Newsroom
SCOTX Rules for Surface Owner in Dispute with Salt Mining Company Over Ownership and Use of Underground Salt Caverns
The Texas Supreme Court, largely siding with the Corpus Christi Court of Appeals, has held that a 1947 conveyance of oil, gas, and other minerals did not transfer to the mineral owner ownership of or right to use (for storing oil and gas produced offsite) empty...
Justices Sullivan, Busby Woodshed Parties Who File Petitions for Review, Settle, and Request Vacatur of Intermediate Appellate Court Opinions in Their Cases
In a concurring opinion to one of four cases in which settling parties asked the Texas Supreme Court to vacate appellate decisions by the Dallas, Corpus Christi, Eastland, and Beaumont Court of Appeals, Justice Sullivan, joined by Justice Busby, called upon...
Austin Court of Appeals Affirms TC Denial of City’s Plea to the Jurisdiction in Dog-Bite Case
The Austin Court of Appeals has allowed a suit filed by a visitor to the city’s pet adoption center who was attacked and bitten by a dog on display at an adoption event and fundraiser. City of Austin v. Katherine Michelle Miller (No. 03-24-00385-CV; May 1, 2025)...
TCJL Bill Tracking Report 5-16-25
TCJL Tracked Bill List 5.15.25 May 15, 2025 Quick Highlights • Nuclear Verdicts: SB 30 substitute expected from House JCJ shortly. SB 30 passed the Senate on 4-16. HB 4806 heard in House JCJ this week. Nuclear Verdicts Resource Page ARTICLE: House JCJ Hearing on...
SCOTX Reverses Houston [14th] Court of Appeals Decision That Defendant Had Actual Notice of Judgment by Virtue of an Unopened Email
The Texas Supreme Court has reversed a Houston [14th] Court of Appeals decision holding that a defendant who received notice of judgment by email, when the former version of Rule 306a required the clerk to send notice by first-class mail, had actual knowledge of...
Business Court Clean-up Passes House (HB 40)
An apparently agreed version of the business court clean-up legislation, HB 40, has passed the House. The Senate version, SB 2883, has already been heard in Senate Jurisprudence. The agreed version is somewhat skinnier than the bill originally filed in the House...
SCOTX Recognizes Public-Safety Officer’s Rule in Home Depot Shooting Case
The Texas Supreme Court has reversed a Dallas Court of Appeals decision in a case stemming from a fatal shooting at a Dallas-area Home Depot in 2018. The facts of Chad Seward, Home Depot U.S.A., Inc., and Point 2 Point Global Security, Inc. v. Rogelio Santander Sr....
SCOTX: TCPA Does Not Apply to Motions to Compel and for Sanctions
In an important decision for narrowing the scope of the Texas Citizens Participation Act (Ch. 27, CPRC), the Texas Supreme Court has held that the TCPA does not apply to a motion to compel discovery and for monetary sanctions for discovery abuses. In so doing the...
Waco Court of Appeals Affirms Rule 91a Dismissal of Plaintiff’s Claims Against Insurer in Dispute Over Policy Proceeds
The Waco Court of Appeals has affirmed a Navarro County district court order dismissing claims against State Farm as without a basis in law and fact under Rule 91a, TRCP. Scarlett Robbins v. State Farm Life Insurance Company (No. 10-24-00047-CV; April 17, 2025)...
Corpus Christi Court of Appeals Affirms Denial of Nursing Home’s Motion to Dismiss Chapter 74 Claim for Inadequate Expert Report
The Corpus Christi Court of Appeals has rejected a nursing home’s challenge to Plaintiff’s expert report on the basis that it did not attach the expert’s CV or otherwise contain sufficient detail regarding the expert’s professional credentials. Nexion Health at...
SCOTX Rules That Civil Barratry Statute Does Not Apply to In-Person Solicitation of Clients in Other States On Behalf of Texas Attorneys
The Texas Supreme Court has held that that the civil barratry statute does not have extraterritorial effect, reversing the Houston [1st] Court of Appeals. Michael A. Pohl v. Mark Kentrell Cheatham, Sr. (23-0045; May 9, 2025) arose from a civil barratry lawsuit...
TCJL Bill Tracking Report 5-8-25
TCJL Tracked Bill List 5.8.25 May 8, 2025 Quick Highlights • Nuclear Verdicts: SB 30 passed the Senate on 4-16. HB 4806 heard in House JCJ this week. Nuclear Verdicts Resource Page ARTICLE: House JCJ Hearing on SB 30 • Eminent Domain: SB 291 and 292 heard in LRM...