Herbert Jackson v. Patricia Jackson
01-14-00952-CV
Tex. App.—WacoAug 31, 2015Background
- Patricia Jackson sought a protective order after several incidents with her husband, Herbert Jackson, culminating in August 2014.
- May 18, 2014: At an airport Herbert verbally abused Patricia, threatened to "bust her in the face," and accused her of talking to another man.
- July 2014: Herbert brought Patricia to his house, took her car keys and phone, refused to return the keys, pressured her about their marriage, and demanded sex in exchange for returning keys.
- August 18, 2014: Herbert appeared at Patricia's home at 3:30 a.m., demanded sex, entered the house (allegedly through a storm door he later tore off), persistently rang/knocked and called, and frightened Patricia into calling police; officers told Herbert he was trespassing and ordered him to leave.
- Patricia filed for a protective order on August 25, 2014; the 328th Judicial District Court granted relief on September 23, 2014. Herbert's motion for new trial was denied.
- On appeal, Patricia (appellee) argues the trial court's finding of family violence was supported by legally and factually sufficient evidence and that the court did not abuse its discretion; she notes photographic evidence (including a ripped storm door photo) was admitted without objection at trial.
Issues
| Issue | Plaintiff's Argument | Defendant's Argument | Held |
|---|---|---|---|
| Whether evidence was legally and factually sufficient to find family violence | Jackson contends testimony and admitted photos (door) establish threats, forced entry, sexual coercion, and past abuse supporting family-violence finding | Herbert argued some attached photos were unrelated/"padded" and denied their accuracy; disputes evidence | Trial court's finding of family violence was supported; appellee argues evidence was sufficient and photos used at trial supported the finding |
| Whether trial court abused its discretion in issuing protective order | Jackson argues court acted within law, considering prior admitted history and inference of future abuse | Herbert contends evidence/pictures relied on were inappropriate or inaccurate, implying error in exercise of discretion | Appellee maintains no abuse: court applied guiding law and could infer future danger from past abusive conduct |
Key Cases Cited
- In re Doe, 19 S.W.3d 249 (Tex. 2000) (standard for appellate review of family-violence protective orders)
- Vongontard v. Tippitt, 137 S.W.3d 109 (Tex. App.—Houston [1st Dist.] 2004) (appellate review standards)
- Boyd v. Palmore, 425 S.W.3d 425 (Tex. App.—Houston [1st Dist.] 2011) (definition of family-violence conduct and fear standard)
- In re Epperson, 213 S.W.3d 541 (Tex. App.—Texarkana 2007) (past abuse permits inference of future abusive conduct)
- Celestine v. Dep’t of Family & Protective Servs., 321 S.W.3d 222 (Tex. 2010) (abuse-of-discretion review principles)
