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Ramos v. Richardson

Supreme Court of Texas
Jun 29, 2007
228 S.W.3d 671 (Tex. 2007)

Summary

holding a certificate of service provided the required proof of compliance with the "prisoner mailbox rule"

Summary of this case from $14,832.00 U.S. Currency v. State

Opinion

No. 06-0336.

June 29, 2007.

Appeal from the 404th Judicial District Court, Cameron County, Abel C. Limas, J.

Armando Ramos Sr., pro se.

Jeffrey H. Uzick, Roger A. Berger, Uzick Oncken Scheuerman Berger, Houston, Mark Ralls, Robert Ewert, Benjamin Charles Nichols, Gonzales Hoblit Ferguson, LLP, San Antonio, for Respondents.


Petitioners Armando Ramos, an incarcerated pro se litigant, and members of his family originally brought medical malpractice actions against respondents Dr. Ian Richardson and Valley Baptist Medical Center. The trial court dismissed those suits on February 17, 2005, for noncompliance with the expert report requirements of section 74.351 of the Texas Civil Practice and Remedies Code. The petitioners appealed. The Texas Rules of Appellate Procedure required the notices of appeal to be filed by March 21, 2005. See TEX. R.APP. P. 26.1, 4.1(a). The petitioners claim Ramos delivered signed notices of appeal to the prison's outgoing mailbox on March 9, 2005, for prison authorities to place in the United States mail. But the notices of appeal were not stamped "filed" by the clerk's office of the court of appeals until March 22, 2005. The court of appeals dismissed the appeals, holding it was without jurisdiction because the petitioners' notices of appeal were not timely filed within the plenary thirty-day period after entering judgment. 228 S.W.3d 714, 2006 WL 330044 (Tex.App.-Corpus Christi 2006, pet. filed); see TEX.R. CIV. P. 329b(d); TEX. R.APP. P. 26.1. We reverse the court of appeals' judgment and reinstate the appeals.

The court of appeals acted under the impression that the trial court's order became final on March 19, 2005. This is incorrect because March 19 fell on a Saturday. Rule 4.1(a) states:

The day of an act, event, or default after which a designated period begins to run is not included when computing a period prescribed or allowed by these rules, by court order, or by statute. The last day of the period is included, but if that day is a Saturday, Sunday, or legal holiday, the period extends to the end of the next day that is not a Saturday, Sunday, or legal holiday.

TEX.R.APP. P. 4.1(a).

On March 4, 2005, the petitioners timely filed exceptions to the trial court's order of dismissal. The petitioners argue such exceptions extended the timetable for their notices of appeal to ninety days under Rule 26.1(a)(2) of the Texas Rules of Appellate Procedure. We need not address this argument because the petitioners waived it by failing to advance it in their petition for review. See TEX.R.APF. P. 55.2 (stating that a petitioner's brief on the merits must be confined to issues or points stated in the petition for review).

In the alternative, the petitioners argue their notices of appeal were timely filed under the "mailbox rule," which states a document is deemed timely filed if it is sent to the proper clerk by first-class mail in a properly addressed, stamped envelope on or before the last day for filing and is received not more than ten days beyond the filing deadline. TEX.R. CIV. P. 5; TEX.R.APP.P. 9.2(b)(1). Rule 9.2(b)(2) of the Texas Rules of Appellate Procedure, entitled "Proof of Mailing," adds the following:

Though it may consider other proof, the appellate court will accept the following as conclusive proof of the date of mailing:

(A) a legible postmark affixed by the United States Postal Service;

(B) a receipt for registered or certified mail if the receipt is endorsed by the United States Postal Service; or

(C) a certificate of mailing by the United States Postal Service.

