in the Interest of N.C., a Child ( 2021 )

In The
Court of Appeals
Sixth Appellate District of Texas at Texarkana
No. 06-21-00064-CV
IN THE INTEREST OF N.C., A CHILD
On Appeal from the 71st District Court
Harrison County, Texas
Trial Court No. 19-1019
Before Morriss, C.J., Burgess and Stevens, JJ.
Memorandum Opinion by Chief Justice Morriss
MEMORANDUM OPINION
On May 25, 2021, the trial court signed an order denying Eric Hendrix, Jr.’s, petition to
change the name of a child. Because Hendrix did not file any motion or request that would
extend the deadline to file a notice of appeal, the notice of appeal was due within thirty days after
the order was signed, on June 24, 2021. See TEX. R. APP. P. 26.1(a). Hendrix filed his notice of
appeal July 7, 2021. Although the fifteen-day motion for extension of time contemplated by
Rule 26.3 of the Texas Rules of Appellate Procedure is implied in civil cases, an appellant must
also provide a reasonable explanation for the late filing to avoid dismissal of the appeal. In re
G.J.P., 314 S.W.3d 217, 221 (Tex. App.—Texarkana 2010, pet. denied).
By letter of July 27, 2021, we requested that Hendrix file with this Court a reasonable
explanation for the late filing of his notice of appeal. We warned Hendrix that, if we did not
receive an adequate response within twenty days of the date of our letter, we could dismiss the
appeal for want of jurisdiction. See TEX. R. APP. P. 42.3.
Hendrix did not respond to our letter. As a result, this appeal is ripe for dismissal.
In light of the foregoing, we dismiss the appeal for want of jurisdiction.
Josh R. Morriss, III
Chief Justice
Date Submitted: September 1, 2021
Date Decided: September 2, 2021
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