Court Opinion

ID: 9636011
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-22 14:12:07.438572+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T18:09:40.192363
License: Public Domain

CORNYN, Justice,
dissenting.
The entire court agrees that the outcome of this case should be decided by determining the legislature’s intent in enacting H.B. 479 of 1985, which amended section 5A(b) of the Texas Probate Code (the “Amendment”). While it is clear that the bill was passed in reaction to this court’s decision in Seay v. Hall, 677 S.W.2d 19 (Tex.1984), the legislative history of the Amendment makes it unlikely that the legislature, including the bill’s author,1 intended to expand probate court jurisdiction to cover the present suit.
Furthermore, while the interpretation of the 1985 amendment to section 5A(b) is important to the resolution of this case, the jurisdiction of the probate courts was further amended in 1989. The 1989 amendment still limits the probate courts’ jurisdiction, under some circumstances, to claims “appertaining to, or incident to an estate.”2 Because the meaning of the statutory phrase “appertaining to, or incident to an estate” remains an important issue, and because I believe that the jurisdiction of the probate courts in 1985 did not include the type of case involved here, I dissent,
I.
When ascertaining a statute’s meaning, we consider, among other things, the objective sought to be attained by the legislature and the legislative history of an amendment.3 And, I agree with the court that in amending section 5A, the legislature clearly intended to allow probate courts to hear wrongful death and survivor actions, and to allow claims for attorneys’ fees to be brought in the probate courts. However, the words of the 1985 amendment4 do not carry out this intent.5 Nevertheless, we should attempt to construe the statute with these objectives in mind. Tex.Gov’t Code § 311.023(3).
To support its conclusion that the probate court does have jurisdiction of this case, the court relies on the court of appeals’ assessment in Pearson v. K-Mart Corp., 755 S.W.2d 217, 219 (Tex.App.—Houston [1st Dist.] 1988, no writ). Apparently, the court agrees with Pearson’s legislative history analysis, which hinges on Representative Wright’s testimony before the House Committee on Judicial Affairs. Representative Wright’s testimony makes clear the intent of the Amendment, to supersede only two aspects of our decision in Seay: 1) that probate courts did not have jurisdiction in survival and wrongful-death actions,6 and 2) that unliquidated claims, *184such as actions for attorneys’ fees, could not be heard in the probate court. Yet, the court does not address this legislative history and construes the statute much more broadly than justified by either legislative history or the words of the statute.7
Seay expressly held that the probate courts could not hear survival and wrongful-death actions. 677 S.W.2d at 23. The report of the House Research Organization (HRO) acknowledged that the pre-1985 Probate Code provisions “were never intended to deny probate court jurisdiction in such cases.” House Study Group Report, Bill Analysis, Tex.H.B. 479, 69th Leg., Reg. Sess. (1985). The HRO stated that probate courts had actually been hearing these types of actions for years. The analysis concluded:
Because all survival and wrongful-death suits are cases brought by or against the personal representative of the decedent’s estate granting probate courts jurisdiction in such cases will clearly allow them to hear survival and wrongful-death actions.
Id. at 28-29.
Seay also limited the probate jurisdiction to liquidated claims. 677 S.W.2d at 23. This prompted concern about whether Seay precluded claims for attorneys’ fees. Prior to the Amendment it was not clear whether lawyers had to file a separate action in district court to collect their fees related to a probate action. The Amendment sought to allow attorneys to bring these actions in the probate court already handling the case.8 The presiding judge of the probate courts in Texas, Judge Pat Gregory, confirmed this purpose in his testimony before the Senate Committee on Jurisprudence. He testified that this Amendment was a response to questions raised in “the dicta in Seay” about whether or not actions for attorneys’ fees could be heard in the probate courts. Hearings on H.B. 479 Before the Senate Jurisprudence Comm., 69th Leg., 1985 (on tape).
While these two purposes of the Amendment are relatively lucid, it is not apparent that the Amendment was intended to broaden probate jurisdiction any further. Judge Gregory testified that he saw the bill as “a very narrow bill ... [that does not call for] a broad jurisdiction.” Id. In fact, the legislature further amended this section of the probate code in 1989. The 1989 amendment allowed the probate court to hear cases brought by or against a personal representative even if they are not appurtenant or incident to an estate. If the 1985 amendment made the change that the court contends it did, there would be no need to make the changes in 1989.9
Nothing in the available legislative history of this Amendment reveals an intent to extend probate jurisdiction to cases, other than the two instances discussed above, beyond those understood to be “appurtenant or incident” to an estate before the Amendment was added.10 See Qwest Microwave, Inc. v. Bedard, 756 S.W.2d 426, 436 (Tex.App.—Dallas 1988, no writ).
II.
The obvious question, then, is whether the action brought by William Palmer is *185“appurtenant or incident” to the estate of Booney Moore.11 In my opinion, the legislature did not statutorily overrule the main holding of the Seay opinion, that the “legislature did not intend to expand probate court jurisdiction to matters other than those in which the controlling issue was the settlement, partition, or distribution of an estate.” Several courts of appeals have so held, leaving this aspect of the Seay decision intact. See e.g., Bruflat v. Rodeheaver, 830 S.W.2d 821, 823 (Tex.App.—Houston [1st Dist.] 1992, no writ); Carlisle v. Bennett, 801 S.W.2d 589, 591 (Tex.App.—Corpus Christi 1990, no writ); Crawford v. Williams, 797 S.W.2d 184, 185 (Tex.App.—Corpus Christi 1990, writ denied); Qwest Microwave, Inc. v. Bedard, 756 S.W.2d at 436; Chamberlain v. Witts, 696 S.W.2d 204, 206 (Tex.App.—Dallas 1985, writ ref d n.r.e.).
The outcome of Palmer’s claims for negligence, gross negligence, and violations of the DTPA do not control the assimilation, collection, or distribution of the Moore estate. Rather, these claims are remedial in nature and seek penalty damages rather than replenishment of the estate.12 Thus, these claims are not appurtenant or incident to the Moore estate, and I would hold that the trial court did not have jurisdiction to adjudicate such claims.13

