TEXAS PROCEDURE UPDATE: An Analysis of Recent Cases, Amended and Proposed Rules of Procedure & Legislative Enactments Affecting Texas Litigation Practice PROFESSOR ELAINE GRAFTON CARLSON South Texas College of Law 1303 San Jacinto, Suite 755 Houston, Texas 77002 (713) 646 1870 ecarlson@stcl.edu COURTNEY TAYLOR CARLSON Jackson Walker L.L.P. 1401 McKinney Houston, Texas 77010 (713) 752-4500 ccarlson@jw.com State Bar of Texas 29 TH ANNUAL LITIGATION UPDATE INSTITUTE January 10-11, 2013 Austin CHAPTER 18.2 *These materials are largely excerpted from McDonald & Carlson, Texas Civil Practice (2012 Supplement), West Publishing. Westlaw Database: txcp
TABLE OF CONTENTS Pretrial and Trial... 1 Filing Deadlines-Mailbox Rule... 1 Filing Deadlines-Fax... 1 Attorneys... 1 Courts... 6 Actions... 12 In General... 12 Litigation Funding Agreements... 13 Declaratory Judgments... 13 Class Actions... 13 Injunctions... 15 Preemption... 15 Parties... 15 Ve nue... 19 Multi District Litigation... 20 Consolidation... 23 Pleading: In General... 23 Verified versus Affidavit... 23 Judicial Admissions... 23 Sanctions... 24 Tria l By Consent... 25 Pleading: Petition... 25 Pleading: Answer... 25 Immunity... 26 Review of Immunity Rulings... 31 Limitations & Repose... 32 Amended Pleadings... 37 Law of the Case... 38 Jurisdiction, Service of Process, and Ancillary Proceedings... 38 Special Appearances... 38 Standing... 45 Attacks on Defective Service... 46 Forum Non Conveniens... 48 Injunctive Relief... 49 Discovery... 49 Scope of Discovery... 49 Electronic Discovery... 50 Depositions in General... 51 Rule 202 Depositions... 52 Discovery Regarding Experts & Expert Reports... 52 Request for Admissions... 55 Attorney Client & Attorney Work Product Privilege... 55 Accountant-Client Privilege... 56 i
Staying Discovery... 57 Medical Privileges... 57 Dental Patient Privilege... 57 Trade Secret Privilege... 57 Procedures To Claim Privilege... 58 Shared Discovery... 58 Discovery From Non-Party... 58 Discovery From Jurors... 59 Post Judgment Discovery... 59 Sealing Court Records... 60 Contempt and Sanctions... 61 Daubert Rulings... 64 Appraisal... 66 Arbitration... 66 Trial Setting, Continuance & Abatement... 74 Summary Judgment... 74 Motions In Limine... 80 Notice of Trial Setting... 81 Jury Trial... 81 Nonjury Trial... 81 Motion for Judgment in Nonjury Trial... 82 Right to Jury Trial... 82 Jury Se lection... 83 The Jury Charge... 84 Closing Argument To The Jury... 89 Judgments... 90 In General... 90 Finality of Judgments... 90 Proposed Judgment... 92 Agreed Judgment... 92 Reducing Judgment Due To Proportionate Responsibility... 92 Reducing Judgment Due To Statutory Caps... 92 Election of Remedies... 93 Costs of Court... 93 Exemplary Damages... 94 Attorney Fees... 95 In General... 95 Equitable Attorney Fees... 97 Appellate Attorney Fees Awarded in the Judgment... 97 Segregation of Attorney Fees... 98 Attorney Fees for Legal Assistant s Work... 98 Attorneys Fees-UIM Claims... 98 Attorneys Fees-Breach of Express Warranty... 99 Prejudgment and Postjudgment Interest... 99 Guardian Ad Litem Fees...100 Judgment Nunc Pro Tunc...100 Void Judgment...100 Non Suit... 101 ii
Dismissal... 101 Dismissal Due to Absence/Deficiency in Expert Report...101 Dismissal For Want of Prosecution...103 Default Judgments... 104 Settlement... 106 Motion for New Trial and Other Post-Judgment Motions... 107 Bill of Review... 110 Supersedeas... 110 Enforcement of Domestic Judgment... 118 In General...118 Fraudulent Transfer...119 Receivership...119 Turnover Orders to Enforce Judgment...120 Enforcement of Out-Of-State and Federal Judgments... 122 Full Faith and Credit...122 Venue of Actions to Enforce Foreign Judgments...123 Appellate Review...123 Preservation of Error... 123 Suspension of Appellate Rules... 124 Appeals from Parental Termination Orders... 124 Appeals from Summary Judgments... 126 Appeals from Granting Motion for Judgment in Nonjury Cases... 127 Standing to Appeal... 127 Jurisdiction of Appellate Courts... 128 Appealable Judgments and Orders... 130 Final Judgment...130 Interlocutory Appeals...132 Appellate Timetables... 134 Motions in the Court of Appeals... 136 Motion to Disqualify Appellate Justice...136 Motion For En Banc Reconsideration...136 Motion to Supreme Court Regarding Appellate Security Treated as Mandamus...136 Motion to Seal Appellate Court Record...137 Briefs in the Court of Appeals... 137 Anders Brief Parental Termination Cases...137 Compla int Raised For First Time in Reply Brief...137 Complaint Raised In Body of Brief But Not In Points...137 Complaint Raised In Motion For Rehearing...137 Inadequate Briefing...137 Petitions for Review in the Supreme Court... 138 Raising Complaint For The First Time Before the Texas Supreme Court...138 Effect of a Timely Filed Motion for Reconsideration En Banc...138 Stare Decisis... 138 Accelerated Appeals... 139 Restricted Appeals... 141 Indigent Appeals... 141 iii
Cross-Appeals and Multi-Party Appeals... 142 Disposition of the Case on Appeal... 143 Frivolous Appeals... 146 Mandamus... 146 Writ of Prohibition... 153 Habeas Corpus... 153 The Appe llate Record... 153 Challenging the Sufficiency of the Evidence... 155 Enforcement Proceedings and Other Activities While the Case Is in the Appellate Court... 158 Recovery on Alternate Theory: Preservation of Error in the Trial Court... 159 Restitution of Payment of Judgment Reversed on Appeal... 159 APPENDIX A...160 Recently Amended Rules of Procedure & Legislative Enactments Affecting Litigation... 160 Unsworn Declarations In Lieu of Affidavits...160 Changes to Return of Service Practice...161 Free Online Access to Local Rules of Texas Courts...161 Amount in Controversy Jurisdiction Raised in County Courts At Law...162 Small Claims Court Abolished...162 Probate Code Repealed...162 Offers of Settlement...162 Discre tionary Inte rlocutory Appe als...162 Responsible Third Party Designation Limited...162 Conduct of The Jury...162 Notice of Constitutional Challenges to Attorney General...163 Appeals in Commercial Eviction Cases Now Allowed...163 Anti-Slapp Suits...163 Appellate Briefs Measured By Number of Words Not Pages...163 Electronic Filing Mandated In Appellate Courts...163 Parental Rights Termination Cases...164 Reporter s Record...164 Expedited Foreclosures...164 Cases Needing Additional Resources...164 APPENDIX B...165 Proposed Texas Rule Changes Pending before the Texas Supreme Court... 165 Rules for Early Dismissal of Cases On the Pleadings...165 Rules for Expedited Proceedings for Civil Cases under $100,000...166 Rules of Procedure Governing Justice Court...170 Rules for Court Approved Forms For No Contest Divorces...170 Ancillary Rules of Procedure...171 iv