in Re the State of Texas Ex Rel. Abelino Reyna, Relator v. Court of Appeals for the Tenth District ( 2015 )

WR-83, 719-01
COURT OF CRIMINAL APPEALS
AUSTIN, TEXAS
Transmitted 11/11/2015 10:43:07 AM
Accepted 11/12/2015 8:32:51 AM
ABEL ACOSTA
CLERK
TEXAS COURT OF CRIMINAL APPEALS
FILED IN
CASE NO COURT OF CRIMINAL APPEALS
November 12, 2015
WR-83,719-01
ABEL ACOSTA, CLERK
IN RE STATE OF TEXAS EX REL. ABELINO REYNA
Relator
Trial Cause No. 2015-1955-2
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In the54 th nicti-ipt Pmii-t IVfpT
District Court, Pnnan County
McLennan
Honorable Matt Johnson, Presiding
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Appellate Cause No. 10-14-00235-CR
10th Court of Appeals
Waco, Texas
SECOND EMERGENT MOTION BY REAL-PARTY-IN-INTEREST
MATTHEW ALAN CLENDENNEN TO VACATE STAY BASED ON
RELATOR'S UNCLEAN HANDS
F. CLINTON BRODEN
TX Bar No. 24001495
Broden, Mickelsen, Helms & Snipes, LLP
2600 State Street
Dallas, Texas 75204
(214) 720-9552
(214) 720-9594(facsimile)
Attorney for Matthew Alan Clendennen
ELECTRONIC
RECORD
With due respect to the Court and simply put, the Relator is skillfully
playing this Court.
I
As this Court now knows, immediately following the "Twin Peaks incident"
on May 17, 2015, Relator and other state actors engaged in an unrelenting
campaign using world wide media outlets which was designed to scare the public
with pictures of roving "biker gangs." Once Relator accomplished that task and on
June 30, 2015, it was Relator who sought and obtained the gag order in question
and did so by presenting it ten minutes prior to an unrelated hearing.
On August 7, 2015, the Tenth Court of Appeals entered its unanimous
opinion conditionally granting a Writ of Mandamus in this case in the event the
District Court did not withdraw its unconstitutional gag order by August 14, 2015.
It is now almost five months since the gag order was entered upon Relator's
request.
II
On September 18, 2015, Relator, Abelino Reyna, violated the very gag order
he is asking this Court to uphold in a written statement to KWTX News in Waco,
Texas reported:
McLennan County District Attorney Abel Reyna, in a brief statement,
said "someone violated their ethical and legal obligations" in making
the material available to AP.
"Our focus in the Twin Peaks matter will remain on the facts and the
law and not it," he said.
Attachment A to Emergent Motion by Real-Party-In-Interest Matthew Alan
Clendennen to Vacate Stay Based on Relator's Unclean Hands.1
Subsequent to the release of that written statement and on September 21,
2015, Mr. Clendennen filed his Motion to Vacate Stay Based on Relator's Unclean
Hands. Nevertheless, this Court ultimately "declined to act" and suggested that
Mr. Clendennen's remedy was to file for an Order to Show Cause with the District
Court based upon the alleged violation of the gag order. Unfortunately, that
creates a perverse situation because Mr. Clendennen believes that the gag order
sought by Relator is unconstitutional and so he is hardly in a position to turn
around and arguefor its enforcement against Relator in the District Court.
Ill
'This was not the first time Relator Reyna has violated the gag order. On or about July 8,
2015, Mr. Reyna gave a press interview discussing the selection of the grand jury foreperson for
the grand jury that could possibly consider Mr. Clendennen's case. See Appendix 1 to Mr.
Clendennen's September 14, 2015 brief. During that interview, Mr. Reyna told the media:
"That's the system. He was chosen totally at random, like the law says."
Perhaps emboldened by the Court "declining to act" in the past, Relator has
now moved on to giving press conferences about the case. Following the
indictment of Mr. Clendennen and others, Relator held a press conference to
announce the indictments. Relator announced that the indictment of Mr.
Clendennen and others was the result of his team's "dedication]" to "seeing that
justice is done in all those cases." See Attachments A and B. In other words,
Relator expressed his belief that the indictments in this case actually represent
justice. Relator also denounced those that have criticized the case against Mr.
Clendennen and others by implying that such criticism was unwarranted because
Relator was only "worried about the facts, the law and the evidence." Id.
