(a) In General. As a prerequisite to presenting a complaint for appellate review, the record must show that:
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(1) the complaint was made to the trial court by a timely request, objection, or motion that:
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- (A) stated the grounds for the ruling that the complaining party sought from the trial court with sufficient specificity to make the trial court aware of the complaint, unless the specific grounds were apparent from the context; and
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- (B) complied with the requirements of the Texas Rules of Evidence or the Texas Rules of Civil or Appellate Procedure; and
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(2) the trial court:
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- (A) ruled on the request, objection, or motion, either expressly or implicitly; or
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- (B) refused to rule on the request, objection, or motion, and the complaining party objected to the refusal.
(b) Ruling by Operation of Law. In a civil case, the overruling by operation of law of a motion for new trial or a motion to modify the judgment preserves for appellate review a complaint properly made in the motion, unless taking evidence was necessary to properly present the complaint in the trial court.
(c) Formal Exception and Separate Order Not Required. Neither a formal exception to a trial court ruling or order nor a signed, separate order is required to preserve a complaint for appeal.
(d) Sufficiency of Evidence Complaints in Civil Nonjury Cases. In a civil nonjury case, a complaint regarding the legal or factual insufficiency of the evidence - including a complaint that the damages found by the court are excessive or inadequate, as distinguished from a complaint that the trial court erred in refusing to amend a fact finding or to make an additional finding of fact - may be made for the first time on appeal in the complaining party’s brief.