Justia Texas Supreme Court Opinion Summaries

The Supreme Court reversed the decision of the court of appeals affirming the judgment of the trial court for a pioneering cardiovascular surgeon in this dispute between the surgeon and the hospital where he formerly worked, holding that the evidence was not legally sufficient to support the jury's award.Plaintiff and his professional association sued Defendant for engaging in a retaliatory "whisper campaign" against him after he left Defendant for a new rival hospital, alleging illegal restraint of trade (anticompetition claims), tortious interference with prospective business relations, defamation, and business disparagement. The jury rejected Plaintiff's anticompetition claims but found that Defendant had defamed Plaintiff and disparaged his professional association. Defendant appealed, arguing that no evidence supported the jury's defamation and disparagement findings. The court of appeals affirmed based on its interpretation of the jury charge. The Supreme Court reversed and rendered a take-nothing judgment for Defendant, holding that no evidence supported the jury's award in this case. View "Memorial Hermann Health System v. Gomez" on Justia Law

In this workplace injury case, the Supreme Court conditionally granted YRC, Inc.'s petition for writ of mandamus and directed the trial court to vacate its order denying YRC's motion for leave to designate a responsible third party and to grant the motion, holding that YMC's motion was timely, contrary to the trial court's conclusion.Defendants in this case sought to designate Plaintiff's employer as a responsible party sixty-two days before the suit's third trial setting and more than five years the injury. The trial court denied the motion, concluding that it was untimely. The court of appeals denied mandamus relief. The Supreme Court conditionally granted mandamus relief, holding (1) the motion was timely filed and pleaded sufficient facts; and (2) there was no applicable limitations period for Plaintiff to join the third-party employer as a defendant on tort cause of action because workers' compensation was his exclusive remedy. View "In re YRC Inc." on Justia Law

In this premises-liability suit, the Supreme Court reversed the opinion of the court of appeals reversing the decision of the trial court rendering summary judgment in favor of the owner of the grocery store and parking lot where Plaintiff tripped and fell, holding that summary judgment was appropriate in favor of the store owner.Plaintiff sued Defendant, the premises owner, after she sustained injuries from tripping over a 3/4-inch divot in the grocery store parking lot. In granting summary judgment for the owner, the trial court concluded that the divot did not rise to the level of being an "unreasonably dangerous condition" as a matter of law. The court of appeals reversed. The Supreme Court affirmed, holding that the defect that caused the accident was not unreasonably dangerous as a matter of law. View "United Supermarkets, LLC v. McIntire" on Justia Law

The Supreme Court reversed in part the judgment of the court of appeals reversing in part the trial court's grant of summary judgment for Defendant in this negligence and premises-liability case arising from a fatal construction-site accident, holding that remand was required in light of recent opinion.Plaintiffs sued Defendant for negligence, gross negligence, and premises liability. The trial court granted summary judgment for Defendant. The court of appeals reversed as to the negligence and premises-liability claims. The Supreme Court remanded the case, holding that, in applying the general rule and holding that Plaintiffs' petition could not constitute competent summary-judgment evidence, the court of appeals did not have the benefit of this Court's recent opinions in Regency Field Services, LLC v. Swift Energy Operating, LLC, 622 S.W.3d 807 (Tex. 2021) and Energen Resources Corp. v. Wallace, 642 S.W.3d 502 (Tex. 2022). The Supreme Court remanded this case for further consideration of the instant case in light of Regency and Energen and other subsequently issued opinions providing guidance on the legal issues presented. View "Weekley Homes, LLC v. Paniagua" on Justia Law

The Supreme Court conditionally granted mandamus relief in this challenge to certain discovery rulings in the underlying vehicle-collision lawsuit, holding that the challenged rulings contravened this Court's precedents regarding discovery requests that are overbroad as a matter of law.After the Supreme Court requested a response to the mandamus petition the real parties interest withdrew the challenged discovery requests, thus, they argued, rendering Petitioner's petition moot and depriving the Supreme Court of jurisdiction. The Supreme Court conditionally granted relief, holding that the discovery ordered was overbroad and that the trial court abused its discretion. View "In re Contract Freighters, Inc." on Justia Law

