Tex. R. Civ. P. 509.5 · Part V. RULES OF PRACTICE IN JUSTICE COURTS
DOCKETING AND TRIAL; FAILURE TO APPEAR
Text — As posted by the Supreme Court of Texas (file dated October 2, 2026)
(a) Docketing and Trial. The case must be docketed and tried as other cases. The judge may develop the facts of the case in order to ensure justice.
(b) Failure to Appear.
(1) If the tenant appears at trial and the landlord has been duly served and fails to appear at trial, the judge may proceed to hear evidence. If the tenant establishes that the tenant is entitled to recover, the judge must render judgment against the landlord in accordance with the evidence.
(2) If the tenant fails to appear for trial, the judge may dismiss the lawsuit.
Source of truth
- Edition
- As posted by the Supreme Court of Texas (file dated October 2, 2026)
- Official file
- https://www.txcourts.gov/media/1463426/texas-rules-of-civil-procedure.pdf (PDF pages 274)
- Text hash
- sha256 e64d7471fa43a9527ccab7dd8154f9a30f0ea4d84f00727737be13520e2b6827
- Composed by
- compose_tx_rules.py 2026-10-05: two PDF extractors agree character for character after the same chrome removal
Procedural information only. Not legal advice and not a substitute for the advice of an attorney. Confirm the current text with the official publisher before relying on it.