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Access over workers' compensation decisions, including En Banc, Significant Panel Decisions, and writ-denied cases.

Case No. 03-02-00089-CV
Regular Panel Decision
Mar 27, 2003

Envoy Medical Systems, L.L.C. and Independent Review Incorporated v. State of Texas Greg Abbott, Attorney General of Texas And Jose Montemayor, Insurance Commissioner of Texas

Appellants Envoy Medical Systems, L.L.C. and Independent Review Incorporated appealed a trial court's judgment concerning the disclosure of certain records under the Public Information Act. The case originated from a request for information made to the Texas Department of Insurance related to appellants' applications for certification as Independent Review Organizations (IROs). The Attorney General had previously ruled that the requested information, including reviewer lists, contracts, and compensation, could not be withheld. Appellants argued that the information was 'confidential by law' and also excepted from disclosure under the commercial or financial information clause of the PIA. The appellate court reviewed for abuse of discretion and affirmed the trial court's judgment, concluding that appellants failed to meet their burden to prove an exception to disclosure applied.

Public Information ActDisclosure of RecordsIndependent Review OrganizationsConfidentialityCommercial InformationFinancial InformationAbuse of DiscretionAppellate ReviewInjunctive ReliefAdministrative Law
References
12
Case No. 03-01-00400-CV
Regular Panel Decision
Apr 11, 2002

Richard Wallace Pearce and Jesse Ray Blann v. City of Round Rock Round Rock Development Review Board Frank Del Castillo, in His Capacity as Member of the Round Rock Development Review Board Terry Hagood, in His Capacity as Member of the Round Rock Development Review Board

Appellants Richard Wallace Pearce and Jesse Ray Blann appealed the district court's judgment affirming the Round Rock Development Review Board's denial of their permit applications for seven outdoor advertising structures. The core issue was whether the structures qualified as 'signs' and were entitled to non-conforming use status under the City's ordinance, which became effective February 27, 1997. The Court of Appeals held that four of the structures were 'signs' due to having a surface capable of displaying text, despite not yet having advertising affixed, and were therefore entitled to non-conforming use. The court reversed and remanded the Board's decisions regarding these four structures. However, it affirmed the district court's judgment for the remaining three structures, which lacked such a surface, and also upheld the constitutionality of the City's sign ordinance against a takings claim.

ZoningOutdoor AdvertisingNon-conforming UsePermit DenialExtraterritorial JurisdictionAbuse of DiscretionStatutory InterpretationMunicipal OrdinanceTexas Court of AppealsProperty Rights
References
30
Case No. 2022 NY Slip Op 01011
Regular Panel Decision
Feb 16, 2022

Hamm v. Review Assoc., LLC

The plaintiff, Peter Hamm, an employee, sustained injuries after falling from a ladder while servicing a security system at premises owned by Review Associates, LLC and leased by Fresh Direct, LLC. He initiated a personal injury action alleging common-law negligence and violations of Labor Law §§ 200, 240(1), and 241(6). The Supreme Court initially granted summary judgment to the defendants, dismissing the complaint. On appeal, the Appellate Division modified this order, denying summary judgment for the Labor Law § 240(1) claim against both defendants due to triable issues of fact regarding whether the work constituted "repairs" or "routine maintenance." Additionally, the court denied summary judgment for the common-law negligence and Labor Law § 200 claims against Fresh Direct, LLC, as it failed to establish a lack of notice regarding the defective ladder. The court affirmed the dismissal of the Labor Law § 241(6) claim against both defendants and the common-law negligence and Labor Law § 200 claims against Review Associates, LLC.

