Court Opinion

ID: 9893633
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-10-28 06:11:56.24465+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T09:04:46.529203
License: Public Domain

Opinion filed October 26, 2023

                                       In The

        Eleventh Court of Appeals
                                    __________

                                 No. 11-22-00278-CV
                                     __________

  BRINKERHOFF INSPECTION, INC. D/B/A SMOB, Appellant
                                        V.
        FORKLIFT RENTAL & EQUIPMENT, LLC, Appellee

                    On Appeal from the County Court at Law
                            Midland County, Texas
                        Trial Court Cause No. CC23932

                      MEMORANDUM OPINION
      Appellant, Brinkerhoff Inspection, Inc. d/b/a SMOB, filed a notice of appeal
from a default judgment entered against Appellant. After this appeal was docketed,
the trial court vacated the default judgment. Appellee, Forklift Rental & Equipment,
LLC, then filed a motion to dismiss, or alternatively abate, this appeal for lack of
disputed issues. In response to the motion, Appellant requested that we abate the
appeal. Out of concern regarding the timing of the trial court’s order vacating the
judgment, we did not dismiss the appeal at that time. Instead, we abated the appeal
pursuant to Rule 27.2 of the Texas Rules of Appellate procedure to give the parties
time to obtain a final, appealable order or judgment over which this court had
jurisdiction. See TEX. R. APP. P. 27.2.
      In our March 16 abatement order, we explained that, while Appellant had
timely filed a notice of appeal, the default judgment from which Appellant originally
appealed had been vacated by the trial court. As a result, we concluded that “[n]o
final appealable order currently exists in this cause.” We informed the parties that
“[i]f a final, appealable order or judgment has not been entered by September 18,
2023, we may dismiss this appeal.” See TEX. R. APP. P. 42.3.
      Unless specifically authorized by statute, appeals may be taken only from
final judgments. Tex. A & M Univ. Sys. v. Koseoglu, 233 S.W.3d 835, 840–41 (Tex.
2007); Lehmann v. Har–Con Corp., 39 S.W.3d 191, 195 (Tex. 2001). The judgment
that Appellant appealed has been vacated.        Therefore, no final judgment or
appealable order exists in this cause. See Ray v. Life of Sterling Woods, No. 01-22-
00534-CV, 2022 WL 16556819, at *1 (Tex. App.—Houston [1st Dist.] Nov. 1,
2022, no pet.) (mem. op.) (no final judgment or appealable order after trial court
vacated judgment from which the appellant appealed); M.A. Block Inv. Co. v.
Whitten 20AC LLC, No. 05-21-00009-CV, 2021 WL 1588997, at *1 (Tex. App.—
Dallas Apr. 23, 2021, no pet.) (mem. op.) (same). Because Appellant has not
obtained a final, appealable order or judgment as directed by this court in the
March 16 abatement order, we now reinstate the appeal and dismiss it for want of
jurisdiction.
      This appeal is dismissed for want of jurisdiction.

                                              W. BRUCE WILLIAMS
October 26, 2023                              JUSTICE
Panel consists of: Bailey, C.J.,
Trotter, J., and Williams, J.
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