Court Opinion

ID: 9391738
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-05-03 06:10:34.669933+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T17:18:44.406068
License: Public Domain

Dismiss and Opinion Filed April 28, 2023

                                        In The
                            Court of Appeals
                     Fifth District of Texas at Dallas
                                No. 05-23-00231-CV

                  CHARLOTTE BUCKNER, Appellant
                               V.
               WHITE ROCK HILL TOWNHOMES, Appellee

                On Appeal from the County Court at Law No. 2
                            Dallas County, Texas
                    Trial Court Cause No. CC-22-06021-B

                         MEMORANDUM OPINION
                 Before Justices Nowell, Goldstein, and Breedlove
                            Opinion by Justice Nowell
      This is an appeal from the trial court’s March 6, 2023 final judgment of

possession in a forcible detainer suit. Asserting the appeal has become moot because

appellant is no longer in possession of the subject property, appellee has filed a

motion to dismiss.

      The only issue in a forcible detainer suit is the right to actual possession of the

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

785 (Tex. 2006). Unless the tenant has a “potentially meritorious claim of right to

current, actual possession,” the issue of possession and the case become moot when
the tenant vacates the property. See id. at 787. When a case becomes moot on

appeal, an appellate court must set aside or vacate the trial court’s judgment and

dismiss the case. See id. at 785, 790.

      Although appellant has had more than ten days to respond to appellee’s

motion, she has not done so. Accordingly, with nothing before us showing appellant

has a “potentially meritorious claim of right to current, actual possession,” we grant

appellee’s motion, vacate the trial court’s March 6th judgment of possession, and

dismiss the case. See id. at 790.

230231f.p05                                /Erin A. Nowell//
                                           ERIN A. NOWELL
                                           JUSTICE

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

CHARLOTTE BUCKNER,                           On Appeal from the County Court at
Appellant                                    Law No. 2, Dallas County, Texas
                                             Trial Court Cause No. CC-22-06021-
No. 05-23-00231-CV          V.               B.
                                             Opinion delivered by Justice Nowell,
WHITE ROCK HILL                              Justices Goldstein and Breedlove
TOWNHOMES, Appellee                          participating.

      In accordance with this Court’s opinion of this date, we VACATE the trial
court’s March 6, 2023 judgment of possession and DISMISS the case.

Judgment entered this 28th day of April, 2023.

                                       –3–