Dwight H. Miles, Sr. v. Big Frog Custom T-Shirts, Inc. ( 2023 )

In The
Court of Appeals
Seventh District of Texas at Amarillo
No. 07-23-00367-CV
DWIGHT H. MILES, SR., APPELLANT
V.
BIG FROG CUSTOM T-SHIRTS, INC., APPELLEE
On Appeal from the 395th District Court
Williamson County, Texas
Trial Court No. 23-0126-C395, Honorable Ryan D. Larson, Presiding
December 20, 2023
ORDER OF ABATEMENT AND REMAND
Before QUINN, C.J., and DOSS and YARBROUGH, JJ.
Appellant, Dwight H. Miles, Sr., proceeding pro se, appeals from the trial court’s
judgment.1 The appellate record was originally due November 13, 2023. The clerk’s
record was filed by this deadline, but the reporter’s record was not. By letter of November
27, 2023, we notified the reporter that the record was overdue and directed her to advise
1 Originally appealed to the Third Court of Appeals, this appeal was transferred to this Court by the
Texas Supreme Court pursuant to its docket equalization efforts. See TEX. GOV’T CODE ANN. § 73.001.
this Court of the status of the record by December 7. The reporter has not filed the record
or had any further communication with this Court to date.
Accordingly, we abate the appeal and remand the cause to the trial court for further
proceedings. See TEX. R. APP. P. 35.3(c) (“The trial and appellate courts are jointly
responsible for ensuring that the appellate record is timely filed.”); 37.3(a)(2) (requiring
appellate courts to “make whatever order is appropriate to avoid further delay and to
preserve the parties’ rights” when the appellate record is not timely filed). On remand,
the trial court shall determine the following:
(1) what tasks remain to complete the filing of the reporter’s record;
(2) why the reporter has not completed the necessary tasks;
(3) what amount of time is reasonably necessary for the completion of those
tasks; and
(4) whether the reporter can complete the tasks within the time the trial court
finds reasonable.
Should the trial court determine that the reporter will require more than thirty days
to complete, certify, and file the reporter’s record, it shall arrange for a substitute reporter
to do so. The trial court is directed to enter such orders necessary to address the
aforementioned questions. So too shall it include its findings on those matters in a
supplemental clerk’s record and cause that record to be filed with this Court by January
19, 2023.
Should the reporter file the record on or before January 3, 2023, she is directed to
immediately notify the trial court of the filing, in writing, whereupon the trial court shall not
be required to take any further action.
2
It is so ordered.
Per Curiam
3