Court Opinion

ID: 9774918
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-29 18:38:10.53058+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T08:50:30.312516
License: Public Domain

DISSENTING OPINION FOLLOWING OVERRULING OF MOTION FOR HEARING EN BANC
MIRABAL, Justice,
dissenting.
I respectfully dissent from the opinion of the three-judge panel that was assigned to this case.1
I disagree with my colleagues’ construction of Tex.R.Civ.P. 306a(4). Although the Texas Supreme Court has not directly ruled on the issue before us, it has indicated that the construction of rule 306a(4) set forth in this dissenting opinion is the correct construction.2
Rule 306a(l) and (4) provides:
1. Beginning of Periods. The date [the] judgment or order is signed as shown of record shall determine the beginning of the periods prescribed by these rules for the court’s plenary power to grant a new trial or to vacate, modify, correct or reform a judgment or order and for filing in the trial court the various documents that these rules authorize a party to file within such periods including, but not limited to ... motions to reinstate a case dismissed for want of prosecution....
4. No Notice of Judgment. If within twenty days after the judgment or other appealable order is signed, a party adversely affected by it or his attorney has neither received the notice required by paragraph (3) of this rule nor acquired actual knowledge of the order, then with respect to that party all the periods mentioned in paragraph (1) shall begin on the date that such party or his attorney received such notice or acquired actual knowledge of the signing, whichever occurred first, but in no event shall such periods begin more than ninety days *487after the original judgment or other appealable order was signed.
Tex.R.Civ.P. 306a (emphasis added).
In the present case, it is uncontested that appellant George Levit did not learn of the dismissal of his suit until 91 days after the judgment of dismissal was signed. Therefore, in my opinion, the trial court’s plenary power had lapsed, and it could not be restarted subsequent to the 90th day after the order of dismissal was signed. My reasoning is as follows:
A trial court has plenary power to grant a new trial or to vacate its judgment for 30 days after the judgment is signed. Tex. R.Civ.P. 329b(d). If no motion for new trial, or motion to reinstate, or similar motion, is filed within 30 days after the judgment is signed, the judgment becomes final, and the trial court loses jurisdiction over the case. Tex.R.Civ.P. 329b(a), (d), (f).
However, if a party adversely affected by the judgment does not learn of the judgment within 20 days of the signing of the judgment, the beginning date for the trial court’s 30 days of plenary power (or for the filing of a motion for new trial or similar motion that would further extend the trial court’s jurisdiction) is not the date the judgment was signed, but rather is the date the party learned of the judgment. Tex.R.Civ.P. 306a(4); Tex.R.App.P. 5(b)(4). There is a cut-off date, however, for the restart of jurisdiction: in no event can such 30-day extra jurisdiction period start if more than 90 days has passed since the date the judgment was signed. Tex. R.Civ.P. 306a(4); Tex.R.App.P. 5(b)(4).
Because the trial court lost plenary jurisdiction when no motion to reinstate was filed within 30 days of the judgment, the judge could not regain jurisdiction over the judgment since Levit did not learn of the judgment within 90 days of the date it was signed. As I read the rules, 90 days is the absolute cut-off for the start of any additional jurisdiction period.
I would hold appellant Levit did not have the option of obtaining a ruling on a motion to reinstate, because the trial court had lost jurisdiction over the case. Therefore, it was proper for appellant to proceed by equitable bill of review, because he had no adequate remedy at law. I would reverse the summary judgment.

. In accordance with Tex.R.App.P. 79(e) and 90(e), a request was made for an en banc consideration of the case. The request was denied by a majority of the en banc court. I dissent from that vote and from the opinion in the case.

. Clements v. Barnes, 834 S.W.2d 45, 46 n. 2 (Tex.1992); see also Davis v. Boone, 786 S.W.2d 85, 87 n. 2 (Tex.App.—San Antonio 1990, no writ).