Court Opinion

ID: 9674663
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-24 04:33:10.097921+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T12:12:12.323379
License: Public Domain

HALL, Justice,
concurring.
I concur in the affirmance of the judgment, but I would overrule appellants’ first and second points of error, and thereby hold the trial court properly assumed jurisdiction in the case, for the reasons that follow:
Appellants’ “primary jurisdiction” complaint is based upon the fact that this suit was filed on September 1,1978, prior to the scheduled meeting of the Building Standards Commission on September 6, 1978, of which appellee Roddey had notice prior to filing suit.
It is undisputed that appellants’ demolition of appellee’s property began on June 22, 1978, pursuant to the decision made by the Commission at the conclusion of its first hearing on May 3, 1978. If, as appellants assert under their second point of error, the notice by publication given to appellee of the Commission’s first meeting satisfied constitutional due process, then all administrative action had been exhausted on May 3, 1978, and the matter was then ripe for judicial review. If, as appellants assert under their first point of error, the matter was still before the Commission for its final determination when appellee filed this suit on September 1, 1978, then appellants’ entry upon and damage to appellee’s property on June 22,1978, were without legal justification and constituted a trespass; and ap-pellee had the immediate right thereafter to bring this suit for his damages without awaiting further action by the Commission.
In summary, the Commission’s ruling on May 3,1978, was either valid and final or it was not. Under the record, the trial court properly assumed jurisdiction on either theory. A decision on appellants’ second point of error is therefore unnecessary and immaterial to the validity of the judgment. Gulf Land Co. v. Atlantic Refining Co., 134 Tex. 59, 131 S.W.2d 73, 84 (1939).