Supreme Court of Texas Decisions 2023

Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court of Texas handled a case in which a nurse claimed her employer, Scott & White Memorial Hospital, wrongfully terminated her employment in retaliation for reporting potential child abuse or neglect to the…

Justia Opinion Summary: In this case, the Supreme Court of Texas examined the requirements for terminating parental rights based on a parent's noncompliance with a service plan ordered by the court. The mother had been ordered to follow a…

Justia Opinion Summary: In Texas, the District Attorney for the 38th Judicial District, Christina Mitchell Busbee, objected to the sale of a property that was purchased with the District's forfeiture funds and was legally owned by Medina…

Justia Opinion Summary: In this case handled by the Supreme Court of Texas, the parents of two children, Kate Cox and Justin Cox, along with their doctor, Dr. Damla Karsan, filed a suit to challenge the enforcement of Texas laws that prohibit…

Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court of Texas, in this case, addressed two questions relating to the interpretation of Section 16.064(a) of the Texas Civil Practice and Remedies Code certified by the United States Court of Appeals for the…

Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court conditionally granted a writ of mandamus in this action brought by Plaintiff, Thalia Harris, against Defendant, her insurer, for underinsured motorist (UIM) benefits, holding that the trial court did…

Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court reversed the judgment of the court of appeals reversing the trial court's judgment in this dispute over a particular provision in a land-improvement contract, holding that the court of appeals erred in…

Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court dismissed this interlocutory appeal as moot and vacated the judgment of the court of appeals in this case arising from the Covid-19 pandemic, holding that the public interest was best served by vacatur…

Justia Opinion Summary: In this case involving mandates requiring people to wear face masks or other coverings to prevent the spread of COVID-19 the Supreme Court vacated the judgment and opinion of the court of appeals and dismissed this…

Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court reversed the decision of the court of appeals reversing the judgment of the trial court that two expert reports provided to support Plaintiff's claims for negligence provided the information required by…

Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court reversed the judgment of the court of appeals dismissing Father's appeal of the termination of his parental rights, holding that Father properly invoked the court's jurisdiction, and therefore the court…

Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court reversed the judgment of the court of appeals concluding that the State must prove that the victim did not consent in order to show that a child under the age of fourteen had the requisite intent to…

Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court vacated the judgment of the court of appeals in this case involving the question of deed construction within the oil and gas context as to whether a royalty interest was fixed or floating, holding that…

Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court reversed the judgment of the court of appeals in the underlying insurance dispute, holding that the insurance policy at issue did not incorporate the payout limits in an underlying service agreement.…

Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court reversed the judgment of the court of appeals affirming the order of the trial court dismissing Duncan House Charitable Corporation's application for a charitable organization exemption, holding that…

Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court reversed the trial court's denial of Defendant's motion to compel arbitration, holding that remand was required for reconsideration in light of this Court's holdings in TotalEnergies E&P USA, Inc. v. MP…

Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court reversed the judgment of the court of appeals in this personal injury case, holding that the court of appeals erred in concluding that the trial court abused its discretion in admitting Valerie…

Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court reversed the judgment of the court of appeals in this case concerning whether Apache Corporation breached its purchase-and-sale agreements (PSAs) with Sellers, holding the court of appeals erred by…

Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court reversed the judgment of the court of appeals reversing the dismissal of the underlying cause of action and rendering judgment dismissing the claim, holding that the cause of action was a health care…

Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court reversed the decision of the court of appeals that all of the documents underlying an external investigation into allegations of undue influence in a public university's admissions process were…

Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court affirmed the judgment of the court of appeals reversing the judgment of the trial court on the jury's verdict finding both the railroad and the woman killed in this case negligent and equally…

Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court vacated the judgment of the court of appeals affirming the trial court's judgment issuing in July 2021 a temporary restraining order prohibiting enforcement of executive order GA-38, holding that this…

Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court reversed the judgment of the court of appeals affirming the decision of the trial court appeals denying the Texas Tech University School of Medicine's combined plea to the jurisdiction and summary…

Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court reversed the decision of the court of appeals reversing the judgment of the trial court granting no-evidence summary-judgment motions in this action alleging that Defendants negligently collected,…

Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court reversed the decision of the court of appeals affirming the judgment of the trial court in this declaratory judgment suit, holding that a corporate resolution did not authorize the law firm to redeem a…

Justia Opinion Summary: In these two consolidated cases involving claims brought against the Electric Reliability Council of Texas, Inc. (ERCOT) the Supreme Court answered, among other questions, that ERCOT is a governmental unit as defined in…

Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court denied Petitioner's petition for a writ of mandamus in this original proceeding involving more than 2,000 cases brought by more than 7,000 plaintiffs represented by more than fifty law firms…

Justia Opinion Summary: In this wrongful death action, the Supreme Court reversed the judgment of the court of appeals affirming the judgment of the trial court entering judgment on the jury's verdict awarding more than $15 million to…

Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court conditionally granted mandamus relief in this negligence and premises liability action, holding that the district court's decision to grant a new trial after a three-week trial was an abuse of…

Justia Opinion Summary: In this case alleging defective design and development of a commercial property the Supreme Court reversed the judgment of the court of appeals concluding that the running of limitations was equitably tolled while the…

Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court reversed in part the decision of the court of appeals in this personal injury case, holding that the trial court abused its discretion by including in the jury charge an instruction on res ipsa…

Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court held that a parent whose parental rights have been terminated cannot complain for the first time on appeal that the trial court failed to make the "extraordinary circumstances" and "best interest"…

Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court affirmed the judgment of the court of appeals reversing the orders of the trial court granting TotalEnergies E&P USA, Inc.'s motion to stay arbitration before the American Arbitration Association (AAA)…

Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court affirmed the judgment of the court of appeals concluding that governmental immunity does not protect a city against a breach of contract claim because the city was acting in its proprietary capacity…

Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court affirmed the judgment of the court of appeals affirming the order of the trial court finding that Mother failed to comply with her service plan and that termination of Mother's rights was in her…

Justia Opinion Summary: In this divorce proceeding, the Supreme Court reversed in part the judgment of the trial court granting Father the exclusive right to determine the primary residence of the couple's four children, holding that the trial…

Justia Opinion Summary: In this premises liability action, the Supreme Court held that the City of Austin had discretion not to implement its policy regarding the maintenance of a permitted sidewalk cafe, and therefore, Appellant failed to…

Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court reversed the judgment of the court of appeals in this employment discrimination suit ruling that an arbitration agreement was unconscionable and affirming the order of the trial court denying the…

Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court reversed the judgment of the court of appeals reversing the decision of the district court denying Winstead PC's motion to dismiss USA Lending Group, Inc.'s malpractice claim brought under the Texas…

Justia Opinion Summary: In this proceeding brought by one political subdivision against another the Supreme Court held that sovereign immunity did not apply in this context, thus reversing the conclusion of the court of appeals that the…

Justia Opinion Summary: In this interlocutory appeal involving the application of a statutory immunity waiver in a lawsuit alleging breach of a contract to construct university housing the Supreme Court reversed the decision of the court of…

Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court affirmed the judgment of the court of appeals in this products-liability case concluding that the exercise of personal jurisdiction over Defendants was consistent with due process, holding that the…

Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court held that a Hidalgo County court at law had jurisdiction over a civil case within the $750,000 limit involving the foreclosure of a lien on land. The McMasters executed a deed of trust to Ditech…

Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court reversed the opinion of the court of appeals reversing the trial court's holding that, as a matter of law, a statutory "safe-harbor" provision applied and relieved an operator of oil-and-gas wells…

Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court held that no statute expressly authorizes a school district to retain a lawyer on a contingent-fee basis to prosecute litigation designed to increase the appraised value of property so as to generate…

Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court reversed the judgment of the court of appeals on a survival claim brought by the estate of Clark Davis against United Rentals North America, Inc., rendered a take nothing judgment on this claim, and…

Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court affirmed the judgment of the court of appeals reversing the trial court's conclusion that contract language releasing claims against a named entity's predecessors barred the releasor's recovery against…

Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court reversed in part the opinion of the court of appeals in this interlocutory appeal concerning whether a subsequent purchaser (Purchaser) of a home is required to arbitrate her claims against the builder…

Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court affirmed the conclusion of the court of appeals on remand that PNC Mortgage's foreclosure claim was time-barred, holding that there was no error. PNC, whose predecessor refinanced John and Amy Howards'…

Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court conditionally granted relief in this mandamus proceeding arising out of a dispute between Property Owners and a Homeowners Association (HOA) regarding enforcement of amended restrictive covenants,…

Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court reversed the judgment of the court of appeals affirming the decision of the trial court denying the Health and Human Services Commission's (HHSC) combined plea to the jurisdiction and motion for summary…

Justia Opinion Summary: In this "highly unusual" personal jurisdiction dispute the Supreme Court held that Texas courts have specific jurisdiction over German automobile manufacturers based on their intentional post-sale tampering with affected…

Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court conditionally granted relief in this mandamus proceeding concerning a motion to compel a medical examination under Tex. R. Civ. P. 204.1, holding that the trial court clearly abused its discretion in…

Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court held that Tex. Civ. Prac. & Rem. Code Ann. 16.063 did not toll the running of the statute of limitations during Defendant's physical absence from Texas. At issue was whether section 16.063 applies to…

Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court reversed the judgment of the court of appeals in this contract dispute, holding that the court of appeals erred by failing to apply a common-law default rule to the parties' dispute involving the sale…

Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court reversed in part the judgment of the court of appeals in this insurance dispute, holding that Tex. Ins. Code 705.051 does not displace the common-law rule that insurers may not avoid liability under an…

