Alfredo Garza v. County of Williamson

TEXAS COURT OF APPEALS, THIRD DISTRICT, AT AUSTIN






NO. 03-04-00520-CV


Alfredo Garza, Appellant



v.



County of Williamson, Appellee








FROM THE DISTRICT COURT OF WILLIAMSON COUNTY, 368TH JUDICIAL DISTRICT

NO. 01-576-T368, HONORABLE JACK R. MILLER, JUDGE PRESIDING


O R D E R



PER CURIAM

Alfredo Garza, appellant and defendant below, moves this Court to stay and supersede the enforcement of the trial court's order without the posting of security pending the resolution of his appeal.

This request to stay and supersede the judgment arises out of a suit for delinquent property taxes brought by appellee County of Williamson, on behalf of itself, the City of Taylor, and Taylor Independent School District. The trial court signed an order granting the taxing authorities permission to sell the property at a foreclosure sale. Garza, an inmate who is representing himself pro se, owns at least part of the property scheduled for sale. The trial court's judgment was signed and filed on July 9, 2004, notice of the judgment was sent on July 15, and Garza's notice of appeal was filed on July 16, having been mailed on July 12.

An injunction is appropriate to protect our jurisdiction because it appears that an appeal over which this Court has jurisdiction has been perfected and that the subject matter of the appeal needs to be preserved. Tex. Gov't Code Ann. § 22.221(a) (West 2004); see Dallas Morning News v. Fifth Court of Appeals, 842 S.W.2d 655, 658 (Tex. 1992); Lamar Builders, Inc. v. Guardian Sav. & Loan Ass'n, 786 S.W.2d 789, 790 (Tex. App.--Houston [1st Dist.] 1990, no writ). Accordingly, we grant Garza's request for an injunction to protect this Court's jurisdiction by enjoining any foreclosure sale until this Court has rendered judgment on the merits of Garza's appeal.

This request was received by this Court on August 16, 2004, and appellee has not to date responded to Garza's request. We will allow until September 29, 2004 for any involved party to tender any response arguing that this injunction is inappropriate and should be dissolved. Nothing in this order should be construed as an expression of this Court's opinion on the merits of the underlying appeal.

It is so ordered on September 23, 2004.



Before Chief Justice Law, Justices Kidd and Puryear