The Vethan Law Firm was recently successful in winning a Bill of Review on behalf of a client in the Family Law Courts of Harris County. The client was sued for divorce while residing in the State of Louisiana by a woman claiming to be his common-law wife. A final decree of divorce was entered against the client in March, 2008 and the deadlines for appeal of the judgment passed before the client received notice. By that time, the purported wife had taken possession of, and asserted ownership to, all of the client’s property, including a home in Harris County, Texas, and the client’s entire retirement account from the client’s former job.
Bill of Review is an equitable proceeding brought by a party seeking to set aside a prior judgment that is no longer subject to appeal. Because of the extraordinary nature of relief and the proof required, few Bills of Review are granted. Nonetheless, seeing the injustice in this situation, VLF took the case on a reduced fee basis and forged ahead, successfully getting the judgment set aside. Our client now has the opportunity to prove his case on the merits in Family Law Court, and obtain a just and equitable divorce decree.