Justia Opinion Summary: In this dispute over a "Water/Sewer Base Fee" that Landlords billed tenants each month to recover certain amounts it had paid the municipal utility district the Supreme Court affirmed the trial court's grant of partial…

Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court reversed the judgment of the court of appeals affirming the trial court's order certifying a class in this action claiming violations of Tex. Prop. Code 92.019, which regulates landlords' ability to…

Justia Opinion Summary: In this mineral lease dispute, the Supreme Court reversed the judgment of the court of appeals concluding that a lease deadline and untimely scheduled drilling date were irrelevant for invoking a force majeure clause and…

Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court reversed the judgment of the court of appeals affirming a modified version of the order of the district court certifying a class, holding that when the claims for which the plaintiffs seek class…

Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court reversed the decision of the court of appeals affirming the judgment of the trial court ruling that one of two proposed amendments to the City of Houston's charter approved by voters restricted the…

Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court conditionally granted Defendants' petition for mandamus relief from the trial court's order striking their counteraffidavit served under Tex. Civ. Prac. & Rem. Code 18.001, holding that the trial…

Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court affirmed the judgment of the court of appeals reversing the orders of the trial court granting TotalEnergies E&P USA, Inc.'s motion to stay an American Arbitration Association (AAA) arbitration and…

Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court reversed the judgment of the court of appeals in this insurance dispute, holding that an insurance policy does not incorporate by reference the payout limits in an underlying service agreement. Two…

Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court reversed the judgments of the court of appeals in two ultra vires suits affirming the judgments of the trial courts denying Defendants' jurisdictional pleas as to the pertinent claims and affirmed the…

Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court remanded this case stemming from a labor dispute between a union and city, holding that remand was required to establish whether the city complied with Local Government Code Chapter 174's compensation…

Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court reversed the judgment of the court of appeals concluding that neither party had established proper venue in this workers' compensation case, holding that the record adequately demonstrated that venue…

Justia Opinion Summary: In this tort and breach-of-contract lawsuit, the Supreme Court affirmed in part and reversed in part the trial court's take-nothing summary judgment entered on the claim brought by several affiliated retailers (the…

Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court denied the petition for a writ of mandamus filed by a prospective voter in the City of San Antonio's May 2023 election, holding that sufficient post-election remedies existed that permitted the voter to…

Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court affirmed the summary judgment in favor of Landowners in this oil-and-gas dispute over how to calculate Landowners' royalty under the terms of a mineral lease with Producers, holding that there was no…

Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court reversed the judgment of the court of appeals directing the trial court to dismiss for lack of jurisdiction Homeowners' suit against the City of Brownville for negligence brought under the Texas Tort…

Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court affirmed in part and reversed in part the judgment of the court of appeals reversing the order of the district court granting summary judgment for Helena Chemical Company in this action brought by…

Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court affirmed in part and reversed in part the judgments of the court of appeals in these companion cases brought by advocacy groups supporting legalized abortion against Defendant, who publicly advocated…

Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court reversed in part the opinion of the court of appeals affirming the trial court's judgment rejecting Defendants' requests to apply a settlement against the award against it and to pay the future damages…

Justia Opinion Summary: In this "double-fraction" dilemma arising from antique mineral conveyances in which the parties used two fractions, the Supreme Court held that the meaning of a 1924 deed's mineral reservation of "one-half of one-eighth"…

Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court reversed the judgment of the court of appeals affirming the judgment of the district court denying Borrower's motion for a new trial in this appeal arising from a suit on a note and guaranty after…

Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court conditionally granted mandamus relief directing the district court to withdraw its order modifying its underlying judgment, holding that the district court's plenary power had expired before it…

Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court affirmed the judgment of the court of appeals dismissing Plaintiffs' claim against the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) alleging premises liability based on the condition of a construction…

Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court held that a claimant alleging wrongful imprisonment against state government entities and employees may not maintain such a suit once the claimant has received Tim Cole Act compensation through the…

Justia Opinion Summary: In this dispute over an arbitration clause within a contract, the Supreme Court held that the minor children who joined Plaintiffs, their parents, in bringing this action seeking damages for construction defects in their…

Justia Opinion Summary: In this dispute over an arbitration clause within a contract, the Supreme Court held that the minor children who joined Plaintiffs, their parents, in bringing this action seeking damages for construction defects in their…

Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court reversed the judgment of the court of appeals affirming the decision of the trial court to grant a temporary injunction in favor of the Houston Independent School District prohibiting the Texas…

Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court held that the Texas Insurance Code does not authorize a private cause of action by a physician against an insurer for payment of claims that accrued prior to 2020 and that Plaintiffs' claims for…

Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court reversed the judgment of the court of appeals reversing the trial court's dismissal of the complaint and reinstated the judgment of the trial court dismissing all of Petitioner's claims against…