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Reversed = and Remanded=20 and Opinion filed July 19, 2007.

 

 

In The

 

Fourteenth=20 Court of Appeals

_______________

 

NO. 14-06-00006-CV

_______________

 

APPROXIMATELY $1,589.00, = Appellant

 

V.

 

 

THE STATE OF TEXAS, = Appellee

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On Appeal from the 157th District=20 Court

Harris County,=20 Texas

Trial Court Cause No.=20 04-72368

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O P I N I O = N

Appellant, Laura = Perez Ansari=20 a/k/a Laura Perez,[1] = appeals a=20 judgment ordering forfeiture of $1,589.00 as contraband.  In = her sole=20 issue, appellant contends the trial court erred by refusing to = hear her=20 motion to strike deemed admissions after finding the motion was = not timely=20 filed.  We reverse and remand.

Background

The State filed a = Notice of=20 Seizure and Intended Forfeiture, asserting it had seized = approximately=20 $1,589.00 from appellant and alleging the currency was subject to=20 forfeiture as contraband.  After appellant filed an answer, = the State=20 served a request for admissions.  Appellant failed to respond = to the=20 request for admissions.  The record reflects the parties = appeared for=20 a pre-trial conference on August 15, 2005.  At that time, = appellant=20 was advised the State viewed the case to be in Apost answer = default@ status.  = Appellant=20 represented that she might file a motion to strike the deemed=20 admissions.

Trial was scheduled = for October=20 17, 2005.  Appellant filed a motion to strike deemed = admissions on=20 October 13, 2005Cfour days before = trial. =20 In the motion, appellant gave notice that the motion was set for = oral=20 hearing on October 17, 2005.  At the beginning of the trial,=20 appellant asked the court to first hear this motion.  The = trial court=20 (a visiting judge presiding over this matter) suggested the motion = was not=20 timely filed because the local rules of the Harris County District = Courts=20 require that a motion and notice of hearing be filed and served = ten days=20 before hearing.  Appellant argued that this requirement would = improperly conflict with the Texas Rules of Civil Procedure, which = require=20 that the motion and notice of hearing be served three days before=20 hearing.  See Tex. R.=20 Civ. P. 21.  The court recessed the trial until the = following=20 day to give counsel an opportunity to research and brief the=20 matter.

When the parties = appeared the=20 next day, appellant correctly argued  that the local rules of = the=20 Harris County District Courts require that a motion be filed at = least ten=20 days before written submission; however, the local = rules=20 contain no similar requirement when a motion will be considered at = an oral=20 hearing.[2]  The=20 State asserted that a rule imposed particularly by the 133rd = District=20 Court of Harris County requires that a motion and notice of = hearing be=20 filed and served ten days before oral hearing.  The State = presented=20 testimony from the coordinator for the 133rd District Court who = confirmed=20 this rule.  Appellant reiterated that any such rule would=20 impermissibly alter the three-day period prescribed by the Texas = Rules of=20 Civil Procedure.  However, the trial court applied the rule = described=20 by the coordinator of the 133rd District Court and refused to hear = the=20 motion to strike deemed admissions.[3]

The State then = offered the=20 deemed admissions into evidence.  Based on the deemed = admissions, the=20 trial court found that the currency at issue was contraband and = subject to=20 forfeiture.[4]  The=20 trial court signed a final judgment the same day, ordering = forfeiture of=20 the $1,589.00.  This appeal followed.

Discussion

In her sole issue, = appellant=20 contends the trial court abused its discretion by refusing to hear = her=20 motion to strike deemed admissions because the rule applied by the = trial=20 court impermissibly expanded the three-day period prescribed by = the Texas=20 Rules of Civil Procedure.  We agree.

