No Regulation
by Litigation
Eastland Court of Appeals Affirms Rule 91a Dismissal of Wrongful Death Case Against Employer Involving Off Duty Employee
The Eastland Court of Appeals has affirmed a trial court order dismissing under Rule 91a a wrongful death case against an employer whose intoxicated employee...
Houston [14th] Court of Appeals Hands Down Twin Opinions Dismissing Personal Injury Lawsuits Against the City of Houston
The Houston [14th] Court of Appeals has reversed and rendered judgment for the City of Houston in two similar Tort Claims Act cases. The first case, City of Houston...
SCOTX Remands Royalty Dispute to Eastland Court of Appeals for Consideration of Presumed-Grant Doctrine
The Texas Supreme Court has remanded an Eastland Court of Appeals decision holding that it didn’t have jurisdiction to consider Defendants’ assertion of the...
San Antonio Court of Appeals Rules That Defaulting Defendants Satisfied Craddock Standard, Remands for New Trial
Stricker Construction, LLC v. H&E Equipment Services, LLC (No. 04-24-00751-CV; January 21, 2026) arose from a dispute between a construction company and an...
SCOTX Grants Mandamus Relief, Orders Galveston County Court-at-Law Judge to Render Take-Nothing Judgment for Bell Helicopter in Statute of Repose Case
The Texas Supreme Court has granted Bell Helicopter’s petition for writ of mandamus to compel a Galveston County trial court to render summary judgment in its favor...
15th Court of Appeals Holds State Immune from Breach of Lease Claim by Private Landlord
The 15th Court of Appeals, apply a recent ruling in an almost identical case, has held that the State has immunity against a breach of lease claim because the...
Business Court Dismisses Former LLC Member’s Derivative Claims for Lack of Standing
The Business Court has ruled that a member of an LLC previously compelled to assign his membership interest by court order lacks standing to bring derivative claims...
14th Court of Appeals Enforces Joint Venture Agreement in Dispute Between Midstream Entities Over Ownership of Fractionator
The 14th [Houston] Court of Appeals has affirmed a trial court summary judgment in a dispute between midstream companies over whether a new fractionator was a joint...
Houston [1st] Court of Appeals Upholds TC Sanctions in Bad Faith Merger Tax Lawsuit
The Houston [1st] Court of Appeals has upheld a trial court’s sanctions against a New York lawyer for filing a bad faith suit to enjoin the merger of two energy...
SCOTX Reverses Dallas Court of Appeals’ Remand for New Trial
The Texas Supreme Court has reversed a Dallas Court of Appeals ruling that remanded for new trial a case based on a spoliation instruction that Plaintiff asked for...
Dallas Court of Appeals Reverses TC Order Denying TAMU’s Motion to Dismiss Health Care Liability Brought by Football Player
The Dallas Court of Appeals has reversed and remanded a health care liability claim brought against Texas A&M-Commerce and the TAMU System stemming from a football injury. Texas A&M University-Commerce and Texas A&M University System v. Chandler Donaway...
SCOTX Reverses Default Judgment Against Landlords That Didn’t Receive Notice of Service of Process
The Texas Supreme has reversed a Dallas Court of Appeals decision affirming a default judgment against a residential landlord in a suit brought by a tenant. Huffman Asset Management, LLC and Prairie Capital, LLC v. Maurice Colter and Ni-Ida Colter (No. 24-0205; May...
Corpus Christi/Edinburg Court of Appeals Reverses TC Order Denying TxDOT’s Jurisdictional Plea in Wrongful Death Case
The Corpus Christi/Edinburg Court of Appeals has reversed a trial court order denying TxDOT’s plea to the jurisdiction in a case arising from a fatal accident involving a motorcycle on SH 361 in Nueces County. Texas Department of Transportation v. Tanya Simpson,...
19 Justices and Judges (And Counting) Receive Board Certification in Judicial Administration
Prior to the 2023 legislative session, TCJL proposed the creation of a new board certification for sitting justices and judges and those attorneys with an interest in pursuing careers on the bench. We hoped that the availability of a prestigious credential (attorney...
Beaumont Court of Appeals Sides With Land Owner Over Land Commissioner
The Beaumont Court of Appeals has affirmed an Orange County district court’s judgment in favor of a property owner whose title to submerged land was challenged by the state. Dawn Buckingham v. Edwin Arnaud, Inc. (No. 09-24-00142-CV; March 12, 2026) arose from a...
Beaumont Court of Appeals Reverses Judgment for Plaintiff in Tort Claims Act Suit Against TXDOT
The Beaumont Court of Appeals has reversed a Jefferson County district court’s judgment finding TxDOT liable to an injured plaintiff under the Texas Tort Claims Act. Texas Department of Transportation v. Oscar Camarillo (No. 99-24-00180-CV; March 19, 2026) arose from...
TCJL Legislative
Analysis Process
TCJL Journal
Summer 2026
Highlights
Chairman’s Corner
A Word from the Honorable Scott Brister
Believe in the Rule of Law? Then Prove It
2024 Annual Meeting
2025 Annual Meeting
A Primer on the Texas Standing Doctine
New Statewide 15th Court of Appeals is a Boon to Texas Business and Industry
A Snapshot of the Texas Business Court’s Docket by the Honorable Jerry Bullard
2026 TCJL Amicus Report
In Memory of Walter Fisher












