Court Opinion

ID: 9379244
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-03-15 06:08:37.290026+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T17:17:01.396570
License: Public Domain

DISMISS and Opinion Filed March 7, 2023

                                     S  In The
                             Court of Appeals
                      Fifth District of Texas at Dallas
                                No. 05-22-00996-CV

   FRANK MORDENTE, INDIVIDUALLY AND AS TRUSTEE OF THE
             MORDENTE 2017 TRUST, Appellants
                           V.
         YEVGENY MARCHENKO, VALERI LIUKIN, AND
          HIDDEN VISTA PROPERTIES, INC., Appellees

                On Appeal from the 471st Judicial District Court
                             Collin County, Texas
                    Trial Court Cause No. 471-01896-2022

                         MEMORANDUM OPINION
                 Before Justices Molberg, Pedersen, III, and Miskel
                          Opinion by Justice Pedersen, III
      After reviewing the clerk’s record, the Court questioned its jurisdiction over

this appeal because there did not appear to be a final judgment or appealable

interlocutory order. At the Court’s direction, appellant filed a letter brief.

      Generally, this Court has jurisdiction over final judgments and certain

interlocutory orders as permitted by statute. See Lehmann v. Har–Con Corp., 39

S.W.3d 191, 195 (Tex. 2001); see also TEX. CIV. PRAC. & REM. CODE ANN. §
51.014(a) (listing appealable interlocutory orders). A final judgment is one that

disposes of all parties and claims. See Lehmann, 39 S.W.3d at 195.

         Appellees filed suit against appellants, Frank Mordente, Individually and as

Trustee of the 2017 Mordente Trust, and Kade Properties, LLC1. Frank Mordente

filed a pro se answer on both his behalf and that of the Trust. Appellees moved to

strike the Trust’s answer because non-attorney Mordente lacked authority to file an

answer on behalf of the Trust. See Kunstoplast of Am., Inc. v. Formosa Plastics

Corp, USA, 937 S.W.2d 455, 456 (Tex. 1996) (per curiam) (corporation can appear

in court only through licensed attorneys). Appellant appeals from the trial court’s

August 31, 2022 order granting appellees’ motion and striking the Trust’s answer.

         The appealed order is not a final judgment because it does not dispose of

appellees’ claims against Frank Mordente and Kade Propberties. See Lehmann, 39

S.W.3d at 195.              Although appellant filed a letter brief, nothing therein

demonstrates this Court’s jurisdiction over this appeal. Accordingly, we dismiss

the appeal for want of jurisdiction. See TEX. R. APP. P. 42.3(a).

                                                          /Bill Pedersen, III/
                                                          BILL PEDERSEN, III
                                                          JUSTICE
220996F.P05

   1
       Kade Properties, LLC is not a party to this appeal.

                                                    –2–
                                 S
                          Court of Appeals
                   Fifth District of Texas at Dallas
                                 JUDGMENT

FRANK MORDENTE,                           On Appeal from the 471st Judicial
INDIVIDUALLY AND AS                       District Court, Collin County, Texas
TRUSTEE OF THE MORDENTE                   Trial Court Cause No. 471-01896-
2017 TRUST, Appellants                    2022.
                                          Opinion delivered by Justice
No. 05-22-00996-CV       V.               Pedersen, III. Justices Molberg and
                                          Miskel participating.
YEVGENY MARCHENKO,
VALERI LIUKIN, AND HIDDEN
VISTA PROPERTIES, INC.,
Appellees

    In accordance with this Court’s opinion of this date, the appeal is
DISMISSED.

      It is ORDERED that appellees YEVGENY MARCHENKO, VALERI
LIUKIN, AND HIDDEN VISTA PROPERTIES, INC. recover their costs of this
appeal from appellants FRANK MORDENTE AND THE 2017 MORDENTE
TRUST.

Judgment entered March 7, 2023

                                    –3–