Court Opinion

ID: 9667237
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-24 01:39:24.570174+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T18:15:36.221042
License: Public Domain

On Motions for Rehearing
BELL, Chief Justice.
We adhere to our original judgment reversing and remanding this case for new trial. We, however, grant appellants’ motion for rehearing to the extent that we held the action to be maintainable as a spurious class action under Rule 42(a)(3), Texas Rules of Civil Procedure.
We are of the view that the special statute, Article 1105b, Section 9, giving the right of appeal to a person who desires to complain of the action by City Council is controlling. It provides in substance that anyone desiring to contest the proceedings and the resulting assessment shall have the right to appeal by instituting a suit in any court having jurisdiction, such suit to be instituted within fifteen days from the time an assessment is levied. This is not a mere statute of limitation, but is a statute conferring a right to appeal. Any individual desiring to take advantage of the statutory method of appeal must comply with its terms. Each person complaining must individually make himself a party to a suit instituted by himself and other individuals as plaintiffs, or he may file a separate suit or intervene so as to in effect become a party-plaintiff so long as his action is taken within the period prescribed. Whichever method he chooses he is individually exercising the right to appeal given by the statute. When purporting to appeal under the statute, he must make himself a party to the suit in his individual capacity.
*908The result in this case is that the named parties-plaintiff, that is, L. D. Parkinson, Mr. and Mrs. A. H. Williams, Richard Bruhn and H. R. Henderson, individually, were the only parties-plaintiff to the appeal from Council action.
We express no opinion as to the rights of other parties should they desire to defend against enforcement of the assessment against them, but note City of Houston v. Fore, cited in our original opinion.
Appellants’ motion for rehearing is granted to the extent that we hold the appeal provided by the statute may not be maintained as a class action. Our judgment reversing the case as to the named plaintiffs will remain undisturbed.
Appellees’ motion for rehearing is also overruled.
COLEMAN, J., sitting on rehearing.