When someone in Texas recently tried to reopen their divorce case more than 30 days after the case had closed, the court plainly said no:
On December 24, 2019, appellants, Zsolt Petko and Zsuzsanna Adam, proceeding pro se, filed a “Motion to Reopen Case.” The Texas Rules of Appellate Procedure, which govern the processes of this Court, do not identify a “Motion to Reopen Case” as a permitted motion. However, based on the contents of appellants’ motion, the Court construed it as a motion for rehearing. See TEX. R. APP. P. 49.1, 49.5. On January 9, 2020, appellants’ motion was dismissed because this Court lacked jurisdiction. Specifically, this Court’s plenary power expired on December 20, 2018, which is 30 days after the denial of appellants’ motion for en banc reconsideration. See TEX. R. APP. P. 19.1(b). As stated in the January 9, 2020 order, Texas Rule of Appellate Procedure 19.3 governs this Court’s authority to act after its plenary power expires; however, and as stated in our January 9, 2020 order, none of the permitted post-plenary power bases set forth in Rule 19.3 apply to appellants request. See TEX. R. APP. P. 19.3(a)-(d).
PETKO v. COURTYARD, Tex: Court of Appeals, 1st Dist. 2020
The court only retains power to “reopen” or reconsider a case for 30 days after it has signed final orders, except in rate cases as listed in: TEX. R. APP. P. 19.3(a)-(d).
The proper method to “reopen” a divorce case is to file a Motion for New Trial.
If more than 30 days have passed, one of the only methods to reopen the case is to show that based on no fault of your own, you did not have an opportunity to partake in the case, and that your missing the case, was due to the other party’s fraudulent acts.