TEX.R.APP. P. 9.2(b)(2). Rule 9.2(b)(2) makes it clear that the petitioners have the burden of providing some measure of proof that their notices of appeal were placed in the United States mail on or before March 21, 2005. Such proof is present in the record in the form of the filing letter accompanying the petitioners' notices of appeal and the certificate of service, which both state the notices of appeal were placed in the "outgoing prison mailbox" on March 9, 2005. The respondents argue that, for purposes of the "mailbox rule," placing the notices of appeal into the outgoing prison mailbox is not the equivalent of placing them into the United States mail. See Wembley Inv. Co. v. Herrera, 11 S.W.3d 924, 928 (Tex. 1999) ("[W]hen the sender of a document relies on office routine or custom to support an inference that the document was mailed, the sender must provide corroborating evidence that the practice was actually carried out."). But we have held on more than one occasion that an inmate who does everything necessary to satisfy timeliness requirements must not be penalized if the document is ultimately filed tardily because of an error on the part of officials over whom the inmate has no control. See, e.g., Williams v. T.D. C.J.-I.D., 142 S.W.3d 308, 309-10 (Tex. 2004); Warner v. Glass, 135 S.W.3d 681, 684 (Tex. 2004). In Williams, for example, an inmate's docketing statement was not filed by the filing deadline solely because of an error by the clerk's office of the court of appeals. 142 S.W.3d at 309. Because the inmate "did everything necessary to comply with the rules," we held he could not be prejudiced. Id. at 310. And in Warner, we similarly declined to penalize an inmate who timely delivered a document to the prison mailbox. 135 S.W.3d at 684. In this case, the record indicates Ramos did everything necessary to comply with the rules by placing the notices of appeal in the outgoing prison mailbox on March 9, 2005. It is not clear when prison officials placed the notices of appeal in the United States mail, but because they were received by the clerk on March 22, 2005, it is logical to assume they were placed in the mail, as was required under the rules, on or before March 21, 2005. Though the respondents contend Ramos could just as easily have given the notices of appeal to a family member who filed them in person after the March 21, 2005 deadline, there is nothing in the record to suggest that occurred.

Accordingly, we grant the petition for review and, without hearing oral argument, we reverse the court of appeals' judgment and reinstate the petitioners' appeals. See TEX.R.APP. P. 59.1.


Summaries of

Ramos v. Richardson

Supreme Court of Texas
Jun 29, 2007
228 S.W.3d 671 (Tex. 2007)

holding a certificate of service provided the required proof of compliance with the "prisoner mailbox rule"

Summary of this case from $14,832.00 U.S. Currency v. State

holding notice of appeal timely filed because pro se litigant stated on certificate of service that it was placed in the "outgoing prison mailbox" by the appellate deadline

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holding filing letter and certificates of service accompanying petitioners' notices of appeal constituted sufficient proof that inmate's notice of appeal were timely placed in outgoing prison mailbox and commenting that "it is logical to assume" that notices of appeal received by the clerk on one day were placed in the outgoing prison mail on the previous day, at the latest

Summary of this case from Glover v. Berleth

holding that petitioner had burden of "providing some measure of proof" regarding date of filing of notice of appeal and holding that "filing letter" accompanying notice of appeal that stated date notice was place in prison's outgoing mail constituted such proof

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concluding that it was “logical to assume” that filing was placed in mail when appellant said it was because filing was received by clerk one day later

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In Ramos v. Richardson, 228 S.W.3d 671, 673 (Tex. 2007), the record indicates the pro se inmate did everything necessary to comply with the rules by addressing his notice to the proper clerk.

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refusing to address an argument raised in petitioners' merits brief because petitioners failed to advance it in their petition for review

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explaining that an inmate who provides "some measure of proof" that he timely delivered a document to the prison mailbox system should not be penalized if the document is ultimately filed untimely

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In Ramos, the supreme court stated that "an inmate who does everything necessary to satisfy timeliness requirements must not be penalized if the document is ultimately filed tardily because of an error on the part of officials over whom the inmate has no control."

Summary of this case from Hurdsman v. Mayo

noting that appellant has burden of "providing some measure of proof that [his] notice[] of appeal w placed in the United States mail on or before [the deadline]," such as "record in the form of the filing letter accompanying the [appellant's] notice[] of appeal" stating the date the notice of appeal was placed in the "outgoing prison mailbox."

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extending prisoner mailbox rule to civil suits filed by pro se inmates outside of context of Inmate Litigation Act

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extending the "prisoner mailbox rule" to inmate litigation that is not subject to Chapter 14 of the Texas Civil Practice and Remedies Code

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referring to certificate of service and letter accompanying filing as proof of date when mail was placed in prison mail system

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In Ramos, the supreme court held that an inmate has the burden of providing “some measure of proof” regarding the date that he turned his pleading over to prison authorities for mailing.

Summary of this case from Enriquez v. Livingston

extending mailbox rule to civil suits filed by pro se inmates outside of context of Inmate Litigation Act, Tex. Civ. Prac. & Rem.Code Ann. §§ 14.001–.014 (West Supp.2012)

Summary of this case from Enriquez v. Livingston

applying rule in Warner to appellate proceedings

Summary of this case from Enriquez v. Livingston
Case details for

Ramos v. Richardson

Case Details

Full title:Armando RAMOS, Sr. et al., Petitioners, v. Dr. Ian RICHARDSON Valley…

Court:Supreme Court of Texas

Date published: Jun 29, 2007

Citations

228 S.W.3d 671 (Tex. 2007)

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