Brenan v. Court of Civil Appeals, Fourteenth District

DISSENTING OPINION ON MOTION FOR REHEARING

POPE, Justice

(dissenting).

The former dissents by Justices Smith and Pope are withdrawn and this opinion is substituted for them. The Texas Juvenile Act governs males over the age of ten and under the age of seventeen. Art. 2338-1, Sec. 3. Johnny Hernandez was tried before the Juvenile Court in Harris County when he was sixteen years old, but our decision today applies equally to a child who is eleven years old. Hernandez was declared delinquent which means that he may be confined until he is twenty-one years old. The question before us is whether a minor defendant who does not have a guardian ad litem is entitled to obtain a free record of the proceedings in order to obtain an appeal. 1 I would grant him that right.

The court has today held that the juvenile must appeal in the manner required for an adult rather than the method permitted minors who have a guardian. Hernandez was the named defendant and he faced the charge leveled against him with *295 out benefit of any adult who could officially act on his behalf in perfecting an appeal. He had counsel who have faithfully but fruitlessly endeavored to perfect an appeal. Hernandez, the minor, was in court without a guardian in what was a serious accusatorial and adversary proceeding. In re Gault, 387 U.S. 1 , 87 S.Ct. 1428 , 18 L.Ed. 527 (1967). It was the kind of case in which the charge against him had to he established by competent evidence and beyond a reasonable doubt. Santana v. State of Texas, 431 S.W.2d 558 (Tex.Civ.App. 1968, writ ref.).

Our former decisions settle the rule that a juvenile charged in Juvenile Court is entitled, at least, to the rights of minors who are defendants in civil actions. They are entitled to the rights accorded other minors by the Texas Rules of Civil Procedure. Dendy v. Wilson, 142 Tex. 460 , 179 S.W.2d 269, 274, 275 , 151 A.L.R. 1217 (1944). I cannot believe that any court, in a civil suit which involved a minor’s property and in which the minor was the sole named defendant, would permit the trial to proceed to judgment without the appointment of a guardian ad litem. Rule 173, T.R.C.P., in speaking of minors who are defendants in civil actions, is clear in its mandate that a guardian must be appointed for a child who is a defendant in a civil action.

“When a minor, lunatic, idiot or a non-compos mentis may be a defendant to a suit and has no guardian within this State, * * * the court shall appoint a guardian ad litem for such person and shall allow his [him] a reasonable fee for his services to be taxed as a part of the costs.”

It is no answer to say that Hernandez had an attorney from the Houston Legal Foundation. The powers and functions of an attorney are different from those of a guardian. In Tutt’s Heirs v. Morgan, 18 Tex.Civ.App. 627 , 42 S.W. 578 (1897, no writ) it was held that the right of a guardian to appeal without bond could not be exercised by an attorney appointed for minors. It is no answer to say that the minor’s parents were present in court. No doubt they did the best they could, but in law, they were volunteers. They were not parties; they were clothed with no legal powers. It may be that the delinquency stemmed from conflicts between the parents and the child. In any event the reasoning in Lee v. McKay, 414 S.W.2d 956 (Tex.Civ.App.1967, writ dism.) is sound in saying:

“Sec. 9 of Art. 2338-1 requires the personal service of summons on the parent, guardian or person having custody of the child. Certainly, the reason for this requirement is that the person served is expected to participate in the proceedings in some meaningful way. Paulsen, Juvenile Courts, Family Courts and the Poor Man, 54 Calif.L.Rev. 694, 704 (1966). The holding in Gonzalez must be limited to cases where the parents or guardian are present, and this holding can only be based on the notion that the presence of such persons will afford the child the same degree of protection as would result from the appointment of a guardian ad litem. This assumption can be vaild only if the parents, who were present in this case, have the same rights and obligations as those extended to and imposed on guardians. Under Article 2276, Vernon’s Ann. Civ.St. (1964), a guardian ad litem appointed to represent a minor in a civil proceeding may appeal without filing an appeal bond. King v. Payne, 156 Tex. 105 , 292 S.W.2d 331 (1956). Unless this same right is afforded to the parents of a minor in a proceeding under Article 2338-1, the assumption which forms the only basis for the Gonzalez decision is false, and we must be prepared to hold that Article 2338-1, which bristles with language expressing tender solicitude for the minor, has the effect of depriving him of a right which would be his if he were being sued for damages resulting from the very act which has brought *296 him to the attention of the juvenile court in a proceeding which may result in his ‘detention’ in a ‘school’ for a period which may extend until his 21st birthday.”

Minors, in other civil actions, have the benefit of a guardian ad litem and the powers which a guardian only can exercise. It has long been held to be error to deprive a minor defendant of a guardian in a civil action. Wallis v. Stuart, 92 Tex. 568 , 50 S.W. 567 (1899). Nothing in the Juvenile Act suggests that minors in delinquency proceedings should receive less favorable treatment than other minors. The Act rather forcefully says otherwise. The Title of Article 2338-1 says that the purpose of the Act is “to change the method for handling delinquent children from the present criminal procedure to guardianship * * Section 1 of the Act makes children in such proceedings wards of the state. The Act declares that such children are “entitled to the protection of the state, which may intervene to safeguard them from neglect or injury and to enforce the legal obligations due to them and from them.” Section 2 of the Act says that the “Act shall be liberally construed to accomplish the purpose herein sought.” To this time, Hernandez has been a statutory “ward” without a guardian. The statutory boast of the State’s guardianship, in reality was an action against Hernandez without a guardian who can act. The action ended in a judgment of the committing court which the minor can not have reviewed the same as other minors, and the reason given for this result is that Hernandez did not have a guardian. This “ward” of the state has been met in the Juvenile Court and two appellate courts by the combined forces of the State through the staffs of the District and County attorneys’ offices of Harris County who still resist his claim or right to have a guardian with the consequent right to perfect his appeal and to obtain a review without a bond or an affidavit in lieu of bond.

