Court Opinion

ID: 9351921
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-01-04 07:09:45.947215+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T16:57:36.038734
License: Public Domain

Vacate and Dismiss and Opinion Filed December 28, 2022

                                        In the
                             Court of Appeals
                      Fifth District of Texas at Dallas
                                No. 05-22-00891-CV

                DANELDA AUSTIN, Appellant
                          V.
THE HOUSING AUTHORITY OF THE CITY OF DALLAS, TEXAS - PARK
                    MANOR, Appellee

                On Appeal from the County Court at Law No. 2
                            Dallas County, Texas
                    Trial Court Cause No. CC-22-02671-B

                        MEMORANDUM OPINION
          Before Chief Justice Burns, Justice Carlyle, and Justice Garcia
                            Opinion by Justice Carlyle
      This is an appeal from the trial court’s final judgment of possession in a

forcible detainer suit. The judgment was not superseded, and a writ of possession

was served on appellant. Because it appeared appellant was no longer in possession

of the property, and a forcible detainer action generally becomes moot when the

tenant is no longer in possession of the premises, we questioned our jurisdiction over

the appeal. See Marshall v. Housing Auth. of City of San Antonio, 198 S.W.3d 782,

785, 787 (Tex. 2006) (possession of premises is only issue in forcible detainer action;

issue of possession becomes moot when tenant vacates property unless tenant has
“potentially meritorious claim of right to current, actual possession”); Olley v. HVM,

L.L.C., 449 S.W.3d 573, 575 (Tex. App.—Houston [14th Dist.] 2014, pet. denied)

(appellate courts lack jurisdiction over moot controversies).

      By letter dated November 23, 2022, we directed appellant to file a letter brief

addressing the Court’s concern and cautioned that failure to comply by December 5,

2022 could result in dismissal of the case. To date, appellant has not filed a letter

brief or otherwise communicated with the Court.

      When, as here, a case becomes moot on appeal, the appellate court must set

aside the trial court’s judgment and dismiss the case. See Marshall, 198 S.W.3d at

785, 790. Accordingly, on the record before us, we vacate the trial court’s final

judgment of possession and dismiss the case as moot. See id. at 790.

                                           /Cory L. Carlyle//
220891f.p05                                CORY L. CARLYLE
                                           JUSTICE

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

DANELDA AUSTIN, Appellant                   On Appeal from the County Court at
                                            Law No. 2, Dallas County, Texas
No. 05-22-00891-CV         V.               Trial Court Cause No. CC-22-02671-
                                            B.
THE HOUSING AUTHORITY OF                    Opinion delivered by Justice Carlyle,
THE CITY OF DALLAS, TEXAS –                 Chief Justice Burns and Justice
PARK MANOR, Appellee                        Garcia participating.

      In accordance with this Court’s opinion of this date, we VACATE the trial
court’s September 12, 2022 judgment and DISMISS the case.

Judgment entered this 28th day of December 2022.

                                      –3–