Court Opinion

ID: 9779138
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-29 21:37:45.409404+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T07:33:21.954167
License: Public Domain

ON MOTION FOR REHEARING
The Appellee, Jesse G. Dietz, Jr., has filed a motion for rehearing, but has not filed a remittitur. By his first assignment in the motion for rehearing, he contends that we erred in failing to consider his cross point, which asserted that the trial Court erred in characterizing certain property as community property, rather than separate property. The cases are legion which hold that an appellee does not have to file an appeal bond and perfect a separate appeal to complain of some part of the judgment by a cross point, but that, before such cross points may be considered, the appellee must have excepted to the judgment, given notice of appeal therefrom, or in some manner apprised the trial Court of any dissatisfaction with the judgment entered. In addition to the two cases previously cited, also see: West Texas Utilities Company v. Irvin, 161 Tex. 5, 336 S.W.2d 609 (1960); Upjohn Company v. Petro Chemicals Suppliers, Inc., 537 S.W.2d 337 (Tex.Civ.App.—Beaumont 1976, writ pending); National Farmers Organization v. Smith, 526 S.W.2d 759 (Tex.Civ.App.—Corpus Christi 1975, no writ); Portwood v. Buckalew, 521 S.W.2d 904 (Tex.Civ.App.—Tyler 1975, writ ref’d n. r. e.); Payne v. Lucas, 517 S.W.2d 602 (Tex.Civ.App.—Houston [1st Dist.] 1974, writ ref’d n. r. e.); White Stores, Inc. v. Crain, 515 S.W.2d 677 (Tex.Civ.App.—Austin 1974, no writ); Travelers Indemnity Company v. Pollard Friendly Ford Company, 512 S.W.2d 375 (Tex.Civ.App.—Amarillo 1974, no writ); Flagg Realtors, Inc. v. Harvel, 509 S.W.2d 885 (Tex.Civ.App.—Amarillo 1974, writ ref’d n. r. e.); Dorbandt v. Bailey, 453 S.W.2d 205 (Tex.Civ.App.—Tyler 1970, writ ref’d n. r. e.); and Security Insurance Company v. Pioneer Casualty Company, 449 S.W.2d 158 (Tex.Civ.App.—Houston [1st Dist.] 1969, writ ref’d n. r. e.). We conclude that our original determination of the issue is correct, and the assignment of error is overruled.
Appellee urges that based upon the Opinion on motion for rehearing in Brownstone Park Ltd. v. Southern Union Gas Company, 537 S.W.2d 270 (Tex.Civ.App.—Austin 1976, writ pending), he is entitled to have his cross point considered since the judgment was favorable to him and he had no reason to object to it. That case is not applicable because that part of the judgment in this case which determined that approximately $49,000.00 worth of assets was community property, rather than the separate property of Mr. Dietz, was not favorable to the Ap-pellee, and he does complain about that part of the judgment in the cross point. He prays that if the judgment of the District Court is not affirmed, then in the alternative that the judgment be modified so that the property awarded to him be determined to be his separate property, rather than community property. Thus, he acknowledges that part of the judgment was not favorable to him, and seeks to have that part of the judgment modified. In order to obtain that relief, it was necessary that he apprise the trial Court of his dissatisfaction with that part of the judgment which he now desires to have modified.
We mention all of these cases only because of recent changes in the Rules of Civil Procedure and the issue in future cases. First of all, there is no requirement that an appellant except to the judgment being appealed from, and in this case the judgment has no notation that Appellant excepted to the trial Court’s decision. Since January 1, 1976, there is no requirement of a notice of appeal for an appellant in most cases. All of the authorities recognize that an appellee need not perfect an appeal by filing a bond in order to present cross points. Thus, we pose the question that since an appellant need not now except *422to the judgment, and need not file a notice of an appeal, must an appellee do so in order to present cross points in a judge-tried case? The question will be particularly relevant where an appellant has not given notice of a partial appeal under Rule 353, Tex.R.Civ.P.
Appellee’s other assignments in the motion for rehearing have been considered and are overruled.
Because of the error noted in our original Opinion, which has not been cured by a remittitur filed by the Appellee, the judgment of the trial Court is reversed, and the case remanded to the trial Court, but only insofar as the determination and disposition of property is concerned. We affirm that part of the judgment which grants a divorce and restores the Appellant’s prior name, and the award of attorney’s fees for the first trial. The affirmance of the attorney’s fees, as awarded by the trial Court, is without prejudice to Appellant to seek attorney’s fees upon further proceedings. All costs are adjudged against the Appellee.