Court Opinion

ID: 9384816
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-04-05 06:07:07.083532+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T17:17:56.708241
License: Public Domain

DISMISS and Opinion Filed March 30, 2023

                                          S   In The
                                Court of Appeals
                         Fifth District of Texas at Dallas
                                     No. 05-22-00888-CV

                          WAYNEONISE MIMS, Appellant
                                     V.
                        JESSIE DWAYNE SARGENT, Appellee

                   On Appeal from the County Court at Law No. 5
                               Dallas County, Texas
                       Trial Court Cause No. CC-21-05014-E

                         MEMORANDUM OPINION
       Before Chief Justice Burns, Justice Pedersen, III, and Justice Goldstein
                          Opinion by Chief Justice Burns
       This is an appeal from a county court’s July 11, 2022 dismissal order. The

underlying small claims case began in the justice court and was filed in the county

court as an appeal from the justice court’s judgment. See TEX. R. CIV. P. 506.1(a).

The deadline for filing an appeal from the justice court to the county court was

twenty-one days after the justice court’s judgment was signed. See id. The appeal,

however, was filed more than five months after the deadline.1

   1
     Appellant filed the appeal bond on November 11, 2021. We note the appeal bond states the justice
court’s judgment was signed on October 18, 2021. The record before this Court reflects the judgement
was signed on May 6, 2021. The record does not contain a judgment signed on October 18, 2021.
      A county court lacks jurisdiction over an untimely filed appeal from justice

court, and our jurisdiction extends no further than the county court’s jurisdiction.

Williams v. Schneiber, 148 S.W.3d 581, 583 (Tex. App.—Fort Worth 2004, no

pet.); Dallas Cty. Appraisal Dist. v. Funds Recovery, Inc., 887 S.W.2d 465, 468

(Tex. App.—Dallas 1994, writ denied). Because appellant’s appeal of the justice

court’s judgment to the county court was untimely, we directed appellant to file a

letter brief addressing the jurisdictional issue and cautioned him that failure to

comply may result in dismissal of the appeal without further notice. See TEX. R.

APP. P. 42.3(c). Appellant did not file a letter brief and the time to do so has

passed.

      When, as here, the county court lacked jurisdiction due to an untimely

appeal, we have jurisdiction only to set aside the judgment and dismiss the cause.

See Funds Recovery, Inc., 887 S.W.2d at 468. Accordingly, we vacate the county

court’s July 11, 2022 order and dismiss the cause.

                                              /Robert D. Burns, III/
                                              ROBERT D. BURNS, III
                                              CHIEF JUSTICE
220888F.P05

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

WAYNEONISE MIMS, Appellant                 On Appeal from the County Court at
                                           Law No. 5, Dallas County, Texas
No. 05-22-00888-CV        V.               Trial Court Cause No. CC-21-05014-
                                           E.
JESSIE DWAYNE SARGENT,                     Opinion delivered by Chief Justice
Appellee                                   Burns. Justices Pedersen, III and
                                           Goldstein participating.

      In accordance with this Court’s opinion of this date, we VACATE the trial
court’s July 11, 2022 order and DISMISS this cause.

Judgment entered March 30, 2023

                                     –3–