Ironically, the argument against Hernandez is: The minor was not entitled to the appointment of a guardian because his parents were in court; but his parents, not having been appointed guardians by the court, did not have the rights accorded guardians by Article 2276. The force of the majority opinion is that by denying the juvenile the right to a guardian, he lost a second right too. The Texas law is settled that a guardian for a minor rich or poor, has the statutory right to appeal without bond or making proof of poverty. King v. Payne, 156 Tex. 105 , 292 S.W.2d 331 (1956). Article 2276, Vern.Tex.Civ.Stats., is clear in its exemptions of executors, administrators and guardians from giving bond on appeal:

“Neither the State of Texas, nor any county in the State of Texas, nor the Railroad Commission of Texas, nor the head of any department of the State of Texas, prosecuting or defending in any action in their official capacity, shall be required to give bond on any appeal or writ of error taken by it, or either of them, in any civil case.

“Executors, administrators and guardians appointed by the courts of this State shall not be required to give bond on any appeal or writ of error taken by them in their fiduciary capacity.”

It is conceded that, had the court named a guardian ad litem for Hernandez, he could have perfected his appeal without making a cost bond at all. King v. Payne, supra. There would have been no need to make an affidavit of inability to pay in lieu of cost bond. Some years ago, this court explained the reasons for the exemptions from costs of guardians who appeal on behalf of their wards. Schonfield v. Turner, 6 S.W. 628 (Tex.1887) stated that a guardian ad litem is appointed for minors to protect the infant’s interest. The court wrote: “To hold that an appeal could not be thus taken by a guardian ad litem would operate as a great hardship upon the minor. He would be de *297 prived altogether of the privilege of an appeal, except in cases where he had been represented by a guardian appointed by the probate court, or by a next friend. He cannot give a bond himself that will bind his estate. He might be an infant of tender years, who could not look after his own interests, or procure sureties to assume the burden of the appeal for him. The guardian ad litem cannot be expected to give bond, and thereby become personally responsible in a matter in which his interest is only fiduciary.”

Some concern has been expressed that rich juveniles might get a free appeal when they could afford to pay for a record. Juveniles, in trouble, are not notoriously persons of affluence. Our concern about a possible appeal by an undeserving rich minor was apparently of slight concern to the Legislature when, in 1848 it first enacted what is now Article 2276, supra, to exempt executors and administrators as well as guardians. Executors and guardians are associated with properties and valuable interests and supposedly have the ability to pay costs. The reason for the statutory exemption is not one’s inability to pay costs. The exemption from bond or an affidavit in lieu of bond, is justified by the fact that one is acting in a fiduciary capacity on behalf of a party who otherwise would probably be deprived of an appeal.

Spelled out, we have today held that an eleven year old child who is the sole defendant in a juvenile delinquency proceeding, can be put to trial without benefit of a guardian. Because he has no guardian, he cannot avail himself of the appellate steps accorded other minors in other civil actions. We have held that an eleven year old child who wishes a review of juvenile proceedings must locate two sureties, sureties who are willing to accept the eleven year old child as principal. The child must convince the clerk that he should approve the bond and, if the clerk declines, the child must be precocious enough to know that he can make an affidavit of his inability to pay. He must know also enough to swear that he cannot pay all “or any part” of the costs. If he omits, as he did in this case, the quoted part, his affidavit will be disallowed as the trial court did. These efforts to appeal are now firmly left to the minor unaided by a guardian. Our holding is that the law requires a minor to make a bond which no one will accept, and which is unenforceable because the minor is incompetent to bind his estate. To appeal, under the holding of the majority, the child must do that which the law says he cannot do.

The Juvenile Act expressly requires a juvenile to give notice of appeal, which Hernandez did. The Act is silent about a requirement of a bond or affidavit in lieu of bond. That result is derived by the majority from the Act’s statement that the appeal may be taken “as in other civil cases.” We are actually holding that the minor, in the case of an appeal, cannot appeal as other minors in other civil cases. He is instead, treated as an adult. Indeed “ * * * there is no greater inequality than the equal treatment of un-equals.” Dennis v. United States, 339 U.S. 162, 184 , 70 S.Ct. 519, 526 , 94 L.Ed. 734 (1950). As expressed in Kent v. United States, 383 U.S. 541 , 86 S.Ct. 1045 , 16 L.Ed.2d 84 (1966) “* * * there may be grounds for concern that the child receives the worst of both worlds; that he gets neither the protections accorded to adults nor the solicitude, care and regenerative treatment postulated for children.”

Instead of our holding that the minor cannot appeal without bond or affidavit of poverty because he has no guardian, I would hold that the deprivation of a guardian effectively destroyed the minor’s right to appeal on an equality with that of minors whose property is at stake rather than his liberty. I respectively dissent.

SMITH and STEAKLEY, JJ„ join in this dissent.

. “Rule 354. Cost Bond. The appellant shall execute a bond to be approved by the clerk, payable to the appellee in a sum at least double the probable amount of the costs in the trial court and the cost of the statement of facts and transcript, to be fixed by the clerk, less such sums as may have been paid by appellant on the costs, conditioned that appellant shall prosecute his appeal or writ of error with effect, and shall pay all the costs which have accrued in the trial court and the cost of the statement of facts and transcript. * * Texas Rules of Civil Procedure.

“Rule 355. Party Unable to Give Cost Bond, (a) When the appellant is unable to pay the costs of appeal or give security therefor, he shall be entitled to prosecute an appeal by filing with the clerk his affidavit stating that he is unable to pay the costs of appeal or any part thereof, or to give security therefor.” Texas Rules of Civil Procedure.