Opinion
No. 14-08-00991-CV
Opinion filed February 26, 2009.
On Appeal from the 245th District Court, Harris County, Texas, Trial Court Cause No. 2008-49718.
Panel consists of Chief Justice HEDGES and Justices ANDERSON and SEYMORE.
MEMORANDUM OPINION
According to information provided to this Court, this is an attempted appeal from an order signed October 7, 2008, which denied appellant's claim of indigency and request for an appointed attorney in his pending divorce action.
Generally, appeals may be taken only from final judgments. Lehmann v. Har Con Corp., 39 S.W.3d 191, 195 (Tex. 2001). Interlocutory orders may be appealed only if permitted by statute. Bally Total Fitness Corp. v. Jackson, 53 S.W.3d 352, 352 (Tex. 2001); Jack B. Anglin Co., Inc. v. Tipps, 842 S.W.2d 266, 272 (Tex. 1992) (orig. proceeding).
There is no statute providing for an interlocutory appeal of the court's ruling on indigency for trial proceedings. Lomax v. Thomas, No. 14 08 00163 CV, 2008 WL 4308610, *1 (Tex.App.-Houston [14th Dist.] Aug. 28, 2008, no pet.) (mem. op.). Thus, an order denying indigent status may not be appealed before entry of final judgment. In contrast, a trial court's indigency ruling pertaining to an already pending appeal is appealable. See In re Arroyo, 988 S.W.2d 737, 738 39 (Tex. 1998) (orig. proceeding).
On February 11, 2009, notification was transmitted to the parties of this court's intention to dismiss the appeal for want of jurisdiction unless appellant filed a response demonstrating grounds for continuing the appeal. See TEX. R. APP. P. 42.3(a). To date, no response has been filed.
Accordingly, the appeal is ordered dismissed.