Court Opinion

ID: 9387801
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-04-19 06:07:28.662646+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T17:18:15.708145
License: Public Domain

VACATE and DISMISS and Opinion Filed April 17, 2023

                                  S   In The
                            Court of Appeals
                     Fifth District of Texas at Dallas
                              No. 05-22-01163-CV

                      OLLIE M. WILLIAMS, Appellant
                                  V.
                       SELECT DV GROUP, Appellee

                On Appeal from the County Court at Law No. 3
                            Dallas County, Texas
                    Trial Court Cause No. CC-22-04075-C

                        MEMORANDUM OPINION
        Before Chief Justice Burns, Justice Molberg, and Justice Goldstein
                         Opinion by Chief Justice Burns
      This is an appeal from the trial court’s judgment of possession in a forcible-

detainer suit. The judgment was not superseded, and a writ of possession was served

on appellant. Because it appeared appellant was no longer in possession of the

property, and a forcible detainer action generally becomes moot when the tenant is

no longer in possession of the premises, we questioned our jurisdiction over the

appeal. See Marshall v. Housing Auth. of City of San Antonio, 198 S.W.3d 782, 785,

787 (Tex. 2006) (only issue in forcible detainer action is possession, and issue

becomes moot when tenant vacates property unless tenant has “potentially
meritorious claim of right to current, actual possession”); Olley v. HVM, L.L.C., 449

S.W.3d 573, 575 (Tex. App.—Houston [14th Dist.] 2014, pet. denied) (appellate

courts lack jurisdiction over moot controversies). We directed appellant to file a

letter brief addressing the Court’s concern and noted that, if we determined we

lacked jurisdiction, we would set aside the trial court’s judgment and dismiss the

case. See Marshall, 198 S.W.3d at 785, 790 (when case becomes moot on appeal,

appellate court must set aside trial court judgment and dismiss case).

      More than ten days have passed and appellant has not filed a letter brief or

otherwise communicated with the Court. Accordingly, as it appears on the record

before us that appellant is no longer in possession of the premises, we vacate the trial

court’s judgment and dismiss the case as moot. See id. at 790.

                                            /Robert D. Burns, III/
                                            ROBERT D. BURNS, III
                                            CHIEF JUSTICE

221163F.P05

                                          –2–
                                   S
                           Court of Appeals
                    Fifth District of Texas at Dallas
                                   JUDGMENT

OLLIE M. WILLIAMS, Appellant                On Appeal from the County Court at
                                            Law No. 3, Dallas County, Texas
No. 05-22-01163-CV         V.               Trial Court Cause No. CC-22-04075-
                                            C.
SELECT DV GROUP, Appellee                   Opinion delivered by Chief Justice
                                            Burns, Justices Molberg and
                                            Goldstein participating.

      In accordance with this Court’s opinion of this date, we VACATE the trial
court’s judgment and DISMISS the case.

Judgment entered April 17, 2023.

                                      –3–