Personal InjuryLadder AccidentLabor Law § 240(1)Labor Law § 200Common-law NegligenceSummary JudgmentAppellate DivisionDuty to Maintain Safe PremisesRoutine Maintenance vs. RepairDangerous Condition
References
44
Case No. 01-08-00473-CV
Regular Panel Decision
Jul 23, 2009

Expo Motorcars, LLC. v. Harris County Appraisal District, Harris County Appraisal Review Board

Expo Motorcars, L.L.C. challenged the trial court’s summary judgment in favor of Harris County Appraisal District (HCAD) and Harris County Appraisal Review Board. Expo contested the constitutionality and application of Texas Tax Code sections 23.121(b) and 41.44(a)(1) regarding the valuation of its motor vehicle inventory for tax years 2004 and 2005. Expo argued it was denied meaningful due process review, presented uncontradicted evidence of actual value, and claimed the statutory formula violated the Texas Constitution. The appellate court affirmed the trial court's decision, finding that Expo's protest was untimely for 2004, the valuation method correctly used previous year's sales, and the tax code sections were constitutional as applied to Expo.

property taxmotor vehicle inventoryappraisaldue processTexas Tax Codeconstitutional challengesummary judgmenttax valuationstatutory interpretationappeal
References
4
Case No. 14-08-00493-CV
Regular Panel Decision
Jun 21, 2009

BACM 2002 PB2 Westpark Dr LP, Houston Parkwest Place Ltd, as the Property Owners and the Property Owners v. Harris County Appraisal District and the Appraisal Review Board of Harris County Appraisal District

This appeal concerns a lawsuit where a former property owner initiated judicial review of an ad valorem tax valuation protest by the county appraisal district. A subsequent property purchaser was later included as a plaintiff. The appraisal district challenged the plaintiffs' standing through a plea to the jurisdiction, leading the trial court to dismiss the suit. The appellate court affirmed this dismissal, concluding that neither the initial property owner (BACM 2002 PB2 Westpark Dr. LP) nor the subsequent owner (Houston Parkwest Place Ltd.) possessed the requisite standing to pursue judicial review. Consequently, the trial court was found to lack subject-matter jurisdiction over the dispute.

Property TaxAd Valorem TaxJudicial ReviewStanding DoctrineSubject-Matter JurisdictionPlea to the JurisdictionTexas Tax CodeTexas Rule of Civil Procedure 28Appellate ProcedureProperty Ownership
References
30
Case No. 01-07-00321-CV
Regular Panel Decision
Feb 28, 2008

Koll Bren Fund VI LP and Hartman 3100 Weslayan Acquisitions, LP v. Harris County Appraisal District and the Appraisal Review Board of Harris County Appraisal District

The Court of Appeals for the First District of Texas affirmed the trial court's dismissal of a suit for judicial review brought by Koll Bren Fund VI, LP and Hartman 3100 Weslayan Acquisitions against the Harris County Appraisal District. Appellants challenged the dismissal of their ad valorem tax-valuation protest for the 2005 tax year. The trial court had granted HCAD's plea to the jurisdiction, asserting Koll Bren lacked standing as it had sold the property prior to January 1, 2005. The appellate court agreed, ruling that Koll Bren, not being the owner, had no standing, and Hartman, the true owner, also lacked standing for failing to exhaust administrative remedies by not filing its own protest with the Appraisal Review Board. Consequently, the appellate court concluded that the trial court correctly lacked subject-matter jurisdiction.

property taxad valorem taxjudicial reviewstandingjurisdictionappellate procedureTexas Tax CodeHarris CountyAppraisal Review Boardexhaustion of remedies
References
21
Case No. MISSING
Regular Panel Decision

Ellis v. State

Appellant pleaded guilty to drug delivery and was sentenced to ten years' incarceration. On direct appeal, appellant alleged errors in probation law information during the trial and jury charge, which were unobjected to, leading to a claim of ineffective assistance of counsel. The Austin Court of Appeals affirmed the conviction. This court granted discretionary review, finding significant errors in the jury charge regarding probation conditions, specifically omissions of possible conditions and an incorrect limitation on the judge's discretion. These errors were exacerbated by conflicting testimony from the Chief Probation Officer and misleading arguments by both attorneys. Given the appellant's strong candidacy for probation, the erroneous information in the jury charge and during trial denied him a fair trial. Consequently, the judgment of the Court of Appeals was reversed, and the cause was remanded for a new trial.

