Court Opinion

ID: 9881346
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-10-01 08:09:59.021094+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T07:48:16.870103
License: Public Domain

Dismissed and Memorandum Opinion filed September 28, 2023.

                                      In The

                     Fourteenth Court of Appeals

                               NO. 14-22-00779-CV

                       JESSICA L. ADEBAYO, Appellant

                                         V.
                      ADEFISAYO ADEBAYO, Appellee

                    On Appeal from the 246th District Court
                            Harris County, Texas
                      Trial Court Cause No. 2021-67627

                          MEMORANDUM OPINION

      This is an appeal from a judgment signed on August 8, 2022. On August 10,
2023, we struck appellant’s brief, informing her that the brief failed to comply with
Rule 38.1 of the Texas Rules of Appellate Procedure because the brief did not
contain a clear and concise argument for the contentions made with appropriate
citations to authorities and to the record. See Tex. R. App. P. 38.1(i), 38.9. We
ordered appellant to file a brief complying with Rule 38.1 within 30 days of our
August 10, 2023 order and abated the appeal for a period of thirty days.
       We informed appellant that if she filed another noncompliant brief, the
appeal could be dismissed for want of prosecution. See id. 38.8(a)(1), 38.9(a);
Harkins v. Dever Nursing Home, 999 S.W.2d 571, 572-73 (Tex. App.—Houston
[14th Dist.] 1999, no pet.) (reasoning that the court could dismiss the appeal or
affirm the trial court’s judgment without examining the record pursuant to Rule
38.8 since the appellant’s amended brief did not contain a single citation to the
record; choosing to affirm without examining the record); see also Rendleman v.
Clarke, 909 S.W.2d 56, 59 (Tex. App.—Houston [14th Dist.] 1995, writ dism’d)
(error waived when appellant had ample notice of briefing defects and opportunity
to rebrief).

       Appellant did not file a brief. When an appellant fails to file a brief, we may
dismiss her appeal for want of prosecution. See Tex. R. App. P. 38.8(a). After
being notified that this appeal was subject to dismissal, appellant did not timely file
a brief or respond. Accordingly, we reinstate the appeal on this court’s active
docket and dismiss the appeal. See id. 42.3, 43.2(f).

                                              /s/ Meagan Hassan
                                              Justice

Panel consists of Justices Jewell, Hassan, and Wilson.

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