Court Opinion

ID: 9925847
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2024-01-23 13:09:07.97591+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T09:21:38.948636
License: Public Domain

Fourth Court of Appeals
                                       San Antonio, Texas
                                   MEMORANDUM OPINION
                                           No. 04-23-00844-CV

                                            La’Tesha EVITT,
                                                Appellant

                                                     v.

      PECOR INVESTMENTS-2018-CLXIX, LP dba Culebra Creek Apartment Homes,
                               Appellee

                       From the County Court at Law No. 3, Bexar County, Texas
                                   Trial Court No. 2023CV00083
                            Honorable David J. Rodriguez, Judge Presiding

PER CURIAM

Sitting:          Patricia O. Alvarez, Justice
                  Luz Elena D. Chapa, Justice
                  Irene Rios, Justice

Delivered and Filed: January 17, 2024

DISMISSED FOR WANT OF JURISDICTION

           Appellant attempts to appeal the trial court’s judgment awarding possession of real

property to Pecor Investments-2018-CLXIX, LP. The trial court signed the judgment on August

23, 2023.

           The only issue in a forcible detainer action is the right to actual possession of the property.

TEX. R. CIV. P. 510.3(e); Marshall v. Hous. Auth. of the City of San Antonio, 198 S.W.3d 782, 785

(Tex. 2006). A judgment of possession in such an action determines only the right to immediate

possession and is not a final determination of whether an eviction is wrongful. Marshall, 198
                                                                                     04-23-00844-CV

S.W.3d at 787. When a forcible detainer defendant fails to file a supersedeas bond in an amount

set by the county court, the judgment may be enforced and a writ of possession may be executed,

evicting the defendant from the property. See TEX. PROP. CODE ANN. § 24.007; TEX. R. CIV. P.

510.13; Marshall, 198 S.W.3d at 786. If a forcible detainer defendant fails to supersede the

judgment and loses possession of the property, the appeal is moot unless the defendant: (1) timely

and clearly expressed his or her intent to appeal; and (2) asserted “a potentially meritorious claim

of right to current, actual possession of the [property].” Marshall, 198 S.W.3d at 787.

       A review of the clerk’s record indicates Appellant did not file a supersedeas bond. The

clerk’s record also shows a writ of possession was issued by the county clerk, and the writ was

executed on September 26, 2023. Therefore, on November 28, 2023, we ordered Appellant to file

a written response on or before December 27, 2023, explaining why this appeal should not be

dismissed for want of jurisdiction. To date, Appellant has not responded to our order. Accordingly,

we vacate the trial court’s judgment and dismiss the case as moot. See TEX. R. APP. P. 42.3(a),

(c); Marshall, 198 S.W.3d at 785.

                                                 PER CURIAM

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