Probation ConditionsJury Charge ErrorsIneffective Assistance of CounselDiscretionary ReviewCriminal ProcedureFair TrialSentencingDrug OffenseTexas Criminal LawAppellate Review
References
3
Case No. 04-10-00802-CV
Regular Panel Decision
Feb 08, 2012

Callaghan Ranch, Ltd (Appellant/Cross Appellee) v. David Killam (Appellee/Cross Appellant)

Callaghan Ranch, Ltd. appealed the denial of its motion for judgment notwithstanding the verdict, challenging a jury's finding that a disputed portion of San Ygnacio Road was not impliedly dedicated to the public. The Ranch had sought a declaratory judgment to affirm the road's public status. Concurrently, the Killams, as appellees and cross-appellants, contested the trial court's refusal to award attorney's fees. The appellate court upheld the lower court's decision, concluding that Callaghan Ranch failed to conclusively prove implied dedication due to disputed evidence. Furthermore, the court found no abuse of discretion in the denial of attorney's fees, citing that both parties had legitimate interests to pursue.

Implied DedicationDeclaratory JudgmentJudgment Notwithstanding VerdictPublic RoadPrivate RoadAttorney's FeesAppellate ReviewSufficiency of EvidenceProperty RightsTexas Law
References
32
Case No. 12-19-00032-CV
Regular Panel Decision
Jun 28, 2019

City of Dallas, a Self-Insured Employer, Appellant/Cross-Appellee v. Gregory D. Thompson, Appellee/Cross-Appellant

This is an interlocutory appeal from a trial court’s ruling on a plea to the jurisdiction in a suit for judicial review of a Texas Department of Insurance, Division of Workers’ Compensation (DWC) decision. The City of Dallas, a self-insured employer, challenged counterclaims filed by Gregory D. Thompson, a former employee who claimed workers’ compensation benefits. Dallas asserted the trial court lacked jurisdiction over Thompson’s counterclaims due to untimely filing. Thompson cross-appealed the dismissal of his counterclaim for attorney’s fees based on governmental immunity. The Court of Appeals affirmed the trial court's decision, ruling that the forty-five-day deadline for judicial review is not jurisdictional and upholding governmental immunity for the City of Dallas regarding attorney's fees.

Workers' Compensation BenefitsJudicial Review of Administrative DecisionsPlea to JurisdictionTimeliness of FilingsGovernmental Immunity DoctrineAttorney's Fees ClaimInterlocutory Appeal TexasLabor Code ViolationsSelf-Insured EntitiesAppellate Court Rulings
References
11
Case No. 04-02-00881-CV
Regular Panel Decision
Nov 26, 2003

Ian Hefley, (APPELLANT/CROSS-APPELLEE) v. Sentry Insurance Co., (APPELLEE/CROSS-APPELLANT)

Ian Hefley appealed a decision by the Texas Workers' Compensation Commission Appeals Panel after Sentry Insurance Co. denied his claim for a lower back injury. The trial court struck Hefley's pleadings regarding Sentry's alleged failure to timely dispute the injury, ruling the issue was outside the permissible scope of judicial review under Texas Labor Code § 410.302. Hefley contended that the TWCC was refusing to apply precedent from *Downs v. Continental Casualty Co.*, but the appellate court found that TWCC merely acknowledged the *Downs* decision had not yet become final. The Court of Appeals affirmed the trial court's order, concluding there was no abuse of discretion in striking Hefley's waiver allegations.

Workers' CompensationAppealTexas Labor CodeTimely DisputePleadingSpecial ExceptionsAbuse of DiscretionJudicial ReviewCompensabilityAppellate Court
References
6
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