Texas Judiciary Online - HTML Opinion

From: Subject: Texas Judiciary Online - HTML Opinion Date: Thu, 31 May 2007 21:23:05 -0500 MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: multipart/related; type="text/html"; boundary="----=_NextPart_000_0069_01C7A3C9.E0827AF0" X-MimeOLE: Produced By Microsoft MimeOLE V6.00.2900.3028 This is a multi-part message in MIME format. ------=_NextPart_000_0069_01C7A3C9.E0827AF0 Content-Type: text/html; charset="Windows-1252" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Content-Location: http://www.1stcoa.courts.state.tx.us/opinions/htmlopinion.asp?OpinionId=84341 Texas Judiciary Online - HTML Opinion

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Opinion issued May 31,=20 2007

In The

Court of=20 Appeals

For=20 The

First=20 District of Texas

NO. = 01-06-00395-CV

MICHAEL = SCOTT,=20 Appellant

JOSEPH = FARRAR,=20 DARRYL GLENN, AND S. WHATLEY, Appellees

On = Appeal from the=20 400th District Court

Fort = Bend County,=20 Texas

Trial = Court Cause=20 No. 04-CV-139281

MEMORANDUM=20 OPINION

Appellant, = Michael=20 Scott, a prison inmate, appeals pro se and in forma pauperis = from=20 the trial court's denial of his claims against appellees, Joseph = Farrar,=20 Darryl Glenn, and S. Whatley. The trial court dismissed = appellant's suit=20 pursuant to Chapter 14 of the Texas Civil Practice and Remedies = Code.^{=20
(1)} In one issue on appeal, appellant argues that the = trial=20 court entered a void order.

We affirm.

Background

On October 28, 2004, appellant = brought=20 suit in Fort Bend county against the appellees for denying him = access to=20 the law library. On April 8, 2005, appellant filed a motion to = transfer=20 venue in which he stated that he "mistakenly filed suit in Fort = Bend=20 County." He asserted that his suit is subject to the mandatory = venue=20 provisions at section 15.019 of the Texas Civil Practice and = Remedies=20 Code,^{=20
(2)} and he prayed that the trial court transfer venue to = Potter=20 County, Texas.^{=20
(3)} Appellees answered and generally denied the = allegations.=20 Appellees filed a motion to dismiss under Chapter 14 claiming that = appellant did not exhaust his administrative remedies by failing = to attach=20 "Step 1" and "Step 2" written grievance decisions required by = section=20 14.005(a)(2) of the Civil Practice and Remedies Code. See = Tex.=20 Civ. Prac. & Rem. Code Ann. =A7 14.005(a)(2) (Vernon 2002). = The motion=20 to dismiss also alleged that appellant failed to file an affidavit = of his=20 previous suits in accordance with section 14.004. See = Tex. Civ.=20 Prac. & Rem. Code Ann. =A7 14.004 (Vernon 2002). Appellant = responded=20 that he did file the written grievance decisions on January 10, = 2005 and=20 that he filed the affidavit related to his previous filings on = October 28,=20 2004.

On January 6, 2006, the trial = court=20 ordered that the petition filed by appellant was not in compliance = with=20 the requirements set forth by Chapter 14 of the Texas Civil = Practice and=20 Remedies Code and dismissed the claims against defendants as = frivolous.=20 Appellant filed a motion to vacate the trial court's order of = dismissal,=20 or in the alternative, motion for new trial. Appellant argued that = the=20 trial court's order was void due to lack of jurisdiction over the = parties=20 because the incident giving rise to the suit occurred in Potter = County=20 and, therefore, his suit should have been filed in Potter = county.^{=20
(4)} On appeal, appellant argues that mandatory venue is = provided=20 by section 15.019 of the Texas Civil Practice and Remedies Code. = See=20 Tex. Civ. Prac. & Rem. Code Ann. 15.019 (Vernon = 2002).

Venue

In his sole issue on appeal, = appellant=20 argues that the trial court's venue was not a proper venue for = appellant=20 to have brought suit, which caused the trial court to render a = void order.=20 Appellant makes no complaint about the merits of the trial court's = order=20 of dismissal.

