Court Opinion

ID: 3072517
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2015-10-16 00:47:46.403082+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T11:50:07.825448
License: Public Domain

NO. 12-14-00106-CV

                          IN THE COURT OF APPEALS

                 TWELFTH COURT OF APPEALS DISTRICT

                                     TYLER, TEXAS

IN RE:                                           §

ROBERT C. MORRIS,                                §      ORIGINAL PROCEEDING

RELATOR                                          §

                                  MEMORANDUM OPINION
                                      PER CURIAM
       Robert C. Morris seeks a writ of mandamus directing the trial court to rule on certain
motions and also directing the district clerk to advise him of the status of the motions. He filed
an affidavit of indigence along with his petition for writ of mandamus. We dismiss the petition
as frivolous.

                               INMATE LITIGATION–CHAPTER 14
       Effective January 1, 2012, Chapter 14 of the Texas Civil Practice and Remedies Code
was amended to apply to an action, including an appeal or an original proceeding, brought by an
inmate in a district, county, justice of the peace, or small claims court, or an appellate court in
which an affidavit of indigence is also filed. TEX. CIV. PRAC. & REM. CODE ANN. § 14.002
(West Supp. 2013). This means that the requirements of Chapter 14 apply when inmates file an
appeal or an original proceeding in an appellate court just as when they file an action in a trial
court. See id.
       Chapter 14 requires an inmate to file an affidavit or declaration “relating to previous
filings” in which the inmate must detail all previous actions filed pro se, other than a suit under
the Texas Family Code. Id. § 14.004(a) (West Supp. 2013). The affidavit or declaration must be
accompanied by a certified copy of his “inmate trust account statement” that “reflect[s] the
balance of the account at the time the claim is filed and activity in the account during the six
months preceding the date on which the claim is filed.” Id. § 14.004(c) (West Supp. 2013). The
filings required under Chapter 14 are “an essential part of the process by which courts review
inmate litigation.” Hickson v. Moya, 926 S.W.2d 397, 399 (Tex. App.–Waco 1996, no writ).
         If the inmate fails to file the affidavit or declaration with the required information about
previous filings or the inmate trust account statement, the trial court can dismiss the action
without notice or hearing. See, e.g., Amir-Sharif v. Mason, 243 S.W.3 854, 857 (Tex. App.–
Dallas 2008, no pet.); Thompson v. Rodriguez, 99 S.W.3d 328, 330 (Tex. App.–Texarkana
2003, no pet.). Further, when an inmate fails to comply with the requirement for the affidavit or
declaration of previous filings, the trial court may assume that the current action is substantially
similar to one previously filed by the inmate and thus is frivolous. Bell v. Tex. Dep’t of
Criminal Justice–Institutional Div., 962 S.W.2d 156, 158 (Tex. App.–Houston [14th Dist.]
1998, pet. denied). We see no reason why this caselaw interpreting the Chapter 14 requirements
as they apply to actions filed in trial courts should not also now apply to actions filed in appellate
courts. See Douglas v. Turner, No. 10-13-00031-CV, 2013 WL 2245653, at *1 (Tex. App.–
Waco May 9, 2013, no pet.) (op., not yet released for publication).
         In this appeal, Morris, an inmate, filed a copy of his inmate trust account statement, but
did not file an affidavit or declaration of previous filings. Because the requirements of Chapter
14 now apply to inmate proceedings in the courts of appeals, caselaw permits us to dismiss
Freeman’s petition for writ of mandamus without notice.

                                                   CONCLUSION
         Morris did not comply with the Chapter 14 requirement for an affidavit or declaration of
previous filings. Therefore, we dismiss his petition for writ of mandamus as frivolous. See Bell,
962 S.W.2d at 158.
Opinion delivered April 30, 2014.
Panel consisted of Worthen, C.J., Griffith, J., and Hoyle, J.

                                                    (PUBLISH)

                                                           2
                                 COURT OF APPEALS

      TWELFTH COURT OF APPEALS DISTRICT OF TEXAS

                                          JUDGMENT

                                           APRIL 30, 2014

                                        NO. 12-14-00106-CV

                               ROBERT C. MORRIS,
                                     Relator
                                       V.
                     HON. PAM FLETCHER AND JANICE STAPLES,
                                   Respondents

                                       ORIGINAL PROCEEDING
                      ON THIS DAY came to be heard the petition for writ of mandamus filed
by ROBERT C. MORRIS, who is the defendant in Cause No. 349-6270, pending on the docket
of the 349th Judicial District Court of Anderson County, Texas. Said petition for writ of
mandamus having been filed herein on April 25, 2014, and the same having been duly
considered, because it is the opinion of this Court that a writ of mandamus should not issue, it is
therefore CONSIDERED, ADJUDGED and ORDERED that the said petition for writ of
mandamus be, and the same is, hereby DISMISSED.
                      By per curiam opinion.
                      Panel consisted of Worthen, C.J., Griffith, J., and Hoyle, J.