Sec. 9.012. VIOLATION; SANCTION. (a) At the trial of the action or at any hearing inquiring into the facts and law of the action, after reasonable notice to the parties, the court may on its own motion, or shall on the motion of any party to the action, determine if a pleading has been signed in violation of any one of the standards prescribed by Section 9.011.

(b) In making its determination of whether a pleading has been signed in violation of any one of the standards prescribed by Section 9.011, the court shall take into account:

(1) the multiplicity of parties;

(2) the complexity of the claims and defenses;

(3) the length of time available to the party to investigate and conduct discovery; and

(4) affidavits, depositions, and any other relevant matter.

(c) If the court determines that a pleading has been signed in violation of any one of the standards prescribed by Section 9.011, the court shall, not earlier than 90 days after the date of the determination, at the trial or hearing or at a separate hearing following reasonable notice to the offending party, impose an appropriate sanction on the signatory, a represented party, or both.

(d) The court may not order an offending party to pay the incurred expenses of a party who stands in opposition to the offending pleading if, before the 90th day after the court makes a determination under Subsection (a), the offending party withdraws the pleading or amends the pleading to the satisfaction of the court or moves for dismissal of the pleading or the offending portion of the pleading.

(e) The sanction may include one or more of the following:

(1) the striking of a pleading or the offending portion thereof;

(2) the dismissal of a party; or

(3) an order to pay to a party who stands in opposition to the offending pleading the amount of the reasonable expenses incurred because of the filing of the pleading, including costs, reasonable attorney's fees, witness fees, fees of experts, and deposition expenses.

(f) The court may not order an offending party to pay the incurred expenses of a party who stands in opposition to the offending pleading if the court has, with respect to the same subject matter, imposed sanctions on the party who stands in opposition to the offending pleading under the Texas Rules of Civil Procedure.

(g) All determinations and orders pursuant to this chapter are solely for purposes of this chapter and shall not be the basis of any liability, sanction, or grievance other than as expressly provided in this chapter.

(h) This section does not apply to any proceeding to which Section 10.004 or Rule 13, Texas Rules of Civil Procedure, applies.

Added by Acts 1987, 70th Leg., 1st C.S., ch. 2, Sec. 2.01, eff. Sept. 2, 1987. Amended by Acts 1999, 76th Leg., ch. 1111, Sec. 1, eff. Sept. 1, 1999.