Court Opinion

ID: 9761555
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-29 01:45:32.396859+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T07:29:24.396577
License: Public Domain

OPINION ON MOTION FOR REHEARING
In response to the Relator’s motion for rehearing requesting that we clarify our holding regarding the waiver of a jury on the issue of attorney fees and expenses, we supplement our prior opinion. The Relator again urges that we order Judge Coleman to impanel a jury to hear the evidence on the disputed fact issue of attorney fees and expenses resulting from the dismissed condemnation action. We decline to do so, and overrule the motion for rehearing. However, we further clarify our reasoning as follows.
The Relator contends that Judge Landry setting aside his award of attorney fees and expenses completely nullified the October 5,1988 hearing which entitled the Relator to request a new jury at léast 30 days prior to the new hearing date pursuant to Rule 216. We disagree with this contention. We have held that the parties in a dismissed condemnation action brought in a county court at law should not be deprived of the opportunity to have a jury hear the evidence on the disputed fact issue of reasonable attorney fees and expenses. In our opinion, a party would be entitled to have a jury as fact finder on this issue if the case were brought in district court in a county where the district court and the county court at law share concurrent jurisdiction over condemnation actions. We do not think the legislature intended to deprive a party of that right by limiting condemnation actions to the exclusive jurisdiction of county courts at law in certain counties.
However, the Relator did not preserve this right by its renewal of demand for jury trial on February 27, 1990, after Judge Landry granted the Relator’s motion to withdraw his attorney fees and expenses award. The condemnation action had been dismissed by the Relator, and the jury released. Judge Landry set a hearing date for the issue of attorney fees and expenses to be heard. The Relator did not request a jury be impaneled for that hearing. The hearing took place and the evidence and arguments of both sides were presented. The time for the Relator to request a jury was before that hearing, not after it was completed. By waiting until after the hearing, the Relator waived its right to a jury on the issue of attorney fees and expenses.
The order entered on April 18, 1990 by Judge Coleman was proper. He had taken the place of the prior judge as fact finder on the issue of attorney fees and expenses. It is entirely within his discretion to hold another hearing and receive additional evidence before making his ruling. Likewise, it is within his discretion to hear argument of the attorneys and weigh the evidence in the record before him and make a ruling on just and reasonable attorney fees and expenses. The assignment of a visiting judge to replace the recused Judge Landry does not constitute a new trial on this disputed fact issue. The requested writs of mandamus and prohibition are denied.