Maurice Fitzpatrick Jr. v. Automotive Financial Group, Inc. - Appeal Dismissed for Want of Jurisdiction
Summary
The Texas Court of Appeals, 2nd District, dismissed an appeal filed by Maurice Fitzpatrick Jr. against Automotive Financial Group, Inc. and others. The court found the notice of appeal to be premature, as no final judgment or appealable interlocutory order had been issued by the trial court. This marks the second such dismissal for Fitzpatrick in this matter.
What changed
The Texas Court of Appeals, 2nd District, has dismissed an appeal filed by Maurice Fitzpatrick Jr. against Automotive Financial Group, Inc., AFG Companies, Inc., Travis Gates, Genuine Lifetime, LLC, and Tyler Luck. The court determined that the appeal was filed prematurely, citing a lack of a final judgment or an appealable interlocutory order from the trial court. This is the second time Fitzpatrick's appeal related to the trial court's alleged "ongoing failure to adjudicate his Motion to Intervene" has been dismissed for want of jurisdiction.
This ruling underscores the importance of adhering to Texas Rule of Appellate Procedure 26.1(a) and 27.1(a), which govern when an appeal can be properly filed. For legal professionals and pro se litigants, this serves as a reminder that appeals can only be taken from final judgments or specific interlocutory orders. Failure to meet these jurisdictional prerequisites will result in dismissal, as demonstrated in this case. No specific compliance deadline or penalty is mentioned, as this is a procedural dismissal of an appeal.
Source document (simplified)
Jump To
Top Caption Disposition Lead Opinion
Support FLP
CourtListener is a project of Free
Law Project, a federally-recognized 501(c)(3) non-profit. Members help support our work and get special access to features.
Please become a member today.
March 19, 2026 Get Citation Alerts Download PDF Add Note
Maurice Fitzpatrick Jr. v. Automotive Financial Group, Inc., AFG Companies, Inc., Travis Gates, Genuine Lifetime, LLC, and Tyler Luck
Texas Court of Appeals, 2nd District (Fort Worth)
- Citations: None known
- Docket Number: 02-25-00544-CV
- Nature of Suit: Miscellaneous/other civil
Disposition: Dismissed-Want of Jurisdiction
Disposition
Dismissed-Want of Jurisdiction
Lead Opinion
In the
Court of Appeals
Second Appellate District of Texas
at Fort Worth
No. 02-25-00544-CV
MAURICE FITZPATRICK JR., Appellant
V.
AUTOMOTIVE FINANCIAL GROUP, INC., AFG COMPANIES, INC.,
TRAVIS GATES, GENUINE LIFETIME, LLC, AND TYLER LUCK, Appellees
On Appeal from the 48th District Court
Tarrant County, Texas
Trial Court No. 048-352249-24
Before Birdwell, Bassel, and Womack, JJ.
Per Curiam Memorandum Opinion
MEMORANDUM OPINION
Appellant Maurice Fitzpatrick Jr., proceeding pro se, attempts to appeal the
trial court’s “ongoing failure to adjudicate his Motion to Intervene, filed on
November 12, 2024[,] . . . and other related procedural violations and actions.” This is
Fitzpatrick’s second attempt to appeal the trial court’s “failure to rule on his
[m]otion.” See Fitzpatrick v. AFG Cos., Inc., No. 02-25-00006-CV, 2025 WL 647339, at
*1 (Tex. App.—Fort Worth Feb. 27, 2025, no pet.) (mem. op.) (dismissing appeal for
want of jurisdiction because trial court had not signed any appealable orders or final
judgments). As in the first appeal, Fitzpatrick’s notice of appeal is premature. See Tex.
R. App. P. 26.1(a), 27.1(a).
We have jurisdiction to consider appeals only from final judgments and from
certain interlocutory orders made immediately appealable by statute. See Lehmann v.
Har-Con Corp., 39 S.W.3d 191, 195 (Tex. 2001); see also Tex. Civ. Prac. & Rem. Code
Ann. § 51.014 (a) (listing appealable interlocutory orders). Without a final judgment or
an appealable interlocutory order, we lack jurisdiction over the appeal, and we must
dismiss it. See Lehmann, 39 S.W.3d at 195, 200.
Here, there is no final judgment or appealable interlocutory order. On October
24, 2025, we notified Fitzpatrick of our concern that we lack jurisdiction over this
appeal because it did not appear that the trial court had entered a final judgment or an
appealable interlocutory order. We warned Fitzpatrick that we could dismiss this
appeal for want of jurisdiction unless he or any party desiring to continue the appeal
2
filed a response by November 3, 2025, showing grounds for continuing it. See Tex. R.
App. P. 42.3(a), 44.3. Fitzpatrick did not file a response or furnish this court with an
appealable order or final judgment, and the trial court clerk has confirmed that the
trial court has not signed any orders or final judgments in this case.
Because there is no final judgment or order subject to appeal, we lack
jurisdiction over this appeal. See Lehmann, 39 S.W.3d at 195, 200. Accordingly, we
dismiss this appeal for want of jurisdiction. 1 See Tex. R. App. P. 42.3(a), 43.2(f).
Per Curiam
Delivered: March 19, 2026
On January 23, 2026, Appellees Automotive Financial Group, Inc. and AFG
1
Companies, Inc. moved to dismiss this appeal for lack of jurisdiction. Given our
disposition, the motion is granted. On February 5, 2026, Fitzpatrick filed “Appellant’s
Emergency Motion for Temporary Relief and Stay of Trial-Court Proceedings
Pending Appeal.” That motion is denied as moot.
3
Related changes
Source
Classification
Who this affects
Taxonomy
Browse Categories
Get Courts & Legal alerts
Weekly digest. AI-summarized, no noise.
Free. Unsubscribe anytime.
Get alerts for this source
We'll email you when Texas Court of Appeals publishes new changes.