. Representative Brad Wright authored the Amendment.

. Even as the section is written now, the phrase "appertaining to, or incident to an estate” is included to define in which situations a cause of action must be brought in a statutory probate court rather than in the district court. See Tex.Prob.Code § 5A(a) & (b).

. Tex.Gov’t Code § 311.023 provides:
In construing a statute, whether or not the statute is considered ambiguous on its face, a court may consider among other matters the:
(1) object sought to be attained; ... [and the]
(3) legislative history; ....

. The 1985 amendment added, "In actions by or against a personal representative, the statutory probate courts have concurrent jurisdiction with the district courts."

. The Amendment allows probate courts to share jurisdiction of actions by or against a personal representative, however, the requirement that the claim be appurtenant or incident to an estate remains. A wrongful-death action is brought by a personal representative, but it is clearly not appurtenant or incident to an estate. Thus, considering only the language of the 1985 amendment the probate courts lack jurisdiction over wrongful-death actions. The court agrees with this analysis. Majority opinion at 182.

. For example, Wright states: “If for instance, a guardianship is established and the ward has a cause of action for an injury sustained, perhaps even the injury that created the need for the guardianship, that cause of action could be handled in the statutory probate court. If the decedent had a cause of action relating to the accident which was the cause of his death, that could be handled in the statutory probate *184court.” Testimony of Representative Brad Wright, in hearings on H.B. 479 before the House Judicial Affairs Comm., 69th Leg., 1985 (on tape).

. See supra text at 182 and accompanying notes.

. Again, the HRO report explains how the language of the Amendment cures this problem: "It would be better to permit the probate court already familiar with the case to decide all of the claims, as H.B. 479 will allow by granting to probate courts concurrent jurisdiction with district courts over all aspects of suits by or against personal representatives.” Id. at 29.

. "It is presumed that the legislature intends to make some change in existing law when it adopts an amendment." Travenol Labs., Inc. v. Bandy Labs., Inc., 608 S.W.2d 308 (Tex.Civ. App.—Waco 1980, writ refd n.r.e.).

. In fact, the concern about the breadth of the amended language arose in the Senate Committee meetings. Mr. Frank Ikard, chairman elect to the Real Estate Probate and Trust Law Section of the State Bar of Texas, voiced his fear that the new language was too broad. He used as an example the possibility of an antitrust suit being filed in a probate court. He was persuaded, however, that this would not be the case, and withdrew his opposition to the amendment.

.The CA determined that the 1985 version of § 5A(b) was applicable to this cause of action.
In proceedings in the statutory probate court and district courts, the phrases 'appurtenant to estates’ and ‘incident to an estate’ in this Code include the probate of wills, the issuance of letters testamentary and of administration, and the determination of heirship, and also include, but are not limited to, all claims by or against an estate, all actions for trial of title to land and for the enforcement of liens thereon, all actions for trial of the right of property, all actions to construe wills, the interpretation and administration of testamentary trusts and the applying of constructive trusts, and generally all matters relating to the settlement, partition, and distribution of estates of wards and deceased persons.... In the situation where the jurisdiction of a statutory probate court is concurrent with that of a district court, any cause of action appertaining to estates or incident to an estate shall be brought in a statutory probate court rather than in district court. In actions by or against a personal representative, the statutory probate courts have concurrent jurisdiction with the district courts.
Tex.Prob.Code Ann. § 5A(b).

. The court of appeals held that:
The relief sought is pursuant to the remedial DTPA, with punitive damages, and was brought for the benefit of the beneficiaries and the administrator. The recovery was based on what the jury believed the beneficiaries and present administration would have received had the estate plan not been implemented. It is not a suit to determine the assets of the estate.... Further, there were no assets of the estate for the Probate Court to protect through ancillary jurisdiction.
CA Opinion at 12-13.

. It is worth noting that if the probate court was without jurisdiction as I contend, the Petitioner could refile this suit in district court; as long as this is done within sixty days of dismissal, limitations would be tolled during pendency of this suit and the suit in district court would not be barred by limitations. Tex.Civ.Prac. & Rem.Code § 16.064.