IN RE: STEPHAN HWANG RELATOR (2016)

DISSENTING MEMORANDUM OPINION 1

I respectfully dissent. Relator alleges that Respondent gave an order in open court for Relator to appear before him on October 24, 2016, to face a contempt hearing if payment had not been made on the assessed sanctions (attorney's fees), and we stayed that proceeding while considering Relator's petition. A trial court has no authority to hold a party in contempt for failing to pay attorney's fees assessed as discovery sanctions. See In re McLaurin, 467 S.W.3d 561, 564–66 (Tex. App.—Houston [1st Dist.] 2015, orig. proceeding) (granting habeas relief when any imprisonment of relator for either civil or criminal contempt for failure to pay a debt—attorney's fees assessed as sanctions—was void). Therefore, in the interest of conserving judicial resources, I would have requested a response to address the trial court's contempt authority under the circumstances presented by this case to avoid the necessity of addressing this issue in a subsequent original proceeding for habeas corpus relief. Because the majority opinion does not, I dissent.

FOOTNOTES

1.   See Tex. R. App. P. 47.4.

BONNIE SUDDERTH JUSTICE