Initially, we note = that we are=20 presented with an unusual complaint because appellant challenges a = trial=20 court=3Ds refusal to hear a = motion to=20 strike deemed admissions, as opposed to a ruling on the merits of = such a=20 motion.  We review a trial court=3Ds ruling on the = merits of a=20 motion to strike deemed admissions under an abuse of discretion=20 standard.  See Stelly v. Papania, 927 S.W.2d = 620, 622=20 (Tex. 1996).  However, appellant does not cite any cases = establishing=20 the standard for reviewing a trial court=3Ds refusal to hear a = motion to=20 strike deemed admissions on the ground that it was not timely = filed. =20 Nonetheless, appellant suggests that we apply an = abuse-of-discretion=20 standard.  Even if we apply an abuse-of-discretion standard, = the=20 trial court has no discretion in determining what the law is or in = applying the law to the facts; thus, a clear failure by the trial = court to=20 correctly analyze or apply the law constitutes an abuse of=20 discretion.  See In re Kuntz, 124 S.W.3d 179, = 181 (Tex.=20 2003) (orig. proceeding); In re Choice Homes, Inc., 174 = S.W.3d 408,=20 411 (Tex. App.CHouston [14th Dist.] = 2005,=20 orig. proceeding).

The Texas Rules of = Civil=20 Procedure provide that a motion and notice of hearing Ashall be served upon = all other=20 parties not less than three days before the time specified for the = hearing=20 unless otherwise provided by these rules or shortened by the=20 court.@  Tex. R. Civ. P. = 21.  Rule 21=20 does not expressly require that a motion and notice of hearing be=20 filed at least three days before hearing.  See=20 id.  However, Rule 21 expressly requires that a motion = and=20 notice of hearing be served on opposing parties at the time = of=20 filing.  See id.  Therefore, Rule 21 = effectively=20 requires that a motion and notice of hearing be filed at = least=20 three days before hearing, unless otherwise provided by the Texas = Rules of=20 Civil Procedure or shortened by the court.  See=20 id.

With certain = limitations, a=20 district court is permitted to make local rules.  See = Tex. R. Civ. P. = 3a. =20 However, Ano time period = provided by [the=20 Texas Rules of Civil Procedure] may be altered by local=20 rules[.]@ Tex. R. Civ. P. = 3a(2).[5]  The=20 State suggests Rule 3a(2) precludes application of a local rule to = shorten=20 a time period prescribed under the Texas Rules of Civil Procedure, = but=20 does not preclude application of a local rule to lengthen a time = period=20 prescribed under the Texas Rules of Civil Procedure.  We=20 disagree.  Rule 3a(2) absolutely prohibits application of a = local=20 rule that alters a time period set forth in the Texas Rules of = Civil=20 Procedure.  See id.  Rule 3a(2) does not = distinguish a=20 local rule that shortens a time period from a local rule that = lengthens a=20 time period.  See id.  Therefore, the ten-day = requirement=20 prescribed by the Alocal = rule@ of the 133rd = District Court=20 improperly expanded the three-day period prescribed under the = Texas Rules=20 of Civil Procedure.

In addition, although = not cited=20 by appellant, Rule 3a(6) provides that Ano local rule, order, = or=20 practice of any court, other than local rules and amendments which = fully=20 comply with all requirements of this Rule 3a, shall ever be = applied to=20 determine the merits of any matter.@  Tex. R. Civ. P. 3a(6). = In this=20 case, the trial court effectively applied a Alocal = rule@ or Apractice@ of the 133rd = District Court,=20 which did not fully comply with Rule 3a, to determine the merits = of this=20 case because the deemed admissions were merits-preclusive. =20 Accordingly, the trial court abused its discretion by applying the = rule of=20 the 133rd District Court and refusing to hear = appellant=3Ds motion.

The State contends = that we may,=20 nonetheless, uphold the judgment because appellant failed to show = good=20 cause for withdrawal of the deemed admissions.  See = Tex. R. Civ. P. 198.3 = (providing=20 that a trial court may permit withdrawal of deemed admissions if = (a) the=20 party shows good cause for the withdrawal; and (2) the trial court = finds=20 that the party relying upon the deemed admissions  will not = be unduly=20 prejudiced and the presentation of the merits of the action will = be=20 subserved by permitting withdrawal).  Thus, the State = contends the=20 trial court did not abuse its discretion by refusing to strike the = deemed=20 admissions.  However, we are not reviewing the trial=20 court=3Ds decision on the = merits of=20 appellant=3Ds motion; we are = reviewing the=20 trial court=3Ds refusal to hear the = motion.  Because the trial court refused to hear the motion,=20 appellant did not have an opportunity to present any evidence and = obtain a=20 ruling.[6]

In essence, the State = seems to=20 suggest that any improper refusal to hear appellant=3Ds motion was harmless = because,=20 even if the trial court had heard the motion, it would have acted = within=20 its discretion by refusing to strike the deemed admissions.  = The=20 State asserts that appellant=3Ds failure to file any = responses=20 as of the trial date and her delay in seeking to withdraw the = deemed=20 admissions precluded a finding of good cause.

