Court Opinion

ID: 9768738
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-29 13:46:38.897048+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T07:30:44.081959
License: Public Domain

Concurring Opinion
NORVELL, Justice.
I concur in the order of the court remanding the relator to the custody of the Sheriff of Jack County. I have grave doubts as to the advisability of our considering the evidence adduced at the hearing held on October 10, 1967. However, even if such evidence be considered, the relator must be remanded to the custody of the sheriff as ordered by the court. It seems that the district judge misapprehended the nature of the proceeding instituted by the filing of Dr. Ramzy’s petition for writ of habeas corpus. By virtue of this action, the jurisdiction of the District Court of Jack County, 43rd Judicial District, was invoked to decide whether or not Dr. Ramzy was being lawfully restrained of his liberty. At that time Dr. Ramzy was in the custody of the sheriff and the district court could have and should have decided the issue presented by Dr. Ramzy’s petition, rather than merely certifying to this court the transcript of the testimony adduced in what amounted to an ex parte proceeding. Mrs. Ramzy was not notified of the hearing and no witness was subjected to cross-examination.
In my opinion, a district court is a more suitable forum than this court to decide issues arising in cases similar to the present one. By cases similar to this one, I mean those in which it appears beyond peradventure that a restraining order or injunction issued in a civil case has been violated and as a result a contempt order *227has been rendered containing both punitive and coercive sanctions. In this case, Dr. Ramzy violated an injunction and thus rendered himself liable for three days confinement in jail and a fine of $100.00. Article 1911, Vernon’s Ann.Tex.Stats. In addition to the punitive provision, the order contains a coercive clause which provided that Dr. Ramzy “shall be confined in the County Jail of Jack County, Texas, * * * until he shall have purged himself of all contempt of this Court by delivering to the possession of the District Clerk of Jack County, Texas, for safekeeping pending final trial of this suit for divorce, all portions of the coin collection delivered by defendant to Gean Cashdan, all portions of said coin collection delivered by the defendant to M. A. Withers, all portions of said coin collection delivered by the defendant to the Jacksboro National Bank of Jacksboro, Texas, and all portions of said coin collection delivered by the defendant to defendant’s children by a former marriage, and all portions of said coin collection remaining in the defendant’s possession or under defendant’s control, whether of value or not, and wheresoever located.” 1
Dr. Ramzy contends that it does not lie within his power or ability to comply with the coercive portion of the decree. Whether a person can or cannot perform as ordered by a court becomes a question of law in those instances only when from an examination of the evidence, reasonable minds cannot differ as to the conclusion, either that he can or cannot perform as ordered.
The habeas corpus power of this court does not extend to the determination of fact issues. Ex parte Reid, Ex parte Lytle, 99 Tex. 405, 89 S.W. 956 (1905); Ex parte Olson, 111 Tex. 601, 243 S.W. 773 (1922). It is only when the proof adduced at the hearing establishes the controlling issue — in this case, relator’s inability to comply with the court’s order, as a matter of law, that this court can regard the order of commitment as being invalid for the reason that a court may not deprive a person of his liberty for failure to comply with a coercive order when performance is impossible. Ex parte Helms,. 152 Tex. 480, 259 S.W.2d 184 (1953) ; Ex parte White, 154 Tex. 126, 274 S.W.2d 542 (1955); Ex parte Townsley, 156 Tex. 402, 297 S.W.2d 111 (1956), Ex parte Rohleder, 424 S.W.2d 891 (Tex.Sup.1967). A district court, however, is vested with plenary power to modify or vacate its mandatory orders requiring a person to perform certain acts so as to do justice in the particular case.
A situation may, and often does, arise in which a party may be able to comply with a court order when made, but because of a subsequent change in conditions, he cannot carry out the court’s directive. An example is afforded by the cases involving support orders wherein one’s earning capacity, through accident, sickness or other cause, is diminished or destroyed. In such a case, he may make application for relief to the district court. Ex parte Gonzales, 414 S.W.2d 656 (Tex.Sup.1967). In Gonzales, the relator after he had been found guilty of contempt and served three days in jail, thus satisfying the punitive portion of the district judge’s order, made application to the district court for release because of his inability to pay back support money. The trial judge refused to release him and after obtaining a statement of the evidence adduced upon the hearing of the motion, this court in an original habeas corpus proceeding held the restraint to be illegal because the evidence showed as a matter of law that relator could not comply with the order.
*228In my opinion, the procedure outlined in Gonzales is applicable here and would afford relator a more efficacious remedy than is available to him by an original proceeding in the Supreme Court; this, because of the broader authority vested in the district court relating to the control of its orders. Should the district court decide against relator, he would then have a record to bring to this court to support a contention that it appears conclusively as a matter of law that he is unable to comply with the coercive order of the district court.
There is one other matter that may be mentioned. While Albert ex rel. Buice v. Patterson, 155 F.2d 429 (1st Cir. 1946) was an appealed case, the opinion contains statements with reference to the difference in positions of the trial and the appellate courts which seem valid here. The trial judge has an opportunity to view the witness and judge his credibility and this may be decisive. The Court of Appeals said:
“No doubt there may be cases in which it would be clearly erroneous not to believe uncontradicted testimony. But so many factors affect credibility that it is hard to conceive of a situation in which we could say that it was clearly erroneous for a trial court to disbelieve, or find insufficient, oral testimony, even if uncontradicted, given with respect to a basic issue by a party having the burden of persuasion.”
Likewise, great care should be exercised in giving effect to testimony which has been adduced when no opportunity to cross-examine or contradict has been afforded. Generally, upon the filing of a habeas corpus proceeding, the district judge notifies the party interested in the enforcement of the order theretofore entered by the district court, if such notice can be given without delay. Then, evidence is adduced under adversary conditions and hence is more reliable than that contained in mere ex parte statements. Cross-examination is not a weapon in the arsenal of forensic art which we may safely disregard.

. The most common case of this character is one involving child support payments where the father (or person ordered to make such payments) fails to do so and thereafter is held in contempt and both punitive and coercive provisions are contained in the contempt decree and he contends that he is financially unable to comply with the coercive portion of the decree.