Court Opinion

ID: 9352659
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-01-09 07:06:53.178523+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T17:02:02.345171
License: Public Domain

COURT OF APPEALS FOR THE
                             FIRST DISTRICT OF TEXAS AT HOUSTON

                                                ORDER

Appellate case name:        Jeremy James Joseph v. William D. Joseph, Jr.

Appellate case number:      01-22-00528-CV

Trial court case number: 491773

Trial court:                Probate Court No. 4 of Harris County

        The trial court signed an order on August 12, 2022 granting the opposition to appellant’s
statement of inability to afford payment of court costs on appeal and concluding that appellant is
able to afford payment of costs on appeal. This Court issued an order on November 29, 2022,
abating the appeal and remanding to the trial court to correct the August 12, 2022 order because it
failed to state that appellant could challenge the trial court’s order by filing a motion in the court
of appeals within 10 days of the date of the trial court’s order. On December 12, 2022, the trial
court signed a corrected order containing the required language about challenging the order. A
supplemental clerk’s record containing the corrected order was filed in this Court on December
14, 2022. A challenge to the trial court’s December 12, 2022 order was due by December 22,
2022. No challenge was filed.
       Accordingly, the abatement is lifted and this appeal is reinstated on the active docket.
        The clerk’s record was filed on September 20, 2022, but it does not appear to contain all
relevant documents. A clerk’s record must contain certain items listed in Texas Rule of Appellate
Procedure 34.5(a). See TEX. R. APP. P. 34.5(a). However, an appellant may file a written
designation specifying items to be included in the clerk’s record. See TEX. R. APP. P. 34.5(b). If
appellant filed a written designation requesting inclusion of specific documents, the clerk’s record
filed on September 20, 2022 does not include that written designation. If appellant filed a specific
designation of documents, the trial court clerk is ordered to file a supplemental clerk’s record
containing this designation. This supplemental clerk’s record shall be filed within 10 days of the
date of this order.
        A reporter’s record has not been filed. Because the trial court determined that appellant is
able to afford payment of court costs, appellant is responsible for payment arrangements for the
preparation and filing of the reporter’s record, which must be filed within 30 days of the date of
this order. If appellant does not make arrangements for the filing of the reporter’s record,
appellant will be required to file a brief containing issues that do not require a reporter’s record for
a decision. See TEX. R. APP. P. 37.3(c).
        Appellant tendered a brief which was received only because the complete record, including
the reporter’s record, had not yet been filed and the appeal was abated per the order issued on
November 29, 2022. Appellant’s brief is not in compliance with the rules for the following reason:
The brief contains citations to pages in the clerk’s record that do not exist. The clerk’s record
contains 111 pages, but the brief cites to pages, such as 145, 843, 380, and 1040. The brief also
refers to documents that are not in the clerk’s record. Although the brief includes documents in
the appendix to the brief, the brief must cite to documents contained either in the clerk’s record or
the reporter’s record. See TEX. R. APP. P. 38.1(g),(i). Accordingly, the brief tendered on December
5, 2022 is stricken. Appellant must file a brief in compliance with the rules once the complete
record is filed. See TEX. R. APP. P. 38.6(a). Again, if appellant chooses not to file a reporter’s
record, appellant must file a brief containing issues that do not require a reporter’s record for a
decision. See TEX. R. APP. P. 37.3(c).
       It is so ORDERED.

Judge’s signature: ____/s/ Richard Hightower______
                    Acting individually  Acting for the Court

Date: ___January 5, 2023_____