However, the Texas = Supreme=20 Court recently recognized that due process concerns arise when, as = in this=20 case, a party uses deemed admissions to try to preclude = presentation of=20 the merits of a case.  Wheeler v. Green, 157 S.W.3d = 439, 443=20 (Tex. 2005) (per curiam); In re Rozelle, CS.W.3dC, No. 04-07-00061-CV, = 2007 WL=20 1424067, at *5 (Tex. App.CSan Antonio May 16, = 2007, orig.=20 proceeding).  Therefore, a trial court should permit = withdrawal of=20 merits-preclusive, deemed admissions if the record contains no = evidence of=20 flagrant bad faith or callous disregard for the rules.  = See=20 Wheeler, 157 S.W.3d at 443B44;  = Rozelle, 2007=20 WL 1424067 at *5B6.  Because the = trial=20 court refused to hear appellant=3Ds motion, we do not = know what=20 evidence a whole record might have contained relative to the = standard=20 recently articulated by the Texas Supreme Court.  = Accordingly, we=20 cannot conclude the trial court would have acted within its = discretion by=20 denying the motion.

Finally, we recognize = the Texas=20 Supreme Court in Wheeler addressed due process concerns = relative to=20 a trial court=3Ds ruling on a motion = to strike=20 deemed admissions that are merits-preclusive.  See = Wheeler,=20 157 S.W.3d at 443B44.  However, we = find that=20 these due process concerns are equally, if not more, applicable to = the=20 trial court=3Ds refusal to even = hear=20 appellant=3Ds motion.  We = have=20 acknowledged that due process requires a trial court to strike = deemed=20 admissions that are merits-preclusive, absent evidence of flagrant = bad=20 faith or callous disregard for the rules.  Accordingly, we = conclude=20 that due process certainly requires a trial court to consider a = motion to=20 strike deemed admissions that are merits-preclusive to determine = whether=20 this standard is satisfied.

Because the trial = court erred=20 by refusing to hear appellant=3Ds motion, we reverse = the=20 judgment and remand for further proceedings consistent with this=20 opinion.

 

_

/s/       =20 Charles W. Seymore

Justice

 

Judgment rendered and = Opinion=20 filed July 19, 2007.

Panel consists of = Justices=20 Frost, Seymore, and Guzman.


[1]  Although AApproximately $1,589.00" is technically = the=20 appellant in this case, we will refer to the woman from whom that = money=20 was sought as appellant.

[2]  See Rules of the Civil Trial = Division=20 Harris County District Courts, http://www.justex.net/Courts/Civil/LocalRules.aspx,=20 rule 3.3.3; rule 3.3.4.

[3]  Although the State cited, and the = trial=20 court applied, a rule observed by the 133rd District Court, this = case was=20 actually heard in the 157th district court by a visiting = judge.  We=20 cannot determine from the record why the State cited, and the = court=20 applied, a rule particular to a different district court.  We = presume=20 that, for some reason, the judge of the 133rd District Court = temporarily=20 assumed responsibility for the 157th District Court, although a = visiting=20 judge heard this particular case.  Regardless of the reason = the=20 visiting judge applied the rule of a different court, he refused = to hear=20 appellant=3Ds motion.

[4]  The requests for admissions are = not in our=20 record although the State offered copies at the hearing and the = trial=20 court recited in the judgment that copies were attached. =20 Nevertheless, it is undisputed that the deemed admissions = supported the=20 forfeiture. 

[5]  Under Rule 3a, there are several=20 prerequisites for implementation of a local rule, including = approval by=20 the Texas Supreme Court.  Tex. R. Civ. P. = 3a.  We do=20 not know whether the rule at issue comported with these = requirements and=20 was properly denominated as a Alocal rule.@  Nonetheless, we will determine = whether the=20 trial court erred by applying a Alocal rule@ that altered the periods prescribed = under the=20 Texas Rules of Civil Procedure.

[6]   Appellant represented in = her motion=20 that she intended to present testimony from her attorney regarding = his=20 reasons for failing to respond to the request for admissions.=20

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