Court Opinion

ID: 9944536
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2024-02-26 17:20:33.372067+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T14:07:34.855287
License: Public Domain

ON MOTION TO DISMISS
Several of the appellees have moved to dismiss the appeal as to them. Premise is primarily the absence of their names as obligees on the face of the appeal bond. Their motions were countered by that of the appellant seeking leave to file a supplemental transcript containing an amended appeal bond wherein the complaining appellees' names have been added as obligees.
We grant leave to file the amended appeal bond in the supplemental transcript under the liberal construction accorded in such instances to Texas Rules of Civil Procedure 430, 'Amendment: New Appeal Bond'. See Owen v. Brown, 447 S.W.2d 883
(Tex.Sup. 1969).
This leaves the remaining premise for the appellees' motions to dismiss the appeal the appellants' failure to supply the several appellees their copies of appellants' brief, according to the direction of T.R.C.P. 414, 'Briefs: Time for Filing, Etc.'
Under the law as it existed prior to enactment of the Texas Rules of Civil Procedure a right accrued to one in the position of the complaining appellees to have the appellants' brief stricken on motion. See Gray v. Texas Ice Co., 15 S.W.2d 664
(Beaumont Civ.App., 1929, no writ hist.). Even so, where an appellee had adequate time before date for submission of the case, in which to brief in reply, after discovery and after receipt of a copy of the appellant's brief filed in the cause, thus sustaining no injury, dismissal of the appeal was refused in First Nat. Bank in Wellington v. McClellan, 105 S.W.2d 394
(Amarillo Civ.App., 1937, no writ hist.).
Our Rules of Civil Procedure are to be given a liberal construction in affording and preserving a right of appeal. The complaining appellees have in the present instance sustained no injury as a consequence of the appellants' failure to timely furnish copies of the brief. Their motion to dismiss the appeal is overruled.