Gary Montgomery v. State

 

            This opinion/order has been withdrawn per order of the Tenth Court of Appeals.

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No. 10-09-00294-CV

 

James C. Fuller,

                                                                                    Appellant

 v.

 

BENITO Moya, et al,

                                                                                    Appellees

 

 

 


From the County Court at Law

Walker County, Texas

Trial Court No. 9678CV

 

ORDER

 


            Appellant James C. Fuller filed suit against the Texas Department of Criminal Justice and TDCJ employees Benito Moya, Tommy Goodin, Freddie English, Floyd Hicks, an unnamed property officer for the Wynne Unit, and “Major Butcher.”  The trial court granted English’s and Hick’s motion to dismiss and dismissed Fuller’s
“cause of action” as frivolous “with prejudice as to all claims.”  However, not all the named defendants had been served when the dismissal order was signed,[1] two of the defendants appeared and filed answers after the dismissal order was signed, and only English and Hicks sought a dismissal.  Therefore, it is not clear from the record whether the dismissal order is a final, appealable judgment.  See Lehmann v. Har-Con Corp., 39 S.W.3d 191, 205 (Tex. 2001) (a final, appealable judgment is one which actually disposes of all parties and claims or “clearly and unequivocally states that it finally disposes of all claims and all parties”). 

            If the order is not appealable, then Fuller’s appeal is subject to dismissal for want of jurisdiction.  Accordingly, the Court requests briefing from Fuller and from the appellees on the issue of whether the June 10, 2009 order is appealable.  If a brief or other response showing grounds for continuing this appeal is not received within twenty-one days after the date of this Order, then the appeal may be dismissed for want of jurisdiction.  See Tex. R. App. P. 42.3(a).

PER CURIAM

Before Chief Justice Gray,

Justice Reyna, and

Justice Davis

Order issued and filed November 10, 2009

Do not publish



[1]               The citation for TDCJ was returned unserved due to an incorrect address.  The unnamed property officer and Major Butcher have apparently never been served.