Court Opinion

ID: 9892220
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-10-21 06:11:21.327254+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T14:20:22.387001
License: Public Domain

Opinion filed October 19, 2023

                                       In The

        Eleventh Court of Appeals
                                    __________

                                 No. 11-23-00192-CV
                                     __________

    IN THE INTEREST OF C.M.S., S.M.S., M.L.S., AND O.A.S.,
                      CHILDREN

                     On Appeal from the 29th District Court
                           Palo Pinto County, Texas
                         Trial Court Cause No. C50136

                      MEMORAND UM OPI NI ON
      On July 19, 2023, the trial court signed an order in a suit to modify the parent-
child relationship that, among other things, (1) required the parents of the children,
C.M.S., S.M.S., M.L.S., and O.A.S., to continue to serve as joint managing
conservators and comply with a modified possession order, (2) designated the
mother to have the exclusive right to designate the children’s primary residence, and
(3) granted a judgment in favor of the mother for child support arrearages owed by
the father. The father, Appellant, subsequently filed a pro se notice of appeal. When
the appeal was docketed in this court, the clerk of this court notified the parties that
it appeared that the notice of appeal was not timely filed. We directed Appellant to
file a motion for extension of time to file the notice of appeal within fifteen days and
to provide a reasonable explanation for his failure to file a timely notice.
      The documents on file in this appeal show that the trial court signed its order
in the underlying suit on July 19, 2023. The notice of appeal was therefore due to
be filed no later than August 18, 2023. See TEX. R. APP. P. 26.1. Appellant did not
file his notice of appeal until August 21, 2023—after the deadline to file had expired.
Upon receipt of his untimely notice of appeal, we directed Appellant to file a motion
for extension of time to file his notice of appeal by September 5, 2023. As of this
date, Appellant has not responded, nor has he filed a motion for extension of time to
file his notice of appeal.
      We are prohibited from suspending the Rules of Appellate Procedure “to alter
the time for perfecting an appeal in a civil case.” TEX. R. APP. P. 2. Absent a timely
notice of appeal, this court is without jurisdiction to consider this appeal. See
Wilkins v. Methodist Health Care Sys., 160 S.W.3d 559, 564 (Tex. 2005); Garza v.
Hibernia Nat’l Bank, 227 S.W.3d 233, 233–34 (Tex. App.—Houston [1st Dist.]
2007, no pet.); see also Verburgt v. Dorner, 959 S.W.2d 615, 617 (Tex. 1997).
Because we are without jurisdiction, we must dismiss the appeal. See TEX. R.
APP. P. 42.3(a).
      Accordingly, this appeal is dismissed for want of jurisdiction.

                                               W. STACY TROTTER
                                               JUSTICE
October 19, 2023
Panel consists of: Bailey, C.J.,
Trotter, J., and Williams, J.

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