"[A]n action that accrued while = the=20 plaintiff was housed in a facility operated by or under contract = with the=20 Texas Department of Criminal Justice shall be brought in the = county in=20 which the facility is located." Tex. Civ. Prac. & Rem. Code = Ann. =A7=20 15.019(a). Filing a lawsuit in a county of improper venue is not a = jurisdictional defect that would render a trial court's actions = void.=20 See Gordon v. Jones, 196 S.W.3d 376, 383 (Tex. = App.--Houston [1st=20 Dist.] 2006, no pet.) ("Venue pertains solely to where a suit may = be=20 brought and is a different question from whether the court has=20 'jurisdiction of the property or thing in controversy.'"). = "Subject-matter=20 jurisdiction refers to the court's power to hear a particular type = of=20 suit." Id. at 382. In contrast, venue "refers to the = propriety of=20 prosecuting, in a particular form, a suit on a given subject = matter with=20 specific parties, over which the forum must, necessarily, have=20 subject-matter jurisdiction." Id. at 383. "Venue may and=20 generally does refer to a particular county. . . ." Id. = "Venue=20 pertains solely to where a suit may be brought and is a different = question=20 from whether the court has jurisdiction of the property or thing = in=20 controversy." Id. (citations and internal quotations = omitted).=20 "Moreover, unlike subject-matter jurisdiction, which may be = challenged at=20 any time, venue may be waived if not challenged in due order and = on a=20 timely basis." Id. (citing former Tex. R. Civ. P. 86(1))=20 (internal citation omitted). "Because it may be waived, venue is = not=20 'jurisdictional.'" Id.

Appellant contends that because = the=20 William P. Clements unit, where appellant is incarcerated, is in = Potter=20 County, he should have filed his lawsuit there, rather than Fort = Bend=20 County, pursuant to section 15.019(a) of the Texas Civil Practice = and=20 Remedies Code. See Tex. Civ. Prac. & Rem. Code Ann. = =A7=20 15.019(a). We have previously held that filing suit in a different = county,=20 instead of in the venue mandated by section 15.019, neither = deprives the=20 trial court of subject matter jurisdiction nor renders the trial = court's=20 order of dismissal void.^{=20
(5)} See Scott v. Gallagher, 209 S.W.3d 262, = 264-65=20 (Tex. App.--Houston [1st Dist.] 2006, no pet.); see also In re = Johnson, 12-07-00032-CV, 2007 WL 259255, at *1 (Tex. = App.--Tyler Jan.=20 31, 2007, orig. proceeding) (mem. op) ("Filing a lawsuit in a = county of=20 improper venue is not a jurisdictional defect that would render a = trial=20 court's actions void."). Accordingly, we hold that the trial court = did not=20 lack jurisdiction and, thus, its order of dismissal is not=20 void.

We overrule appellant's sole = issue on=20 appeal.

Conclusion

We affirm the trial court's = order that=20 dismissed appellant's claims.

Evelyn V. Keyes

Justice

Panel consists of Justices = Nuchia, Keyes,=20 and Higley.

1. See=20 Tex. Civ. Prac. & Rem. Code Ann. =A7 14.003 (Vernon 2002) = (holding=20 that a court may dismiss a claim if claim is frivolous or = malicious).=20

2. See Tex. Civ. Prac. & Rem. = Code Ann. =A7=20 15.019(a) (Vernon 2002).=20

3. The appellate record does not reflect = that the=20 trial court ruled on appellant's motion to transfer venue.=20

4. The record does not reflect that the = trial court=20 ruled on appellant's motion.=20

5. Moreover, "neither the venue statute nor = the=20 amended rules specifically allow a plaintiff to file a motion to = transfer=20 venue if he has improvidently brought suit in an improper county." = Tenneco, Inc. v. Salyer, 739 S.W.2d 448, 449 (Tex. = App.--Corpus=20 Christi 1987, orig. proceeding). Rather, section 15.063 gives = defendants=20 the option of challenging venue. See id. "It is the = plaintiff's=20 right to select a venue in which to file his suit, and when that = venue=20 choice is not properly challenged through a motion to transfer = venue, the=20 propriety of his choice is fixed in the county chosen by him." = Milton=20 v. Cockrell, No. 07-03-00047-CV, 2005 WL 1936203, at *1 (Tex. = App.--Amarillo Aug. 12, 2005, pet denied) (mem. op).=20

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