Court Opinion

ID: 9638326
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-22 15:41:05.288755+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T15:32:49.863443
License: Public Domain

OPINION ON MOTION FOR REHEARING
Appellant City of Ingleside’s motion for rehearing has been carefully considered and is found to be without merit. Appellant has also filed a motion relating to costs wherein he requests this Court to retax or readjudicate the cost on appeal pertaining to the fee of the official court reporter in this cause. In addition to ruling on appellant’s motion for rehearing in this cause and the motion relating to the cost involved, this Court also rendered an opinion *948this day in cause number 1132 in which the question of the constitutionality of Art. 2324 (which attempted to set the fee of the court reporter) and/or the reasonableness of the court reporter’s fee was also determined. See City of Ingleside v. T. R. Stewart, d/b/a L & S Air Conditioning Company, Inc., Docket Number 1132. (Tex.Civ.App.—Corpus Christi, June 30, 1977) (not yet reported).
A motion to adjudge cost involves an assessment by the court as to who shall pay the cost, while a motion to retax cost involves the question of the amount of cost assessed. Reaugh v. McCollum Exploration Co., 140 Tex. 322, 167 S.W.2d 727 (1943) and followed by this Court in Smith v. State, 500 S.W.2d 682 (Tex.Civ.App.—Corpus Christi 1973, no writ). There have been repeated statements by courts of this State that a motion to retax cost is one to correct the ministerial act of the clerk of the court in tabulating cost. Wood v. Wood, 159 Tex. 350, 320 S.W.2d 807 (1959); Hammonds v. Hammonds, 158 Tex. 516, 373 S.W.2d 603 (1958); Reaugh v. McCollum Exploration Co., supra; Hartzell Propeller Inc. v. Alexander, 517 S.W.2d 455 (Tex.Civ.App.—Texarkana 1974, no writ); Smith v. State, supra. It is interesting to note, however, that prior to the amendment of Art. 2324 (Supp. 1977) the motion to retax the costs was available to a litigant to test the reasonableness of a court reporter’s fee in the Court of Civil Appeals. In both Reaugh v. McCollum Exploration Co., supra and Southland Life Ins. Co. v. Statler, 141 Tex. 110, 170 S.W.2d 714 (1943) the question before the Supreme Court was whether or not a court reporter’s fee was reasonable for transcribing the record. In both cases the court refused to rule on the motion, stating that that question was one to be determined by the Court of Civil Appeals since that was the court in which the cost arose. However, in 1975 the legislature amended Art. 2324 and provided that the trial court should determine the reasonableness of a court reporter’s fee until the Supreme Court so provided under its rule making authority. The legislature by the 1975 amendment deprived this Court of its original ancillary jurisdiction to decide this question as determined by prior case law. For these reasons appellant’s motion relating to costs is denied.
Due to the fact that this case and cause number 1132 are intimately connected we must make special provisions for the mandate should mandate issue from this Court. Since we affirmed the judgment of the trial court, mandate will issue on behalf of T. R. Stewart d/b/a L & S Air Conditioning Company, Inc. 30 days after this judgment in this cause becomes final. Mandate as to the cost of the statement of facts shall not issue in favor of the party against whom cost shall be assessed until the judgment of this Court in cause number 1132 shall become final.
Appellant’s motion for rehearing is overruled.