Texas appeals court overturns tenant's $250,000 award over defective legal notice to landlord

A Texas tenant who won a $250,000 default judgment against an apartment complex owner, including tens of thousands of dollars for emotional distress, has lost the award after an appeals court found a technical error in the court paperwork. The Texas First Court of Appeals in Houston ruled on 6 November 2026 that the original default judgment against Lavender Apartments LLC was invalid. The court found that the official documents showing delivery of the lawsuit contained errors and did not meet Texas legal requirements.

The decision in Lavender Apartments LLC v. Kimberly Aguilera (Docket No. 01-25-00270-CV) overturns the award issued by County Civil Court at Law No.

3 of Harris County. The case will now return to the trial court for further proceedings. Writing for the three-judge appeals panel, Justice Andrew Johnson explained that Texas law does not favour default judgments entered when a defendant fails to respond.