Bills of review – equitable, but not that equitable.

A bill of review is an equitable proceeding allowed by Texas law to challenge a default judgment. While equitable in nature, the proceeding still has serious proof requirements; in particular: “‘[T]he testimony of a bill of review plaintiff alone, without corroborating evidence, is insufficient to overcome the presumption that the plaintiff was served.’ Here, the evidence showed that . . . appellant was personally served . . . at 3815 N. Westmoreland at 7 p.m. on March 23, 2016. The officer’s return is prima facie evidence of the facts of service. Although appellant testified he was not served at that address, there was no other evidence to corroborate that statement. Although he admitted an unrecorded contract for deed showing a conveyance of the Westmoreland property to Alfredo Guzman in 2008, this document does not corroborate his testimony that he was not served at the location.”  Mitchell v. City of Dallas, No. 05-18-01208-CV  (Nov. 20, 2019) (unpubl.) (citations omitted, emphasis added).