Court Opinion

ID: 9947117
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2024-03-02 18:13:06.243164+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T14:25:47.756910
License: Public Domain

NUMBER 13-23-00448-CV

                            COURT OF APPEALS

                   THIRTEENTH DISTRICT OF TEXAS

                     CORPUS CHRISTI – EDINBURG

     IN THE MATTER OF THE MARRIAGE OF MANUEL PEÑA AND
    ROXANNE ALVARADO PEÑA AND IN THE INTEREST OF M.P.J.,
                       A.E.P., AND M.R.P.

                   On appeal from the 444th District Court
                        of Cameron County, Texas.

                         MEMORANDUM OPINION

                 Before Justices Longoria, Silva, and Peña
                 Memorandum Opinion by Justice Longoria

      On October 17, 2023, appellant Manuel Peña filed a pro se notice of appeal from

a final decree of divorce and order for conservatorship. On October 23, 2023, the Clerk

of this Court requested appellant to pay the $205.00 filing fee for the notice of appeal

within ten days. See TEX. R. APP. P. 5 (“A party who is not excused by statute or these

rules from paying costs must pay—at the time an item is presented for filing—whatever

fees are required by statute or Supreme Court order. The appellate court may enforce
this rule by any order that is just.”); TEX. GOV’T CODE ANN. § 51.207 (delineating the

required fees and costs in an appellate court). The Clerk also advised appellant that the

notice of appeal failed to comply with Texas Rules of Appellate Procedure 9.5(e),

25.1(d)(2), and 25.1(d)(4), and requested correction of these defects. See TEX. R. APP. P.

9.5(e), 25.1(d)(2), 25.1(d)(4); see also id. R. 37.1.

       On November 15, 2023, the Clerk notified appellant that he was delinquent in

submitting the filing fee for the notice of appeal and informed him that the appeal would

be dismissed if the filing fee was not paid. See id. R. 42.3(b), (c). On December 14, 2023,

the Clerk again advised appellant that the notice of appeal was defective, requested

correction of the defects, and advised appellant that the appeal would be dismissed if the

defects were not corrected. See id.

       To date, appellant has neither paid the filing fee for the notice of appeal nor filed a

corrected notice of appeal. This Court has the authority to dismiss an appeal because the

appellant has failed to comply with a requirement of the appellate rules, a court order, or

a notice from the clerk requiring a response or other action within a specified time. See

id. R. 42.3(b), (c); Smith v. DC Civil Constr., LLC, 521 S.W.3d 75, 76 (Tex. App.—San

Antonio 2017, no pet.). Here, appellant has not paid the appellate filing fee and has not

filed a corrected notice of appeal. Accordingly, we dismiss this appeal. See TEX. R. APP.

P. 42.3(b), (c).

                                                                NORA L. LONGORIA
                                                                Justice

Delivered and filed on the
29th day of February, 2024.

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