The Supreme Court conditionally granted UPS Ground Freight, Inc.'s petition for writ of mandamus and directed the trial court to vacate a portion of a September 30, 2020 discovery order in this wrongful-death suit, holding that the discovery requests were overbroad and that UPS had no adequate remedy by appeal.In the discovery order at issue, the trial court ordered UPS to product the results of alcohol and drug tests conducted on all current and former drivers at its Irving facility for certain periods preceding a fatal multi-vehicle accident. The Supreme Court agreed with UPS that the discovery requested and compelled by the trial court was insufficiently narrowed and was overly broad in scope. The Court ordered the trial court to vacate the portion of the discovery order compelling production of information and records pertaining to drug-and-alcohol test results for current and former UPS driver who were not parties to the litigation and who were not involved in the accident giving rise to this action. View "In UPS Ground Freight, Inc." on Justia Law

The Supreme Court reversed the decision of the court of appeals reversing the trial court's judgment declaring invalid the Department of Family and Protective Services Rule 748.7, which governs immigration detention centers, and enjoining the Department from granting licenses under the rule, holding that Plaintiffs had standing to challenge Rule 748.7.Plaintiffs, a nonprofit advocacy group, a day-care operator and several detainee mothers, individually and on behalf of their children, brought this action alleging that the Department lacked authority to adopt Rule 748.7 because it increased the safety risk to the detainees and their children. The trial court declared the rule invalid and enjoined the Department from granting licenses under the rule. The court of appeals reversed, holding that Plaintiffs lacked standing to assert their claims. View "Grassroots Leadership, Inc. v. Texas Department of Family & Protective Services" on Justia Law

The Supreme Court reversed the judgment of the court of appeals dismissing Petitioner's appeal for lack of jurisdiction, holding that Petitioner's filing error did not deprive the court of appeals of subject matter jurisdiction.Petitioner brought multiple wrongful death and survival claims against several defendants. The trial court granted Respondents' motion for a take-nothing judgment. An ensuing severance transformed the interlocutory summary judgment into a final and appealable judgment, commencing the thirty-day period to file a notice of appeal. Petitioner then moved for a new trial. At issue was whether Petitioner's ensuing notice of appeal was timely, which depended on whether Petitioner's motion for new trial was effective. The court of appeals held that the motion for new trial was ineffective because Petitioner filed it under the wrong case number and dismissed the appeal for lack of jurisdiction. The Supreme Court reversed, holding (1) Petitioner's motion for new trial effectively extended the trial court's plenary power and, correspondingly, the appellate timelines; and (2) therefore, the appeal was timely. View "Mitschke v. Borromeo" on Justia Law

The Supreme Court reversed the judgment of the trial court affirming a verdict for the family of a teenager who committed suicide after seeking treatment for depression from her pediatric healthcare providers, holding that the testimony did not establish the necessary but-for causation required by precedent.The expert testimony at trial established negligence on the part of the teen's medical providers but did not establish that, but for the negligence, the teen would not have committed suicide. Plaintiffs sued their daughter's providers for negligence and gross negligence. The jury found that certain providers were liable, and the trial court awarded $1.285 million to Plaintiffs. The court of appeals affirmed. The Supreme Court reversed, holding that there was no evidence that the providers' care proximately caused the teen's suicide. View "Pediatrics Cool Care v. Thompson" on Justia Law

The Supreme Court denied a petition for writ of mandamus sought by Relators for relief from trial court orders granting Christina Broussard's motions to quash certain discovery subpoenas in this case brought by Broussard against Relators for personal injuries and economic losses following a rear-end collision, holding that the discovery requests sought relevant information.The subpoenas sought post-accident medical-billing information from Broussard's medical providers and third-party production of Broussard's pre-accident medical, education, employment, and insurance records. Relators argued that the requested discovery was relevant to the issue of damages causally attributable to the accident. The trial court quashed the discovery subpoenas. The Supreme Court denied mandamus relief without prejudice to Relators' seeking relief, if necessary, after the trial court has had an opportunity to reconsider its rulings, holding that the trial court should reconsider its orders in light of this Court's opinion in In re K&L Auto Crushers, LLC, 627 S.W.3d 239 (Tex. 2021). View "In re Central Oregon Truck Co., Inc." on Justia Law