2d 760 (1942), the suit was by the State for delinquent taxes. The State was represented by private counsel; i. e., by attorneys who were not the county or district attorney. In the Court of Civil Appeals for the first time, the defendant challenged the right of the State to be represented as it was. This Court held that Article 320 (now Rule 12) provides for the exclusive method of questioning the authority of an attorney to bring suit. It was held that the challenge came too late. The Victory case was followed as the exclusive method of questioning the authority of an attorney to bring a suit under Rule 12 in Cook v. City of Booker, Tex.Civ.App., 1942, 167 S.W.2d 232, no writ. If it is assumed that McFarland did properly challenge the representation of the County [by the County Judge] in the trial court, he did not preserve the point on appeal to the Court of Civil Appeals. There is authority for the proposition that the defendant himself can establish that the attorney purporting to represent him was unauthorized. In Parker v. Spencer, 61 Tex. 155 (1884), a consent decree had been entered against the defendant, Spencer, and the judgment had become final. Spencer brought a suit to have the judgment set aside. The jury found that Spencer was not represented by any authorized attorney and that he had not been served with process. It was held that the former judgment was not binding on him. We do not have before us the question as to whether, as between the County and the Garrison firm, the latter was and is not authorized to represent the County. The County is not here complaining or asserting that the firm does not, or cannot, represent it. Sheriff Jones, by affidavit, in so far as he is able, has ratified the authority of the Garrison firm to represent him. The motion to strike the application for writ of error is overruled. The judgment of the Court of Civil Appeals is reversed, and the cause is remanded to that court with direction to dismiss the appeal of McFarland.