Court Opinion

ID: 9676703
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-24 05:30:47.952808+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T18:16:50.405128
License: Public Domain

ENOCH, Justice,
dissenting.
I agree with the Court that the plain words of Rule 166a(c) of the Texas Rules of Civil Procedure establish a bright line rule. The grounds for the granting of a motion for summary judgment must be *350stated in the motion.1 However, I would not address any of the other issues, nor can I agree that in this case the failure to include the grounds in the motion itself is harmful. The evidence in the record establishes that neither the court nor the non-movant was unaware, confused or mislead as to the specific grounds being relied upon by the movant. Therefore, I would affirm the judgment of the court of appeals.
PHILLIPS, C.J., joins in this dissenting opinion.

. Responding to Justice Hecht's criticism that requiring the grounds for summary judgment to be stated in the motion is a technicality without a purpose, at least one court of appeals has stated "... the trial brief is neither in the record before us nor would it properly be part of the appellate record." Concrete Constr. Supply v. M.F.C., Inc., 636 S.W.2d 475, 483-84 (Tex.App.-Dallas 1982, no writ) (citing Tex.R.Civ.P. 376a, now found in Tex.R.App.P. 51 and 52 (emphasis added).