Dismissal and Opinion Filed June 14, 2013
S In The
Court of Appeals
Fifth District of Texas at Dallas
No. 05-12-00661-CV
IN THE INTEREST OF J.L.W., A CHILD
On Appeal from the 301st Judicial District Court
Dallas County, Texas
Trial Court Cause No. 12-00449-T
MEMORANDUM OPINION
Before Chief Justice Wright and Justices Lang-Miers and Lewis
Opinion by Chief Justice Wright
This is an appeal from the associate judge’s order establishing the parent-child
relationship in a Title IV-D case brought by the Attorney General of Texas. An associate judge’s
order on the merits of a Title IV-D case, however, is not final and is appealable to the referring
district court, not the court of appeals. See TEX. FAM. CODE ANN. §§ 201.015 (West Supp.
2012), 201.0142 (West 2008). Because we generally have jurisdiction over final judgments
only, we directed appellant Father to file a letter brief demonstrating our jurisdiction over the
appeal. See Lehmann v. Har-Con Corp., 39 S.W.3d 191, 195 (Tex. 2001). More than ten days
have lapsed and Father has neither filed the letter brief nor otherwise communicated with the
Court. Accordingly, with no jurisdiction over the complained-of order, we dismiss the appeal.
See TEX. R. APP. P. 42.3(a).
120661F.P05 /Carolyn Wright/
CAROLYN WRIGHT
CHIEF JUSTICE
S
Court of Appeals
Fifth District of Texas at Dallas
JUDGMENT
IN THE INTEREST OF J.L.W., A CHILD On Appeal from the 301st Judicial District
Court, Dallas County, Texas
No. 05-12-00661-CV Trial Court Cause No. 12-00449-T.
Opinion delivered by Chief Justice Wright.
Justices Lang-Miers and Lewis participating.
In accordance with this Court’s opinion of this date, we DISMISS the appeal.
We ORDER that appellees Jahnisha Q. Warren and the Attorney General of Texas
recover their costs, if any, of this appeal from appellant Francky Kalema-Kitenge.
Judgment entered June 14, 2013
/Carolyn Wright/
CAROLYN WRIGHT
CHIEF JUSTICE
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