Court Opinion

ID: 9770808
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-29 16:22:11.691239+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T07:31:21.005853
License: Public Domain

SEARS, Justice,
concurring.
I concur in the result. However, I would find that AmWest Sav. Ass’n v. Farmers Market of Odessa, Inc., 753 F.Supp. 1339 (W.D.Tex.1990) is inapposite to this appeal. In AmWest, the appellate court reversed the entire judgment of the trial court and remanded it for a new trial. Since there was no judgment, there was no need for a bond or cash. Further, that case was resolved in federal court and resulted, at least in part, from a finding of insufficient funds to pay secured creditors. If the appellant herein had a remedy, that remedy would have been an application in federal court to recover a preferential payment made to an unliquidated judgment creditor at the expense of the secured creditors. 12 U.S.C.A. § 91.
I decline to follow the reasoning of the appellant and of the dissenting opinion for the reason that a cash deposit may be made in a trial court to satisfy a judgment, even though part of that judgment is on appeal, and is not necessarily intended to merely supersede the judgment. In the latter, the caselaw has developed in a distinct and clear direction in the logical pursuit of protection for a third party non-litigant who is merely surety on a supersedeas bond. *553The surety contractually agrees to act in that capacity only for the duration of the appeal. There is no intent, and in fact there is no contractual language, to bind the surety for a longer period of time. Another important distinction is that a surety bond is only an obligation to pay conditioned upon the language of the contract, while a cash deposit is an asset that has been deposited into the registry of the court which the court can treat differently due to the absence of the contractual limitations of a bond. Case law, which was developed for the protection of a third party who contractually agrees to act as surety on a bond, for the sole purpose of superseding a judgment, should not be applied with equal force and effect to a party who deposits cash in temporary satisfaction of a judgment. If the appellee did not want the trial court to exercise control over the cash, it could have deposited the cash with a surety as collateral and have the surety issue a supersedeas bond.
I also disagree with the dissenting opinion analysis of Wheeler v. Pavlic, 290 S.W.2d 754 (Tex.Civ.App.—Beaumont 1956, no writ). In Wheeler, as in the other cases cited in the dissenting opinion, the court was dealing with a third party surety who had provided a supersedeas bond, or cash in Wheeler, for the sole purpose of superseding judgment pending appeal. In fact, the Wheeler court found that: “the money was originally deposited only for the purpose of perfecting Ms. Hudiburgh’s appeal and of superseding the judgment that had been rendered against her....” Id. at 757. It should be noted that the judgment was reversed and rendered; therefore, there was no judgment against which that cash could have been applied. In this appeal, there is very clearly a judgment for liability and for attorney fees, and the cause was remanded to the trial court to determine the amount of damages.
The dissenting opinion also discusses two cases out of the Tyler court of appeals to support the position that a cash deposit is the same as a security bond.1 In both of those cases, there was no writ history, and in both cases the judgment of the trial court was affirmed. In one case, the judgment was affirmed by the court of appeals, and in the second case the appellant dismissed the appeal. In both instances the cash was then used to satisfy the judgment.
The dissenting opinion also takes the position that since the appellant won the appeal, the bond or cash in lieu thereof should be returned. Again, the liability of the appellant was affirmed and only the damage issue was reversed and remanded for a new trial to determine the appropriate measure of damages. If we follow the action proposed by the dissenting opinion, the monies would be released to RTC and the appellee would have no cash to satisfy that portion of the judgment that is final. If we accepted that rationale, the appellee would have no way to satisfy the judgment even though cash had been deposited for that purpose. Such a result would not be equitable or just.
The sole function of a temporary injunction is to preserve the status quo pending a final determination on the merits. Bryant v. Barnes, 438 S.W.2d 435 (Tex.Civ.App.— Waco 1968, writ ref d n.r.e.). At the hearing on the request for a temporary injunction, the trial court found that appellee would probably prevail in the trial of the damage issue and further that appellant would withdraw the cash on deposit before the court could enter judgment for appel-lee. The trial court issued the temporary injunction because of the “probable inequity” and “irreparable harm” to appellee. The court found that unless the injunction was granted the appellant would, “tend to make ineffectual a judgment rendered in favor of plaintiff [appellee],” and “it would be deprived of its ability to collect on the damages which this court may award.” Clearly, the court acted to prevent an inequity and to preserve the status quo.
*554Since 1902, Texas courts have consistently held that temporary injunctions expire when a final judgment is rendered. Riggins v. Thompson, 96 Tex. 154, 71 S.W. 14 (1902). When a court of appeals has been notified that a final judgment has been entered, they “have no jurisdiction to review the interlocutory order, the temporary injunction appeal having become moot. Id. at 435, citing International Ass’n of Machinists v. Federal Ass’n of Accessory Workers, 133 Tex. 624, 130 S.W.2d 282 (1939). See also Transport Co. of Texas v. Robertson Transports, 152 Tex. 551, 261 S.W.2d 549, 552 (1953). While many of the cases involve an ultimate denial of a permanent injunction, it appears clear that the temporary injunction is automatically dissolved by entry of a final judgment.
The temporary injunction made the basis of this appeal was granted December 6, 1990, and enjoined the District Clerk from releasing the cash placed in the registry of the court “until further written order of this court....”
Following a jury trial on the remanded issue of damages, the trial court entered a Final Judgment that appellee recover actual damages from appellant in the amount of $444,163.00, attorney fees in the amount of $112,625.00, $84,762.00 in pre-judgment interest, and $20,000.00 attorney fees in the event of appeals as well as an additional $10,000.00 in the event of writ of error to the Supreme Court. The order further stated “all relief not granted herein is denied.” Appellant has also filed an appeal in this court from the Final Judgment of the trial court.
Because the temporary injunction made the basis of this appeal has been rendered moot by the entry of final judgment, this court is without jurisdiction to hear the appeal and it should be dismissed. Appellant has appealed from a temporary injunction. The terms of the injunction have expired, and that portion of the judgment that was reversed and remanded for a new trial has been tried and a new judgment has been rendered. The trial court had entered the temporary injunction to preserve its own jurisdiction over the cash deposit pending retrial of the damage issues and to preserve status quo. The damage issues have been retried and a judgment has been rendered against Gill Savings. Therefore, the temporary injunction is moot and the appeal thereon should also be moot.

. Mea v. Mea, 464 S.W.2d 201 (Tex.Civ.App.—Tyler 1971, no writ), and Robertson v. Land, 519 S.W.2d 227 (Tex.Civ.App.—Tyler 1975, no writ).