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Ruben Love Asberry, Sr. v. The State of Texas
Date: 03-12-2020
Case Number: 06-19-00223-CR
Judge: Josh R. Morriss, III
Court: Court of Appeals Sixth Appellate District of Texas at Texarkana
Plaintiff's Attorney: Allyson A. Mitchell
Cari Warner
Defendant's Attorney:
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On appeal, Asberry argues that the bill of costs should be modified to delete a note stating
that fees for his court-appointed attorney can be added later because there is no evidence that he is
able to pay them. The State concedes the issue. Asberry also argues that the trial court’s judgment
should be modified to reflect the correct date of offense, but a judgment nunc pro tunc has already
corrected that issue. As a result, we modify the bill of costs by deleting language stating that
attorney fees can be added later and affirm the trial court’s judgment.
Because he was indigent, the trial court did not assess attorney fees against Asberry. The
bill of costs correctly showed that the judgment did not contain a fee for Asberry’s court-appointed
attorney, but also included a note that such fees could be added later. Under Article 26.05(g) of
the Texas Code of Criminal Procedure, a trial court has the authority to order the reimbursement
of court-appointed attorney fees only if “the court determines that a defendant has financial
resources that enable him to offset in part or in whole the costs of the legal services provided,
including any expenses and costs.” TEX. CODE CRIM. PROC. ANN. art. 26.05(g). “[T]he
defendant’s financial resources and ability to pay are explicit critical elements in the trial court’s
1Originally appealed to the Twelfth Court of Appeals, this case was transferred to this Court by the Texas Supreme Court pursuant to its docket equalization efforts. See TEX. GOV’T CODE ANN. § 73.001. We follow the precedent of the Twelfth Court of Appeals in deciding this case. See TEX. R. APP. P. 41.3.
3
determination of the propriety of ordering reimbursement of costs and fees” of legal services
provided. Armstrong v. State, 340 S.W.3d 759, 765–66 (Tex. Crim. App. 2011) (quoting Mayer
v. State, 309 S.W.3d 552, 556 (Tex. Crim. App. 2010)).
Since there is no finding of the ability of Asberry to pay them, attorney fees could not be
assessed against him. See Cates v. State, 402 S.W.3d 250, 252 (Tex. Crim. App. 2013); see also
Mayer v. State, 309 S.W.3d 552 (Tex. Crim. App. 2010); Martin v. State, 405 S.W.3d 944, 946–
47 (Tex. App.—Texarkana 2013, no pet.). Accordingly, Asberry asks that we modify the bill of costs by deleting the language stating that attorney fees can be added later.2 The State concedes
the point and agrees to the modification of the bill of costs. We sustain Asberry’s first point of
error.
In his second point of error, Asberry argues that the judgment contains the incorrect date
of offense. Because a judgment nunc pro tunc recently filed with this Court has corrected the
issue, we overrule Asberry’s last point of error.
ATTORNEY FEES MAY BE ADDED AT A LATER DATE,” and affirm the trial court’s
judgment.
About This Case
What was the outcome of Ruben Love Asberry, Sr. v. The State of Texas?
The outcome was: We modify the bill of costs by deleting the language stating, “COURT APPOINTED ATTORNEY FEES MAY BE ADDED AT A LATER DATE,” and affirm the trial court’s judgment.
Which court heard Ruben Love Asberry, Sr. v. The State of Texas?
This case was heard in Court of Appeals Sixth Appellate District of Texas at Texarkana, TX. The presiding judge was Josh R. Morriss, III.
Who were the attorneys in Ruben Love Asberry, Sr. v. The State of Texas?
Plaintiff's attorney: Allyson A. Mitchell Cari Warner. Defendant's attorney: Need help finding a lawyer for representation arguing that the bill of costs should be modified to delete a note stating that fees for his court-appointed attorney can be added later because there is no evidence that he is able to pay them in Texas? Call 918-582-6422. It's Free..
When was Ruben Love Asberry, Sr. v. The State of Texas decided?
This case was decided on March 12, 2020.