The firm secured a Texas Supreme Court victory after the Court dismissed a petition for review in a Denton County debt-collection dispute involving Alamo Collection Opco, LLC.
The ruling leaves intact a published opinion that clarifies key aspects of Texas’ default judgment practice.
Managing partner Chad Baruch led the appellate effort, which resolves a frequent point of confusion for both practitioners and trial judges across Texas.
“This ruling brings much-needed clarity to an area of default judgment practice that has long divided Texas courts,” said Mr. Baruch. “When a defendant appears and seeks a new trial, technical service defects shouldn’t automatically erase a judgment unless they actually prevented the defendant from responding. This published opinion ensures trial judges and practitioners have clear guidance moving forward.”
The dismissal leaves standing a December 2025 decision from the Seventh Court of Appeals in Amarillo affirming the denial of a motion for a new trial in the underlying case.
The appellate court held that technical defects in citations and service returns automatically void for a default judgment only in a restricted appeal. The ruling affirms that service defects matter only under the traditional Craddock standard if they contributed to the defendant’s failure to appear or answer.
The case is H3 Cattle LLC, et al. v. Craig Noack, Receiver, and Alamo Collection Opco, LLC, No. 26-0335 in the Texas Supreme Court, and No. 07-25-00145-CV in the Seventh Court of Appeals.