Court Opinion

ID: 4048359
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2016-09-29 00:37:51.27888+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T14:27:25.941018
License: Public Domain

ACCEPTED
                                                                                        04-15-00781-CV
                                                                            FOURTH COURT OF APPEALS
                                                                                 SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS
                                                                                  12/30/2015 4:23:15 PM
                                                                                         KEITH HOTTLE
                                                                                                 CLERK

________________________________________________________________________

                         CASE NO. 04-15-00779-CV                      FILED IN
                                                       4th COURT OF APPEALS
________________________________________________________________________
                                                                 SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS
                                                                12/30/2015 4:23:15 PM
                            In the Court of Appeals                KEITH E. HOTTLE
                    For the Fourth Judicial District of Texas            Clerk
                              San Antonio, Texas
________________________________________________________________________

                   ALL AMERICAN EXCAVATION, INC.
                          Plaintiff-Appellant,

                                       v.

     AUSTIN MATERIALS, LLC dba RAMMING PAVING COMPANY
                      Defendant-Appellee.
________________________________________________________________________

                   On Appeal from Cause No. 2015-CI-10299
           In the 131st Judicial District Court of Bexar County, Texas
                 The Honorable Johnny D. Gabriel, Jr. Presiding
________________________________________________________________________

                         CASE NO. 04-15-00780-CV
                              [related appeal]

                   ALL AMERICAN EXCAVATION, INC.
                          Plaintiff-Appellant,

                                       v.

     AUSTIN MATERIALS, LLC dba RAMMING PAVING COMPANY
                      Defendant-Appellee.
________________________________________________________________________

                   On Appeal from Cause No. 2015-CI-10743
           In the 224th Judicial District Court of Bexar County, Texas
                    The Honorable Cathy Stryker Presiding
________________________________________________________________________

                                       3
________________________________________________________________________

                         CASE NO. 04-15-00781-CV
                              [related appeal]

                  ALL AMERICAN EXCAVATION, INC.
                         Plaintiff-Appellant,

                                       v.

     AUSTIN MATERIALS, LLC dba RAMMING PAVING COMPANY
                      Defendant-Appellee.
________________________________________________________________________

                   On Appeal from Cause No. 2015-CI-13685
           In the 57th Judicial District Court of Bexar County, Texas
                   The Honorable Antonea Arteaga Presiding
________________________________________________________________________

                         CASE NO. 04-15-00782-CV
                              [related appeal]

                  ALL AMERICAN EXCAVATION, INC.
                         Plaintiff-Appellant,

                                       v.

     AUSTIN MATERIALS, LLC dba RAMMING PAVING COMPANY
                      Defendant-Appellee.
________________________________________________________________________

                  On Appeal from Cause No. 2015-CI-11880
          In the 438th Judicial District Court of Bexar County, Texas
                   The Honorable Gloria Saldaña Presiding

                                       4
          Appellant’s Motion for Consolidation and Motion for
              Extension of Time to File Appellant’s Brief

       TO THE HONORABLE COURT OF APPEALS:

       Each of the above four (4) appeals arose from the filing of four Notices of

Accelerated Appeal by the Appellant in each of the underlying cases on December 10,

2015. The basis of the Appeal in each suit is the “Order Denying Defendant’s Motion to

Abate and Compel Arbitration” entered in each of the above-referenced cases by the 131st

Judicial District Court of Bexar County Texas on December 4, 2015, which was entered

after a single consolidated hearing for all four cases was held on November 20, 2015 upon

the Appellant’s four virtually identical “Motion to Abate and Compel Arbitration” filed in

each respective case.

       Although the Appellant had filed a Motion to Consolidate the four underlying cases,

the District Court entered its “Order Denying the Motion to Abate and Compel

Arbitration” in each of the cases prior to ruling upon the Motion to Consolidate. The

issues, evidentiary record, transcript, and pleadings in each appeal will be essentially

identical and judicial economy would be maximized by the consolidated briefing and

argument of each of the four appeals. Therefore the parties would respectfully request the

Court consolidate each of the above appeals for the purposes of briefing and oral argument,

if necessary. This Court’s judgment, and/or any related order, mandate or decision, can

thereafter issue separately in each of the four appeals to the underlying cases below

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(without prejudice to the Appellant’s Motion to Consolidate, if necessary).

       In addition, the reporter’s record in each of the cases is identical (and the clerk’s

records are virtually identical), however, the various records in each respective case were

filed in this Court on separate days. Consequently, the deadline set for the filing of the

Appellant’s Brief under Texas Rule of Appellate Procedure 38.6(a) in Case No.

04-15-00780-CV in each of the Appeals fall upon different dates, with the earliest deadline

being January 11, 2016. Furthermore, the supplemental clerk’s record in each of the four

cases has not yet been filed in this Court, and the record is therefore incomplete despite the

briefing deadlines in effect.

       As it would be uneconomical to prepare and file briefing in Case No.

04-15-00780-CV (the case in which the clerk’s record and reporter’s record were initially

filed), when the issues in each appeal will be identical and the request for the appeals’

consolidation, Appellant respectfully requests that, pursuant to Texas Rule of Appellate

Procedure 38.6(d), this Court order the 20-day deadlines applicable to an accelerated

appeal under Texas Rule of Appellate Procedure 38.6(a) begin to run upon the later of the

date on which the record in each appeal is made complete, or the date on which the Order

consolidating the four appeals.

       No prior extensions have been previously requested or granted.

                                           Prayer

       Appellant    respectfully requests that      the Court      consolidate   Case Nos.

04-15-00779-CV, 04-15-00780-CV, 04-15-00781-CV, and 04-15-00782-CV, for the

                                              6
purposes of briefing and oral argument, and additionally order that the deadlines set forth

in Texas Rules of Appellate Procedure 38.6(a) begin to run upon such consolidation, or

upon the clerk’s record becoming complete upon the filing of the clerk’s supplemental

record in each of the cases, whichever date be later.

                                          Respectfully submitted,

                                          TAUBE SUMMERS HARRISON TAYLOR
                                          MEINZER BROWN, LLP

                                          By:    /s/ Neal Meinzer
                                                 Neal Meinzer
                                                 State Bar No. 00797065
                                                 nmeinzer@taubesummers.com
                                                 S. Alex King
                                                 State Bar No. 24067708
                                                 aking@taubesummers.com
                                                 100 Congress Avenue, Suite 1800
                                                 Austin, Texas 78701
                                                 Telephone: (512) 472-5997
                                                 Telecopier: (512) 472-5248

                                          ATTORNEYS FOR APPELLANT

                        CERTIFICATE OF CONFERENCE

      On December 28, 2015 and December 30, 2015, I conferred with Appellee’s
counsel regarding this motion, and the parties do not agree on the relief requested.

                                          /s/ Neal Meinzer
                                          Neal Meinzer/Alex King

                                             7
                        CERTIFICATE OF SERVICE

     I certify that on December 30, 2015, a true and correct copy of the foregoing
document was served on the following counsel of record by electronic filing:

Lee Elms
Thomas S. Harmon
Elms Harmon Macchia, LLC
2702 Treble Creek
San Antonio, Texas 78258

                                            /s/ Neal Meinzer
                                            Neal Meinzer/Alex King

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