Court Opinion

ID: 9770199
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-29 15:54:14.46088+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T07:31:15.748079
License: Public Domain

BURGESS, Justice,
concurring.
I concur in the majority’s holding regarding the attorney’s fees because appellant only attacked the awarding of the attorney’s fees by a no evidence point. Our supreme court in Gill Sav. Ass’n. v. Chair King, Inc., 797 S.W.2d 31, 32 (Tex.1990) stated: “The trial court’s own proceedings together with the fact that it may take judicial notice of usual and customary fees constitute some evidence to support the award of appellate attorney's fees.” (emphasis mine). Since appellant did not raise factual insufficiency, we cannot consider that issue. Therefore, I must concur in the affirmance.
I would, however, offer this additional analysis. While Tex.Civ.PRác. & Rem.Code Ann. § 38.004 (Vernon 1986) permits a trial court to take judicial notice of the usual and customary attorney’s fees and the contents of a case file, one should then turn to Tex.R.Civ.Evid. 201 to determine the correct procedure, (emphasis mine)
Rule 201(c) allows a court to take judicial notice, whether requested or not. Rule 201(d) requires a court to take judicial notice if requested by a party and supplied with the necessary information. Rule 201(e) provides a party with the opportunity to be heard as to the propriety of taking judicial notice and, “In the absence of prior notification, the request may be made after judicial notice has been taken.” While the rule is not explicit, implicit in subsection (e) is some type of notice to the parties that the court will or has taken judicial notice. Basic fairness would seem to dictate such an action. See 1 R. Ray, Texas Law of Evidence Civil and Criminal §§ 152-211 (Texas Practice 3d ed. 1980) and Wellborn, Judicial Notice Under Article II of the Texas Rules of Evidence, 19 St. Mary’s L.J. 1 (1987). The Texas Supreme Court should reexamine Rule 201 in this context.