Ronald L. & Wendy S. Savage v. Cendant Mobility Financial Corporation D/B/A Cartus Financial Corporation

Opinion issued December 3, 2009









In The

Court of Appeals

For The

First District of Texas





NO. 010900128CV





RONALD L. SAVAGE AND WENDY S. SAVAGE, Appellants


V.


CENDANT MOBILITY FINANCIAL CORPORATION D/B/A CARTUS FINANCIAL CORPORATION, Appellee


* * * * * * * *


CENDANT MOBILITY FINANCIAL CORPORATION D/B/A CARTUS FINANCIAL CORPORATION, Appellant


V.


RONALD L. SAVAGE AND WENDY S. SAVAGE, Appellees





On Appeal from the 157th District Court

Harris County, Texas

Trial Court Cause No. 2006-70903





MEMORANDUM OPINION

          By interlocutory memorandum order, dated September 18, 2009, we dismissed the appeal of appellants/appellees, Ronald L. Savage and Wendy S. Savage, because they had neither established indigence, nor paid or made arrangements to pay the clerk’s fee for preparing the clerk’s record, see Tex. R. App. P. 20.1 (listing requirements for establishing indigence), 37.3(b) (allowing dismissal of appeal if no clerk’s record filed due to appellant’s fault), and, after being notified that their appeal was subject to dismissal, they did not adequately respond. See Tex. R. App. P. 42.3(c) (allowing involuntary dismissal of appeal).

          In that same interlocutory memorandum order, we notified appellee/appellant, Cendant Mobility Financial Corporation d/b/a Cartus Financial Corporation (Cendant) that it appeared that we did not have jurisdiction of its appeal because it was not timely perfected. See Tex. R. App. P. 26.1(d) (providing that if any party timely files notice of appeal, another party may file notice of appeal within applicable period or 14 days after first filed notice of appeal, whichever is later.) We notified Cendant that its appeal was subject to dismissal unless, within 15 days from the issuance of the September 18, 2009 memorandum order, it explained how this Court had jurisdiction. See Tex. R. App. P. 42.3(a) (after giving 10 days’ notice to all parties, appellate court may dismiss the appeal if it is subject to dismissal for want of jurisdiction). The 15 days have passed, and Cendant has not responded to our September 18, 2009 memorandum order.

          Here, 30 days from the date of the trial court’s February 18, 2009 signing of the judgment appealed from was March 20, 2009. Fourteen days from the first filed notice of appeal, which was filed on February 20, 2009, was March 6, 2009. Cendant did not file its notice of appeal until August 5, 2009, which was well after either deadline under Texas Rule of Appellate Procedure 26.1(d). Because Cendant did not timely perfect its appeal, we dismiss its appeal for want of jurisdiction. See Tex. R. App. P. 26.1(d); 42.3(a).

          We merge our earlier interlocutory dismissal of Ronald L. Savage’s and Wendy S. Savage’s appeal with our dismissal of Cendant’s appeal. We dismiss the entire appeal. We dismiss any pending motions as moot.

PER CURIAM

Panel consists of Justices Jennings, Higley, and Sharp.