I’d tell you what he says on the subject but I’d do him and the book no justice lol. 

He said the Justice of the Peace office does not have authority to terminate and executory contract and said it would have to go through the district court.  

If it's $100 or $100MM, justice is justice. 

I know you can't assume appreciation and it is just icing on the cake but I would make this clear to him going into it.

I am a realtor in Houston, TX.My client (owner) went to eviction court and the justice of the peace ruled in his favor.

Here's some more reading on that: Texas Landlord's Guide to Security Deposit Disputes in Justice CourtYou could also send them to collections and report the amount owed to the credit bureaus. 

Department of Justice.

@Krista Mikos You tried probate office now try justice of the peace for eviction records and contact those tired landlords.

You can get a copy of a lease agreement from the Justice of the Peace in Watson (by Pizza Place).

But if you set up two monkeys in cages side by side with little piles of rock, and you give one a grape for passing a rock to the experimenter, while you give the other a slice of cucumber for completing the same task, and you let them see that they're not getting the same reward, the monkey that gets the cucumber will eventually stop doing the task, throw the cucumber slice back at the experimenter, scream, jump up and down, and show obvious signs of distress.It just takes a monkey's brain to have a sense of fairness, even of outraged justice.