The gag order in this case, drafted by Relator, was based on the trial court's
finding that a gag order was necessary because of "counsels' willingness to give
interviews to the media" and it ordered that the parties "shall not discuss the case
with the media." So what does Relator do, he holds a press conference to equate
the indictment of Mr. Clendennen with "justice?"2
IV
2Could Mr. Clendennen then thumb his nose at the gag order and hold a press conference
announcing that his indictment is, in fact, a travesty ofjustice and questioning how any fair and
impartial grand jury could possible consider 106 motorcyclist cases in one day (on average only
approximately five minutes per case)? Clearly that would violate the gag order.
As Mr. Clendennen noted in his previous motion,"[mjandamus is an
extraordinary remedy, not issued as a matter of right, but at the discretion of the
court. Although mandamus is not an equitable remedy, its issuance is largely
controlled by equitable principles." Riverfront Associates v. Rivera, 858 S.W.2d
366, 367 (Tex. 1993). Indeed, this Court has noted that "equitable principles are
necessarily involved when we consider whether mandamus should issue." Smith v.
Flack, 728 S.W.2d 784, 792 (Tex. Cr. App. 1987).
Of course, it is also well settled that "a party seeking an equitable remedy
must do equity and come to court with clean hands." City of Fredericksburg v.
Bopp, 126 S.W.3d 218, 220 (Tex. App. - San Antonio 2003). In fact, the law
recognizes that "the doctrine of unclean hands applies to a litigant whose own
conduct in connection with the same matter or transaction has been
unconscientious, unjust, marked by a want of good faith or violates the principles
of equity and righteous dealing." Id. at 221.3
In sum, "Texas courts have held that, because mandamus is governed to
some extent by equitable principles, a party that comes before the court with
unclean hands is not entitled to issuance of a writ of mandamus." In re Simon
3See also Olmsteadv. United States, 277 U.S. 438, 483-484 (1928) (Brandeis, J.
dissenting) (Regarding unclean hands: "The court's aid is denied only when he who seeks it has
violated the law in connection with the very transaction as to which he seeks legal redress").
Property (Delaware), Inc. 985 S.W.2d 212, 215 (Tex. App .- Corpus Christi 1999)
(emphasis added), citing, Axelson, Inc. v. Mcllhany, 798 S.W.2d 550, 552 n. 2
(Tex. 1990).
V
Mr. Clendennen has now been denied his free speech rights for almost five
months while Relator goes right on making statements to the media and holding
press conferences. This Court should not continue to consider Relator's
mandamus request, based upon equitable principles, while Relator continues to
ignore the very gag order he sought. Indeed, to do so simply plays into Relator's
hand and allows this Court to be used as Relator's pawn.
For that reason alone, Mr. Clendennen submits that the stay issued by this
Court was improvidently granted and requests the Court to dissolve the stay as
soon as practical.
Respectfully submitted,
/s/F. Clinton Broden
F. CLINTON BRODEN
TX Bar No. 24001495
Broden, Mickelsen, Helms & Snipes, LLP
2600 State Street
Dallas, Texas 75204
(214) 720-9552 (214) 720-9594(facsimile)
Attorney for Matthew Alan Clendennen
CERTIFICATE OF SERVICE
I, F. Clinton Broden, do hereby certify that, on this 11th day of November,
2015, I caused a copy of the foregoing document to be served by electronic means
and one courtesy paper copy on:
McLennan County District Attorney
219 N 6th St
Waco, Texas 76701
Tenth Court of Appeals
501 Washington Ave.
Waco, Texas 76701
Is/ F. Clinton Broden
F. Clinton Broden
ATTACHMENT A
I, F. Clinton Broden, do hereby certify that Attachment A is a true, correct
and exact copy of an article downloaded from:
http://www.wacotrib.com/news/courts_and_trials/grand-jury-indicts-b
ikers-in-connection-with-twin-peaks-shootout/article_b6c55ddc-873b-
522d-8378-d446bb652361 .html
/s/F. Clinton Broden
F. CLINTON BRODEN
ATTACHMENT B
Attachment B is an electronic copy of Relator's Press Conference and, as
such, will be submitted by hard copy. It can be found at:
http://www.kcentv.com/category/300187/shooting-at-twin-peaks
/s/F. Clinton Broden
F. CLINTON BRODEN