Court Opinion

ID: 9368577
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-02-05 10:10:53.787597+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T17:16:09.237490
License: Public Domain

Abatement Order filed January 31, 2023.

                                       In The

                     Fourteenth Court of Appeals
                                   ____________

                               NO. 14-22-00614-CV
                                  ___________
                   FIDELIS JOHNSON BADAIKI, Appellant
                                         V.
 BRYAN MILLER D/B/A CLASSIC TOWING LLC, PINE FOREST PARK
    PLACE, AND AMERICAN EAGLE AUTO STORAGE, Appellees

             On Appeal from the County Civil Court at Law No. 4
                           Harris County, Texas
                      Trial Court Cause No. 1092824

                             ABATEMENT ORDER
      The reporter’s record in this case was due October 4, 2022. See Tex. R.
App. P. 35.1. The court reporter was granted an extension to November 3, 2022 on
her motion. The record was not filed by that date. On November 10, 2022, this
court ordered the court reporter to file the record within 30 days. When the court
reporter failed to file the record as ordered, on December 20, 2022, this court
ordered the court reporter to file the record within 30 days, and instructed the court
reporter that if the record was not filed, the court would order the trial court to
conduct a hearing to determine the reason for failure to file the record. The record
has not been filed with the court. The trial and appellate courts are jointly
responsible for ensuring that the appellate record is timely filed. See Tex. R. App.
P. 35.3(c). Because the reporter’s record has not been filed timely as ordered, we
issue the following order.

       We direct the judge of the County Civil Court at Law No. 4 to conduct a
hearing at which the court reporter, appellant’s counsel, and appellee’s counsel
shall participate to (a) determine the reason for failure to file the record;
(b) establish a date certain when the reporter’s record will be filed, and (c) make
findings as to whether the court reporter should be held in contempt of court for
failing to file the reporter’s record timely as ordered. We order the court to prepare
a record, in the form of a reporter’s record, of the hearing. The judge shall make
findings of fact and conclusions of law, and shall order the trial clerk to forward to
this court a supplemental clerk’s record containing the findings and conclusions.
The hearing record and supplemental clerk’s record shall be filed with the clerk of
this court within 30 days of the date of this order.

       The appeal is abated, treated as a closed case, and removed from this court’s
active docket. The appeal will be reinstated on this court’s active docket when the
trial court’s findings and recommendations are filed in this court. The court will
also consider an appropriate motion to reinstate the appeal filed by either party, or
the court may reinstate the appeal on its own motion. If the court reporter files the
record before the date set for the hearing, the appeal will be reinstated and the trial
court need not hold a hearing.

                                              PER CURIAM

Panel Consists of Justices Wise, Jewell, and Poissant.

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