Dora Gulley (Appellant/Cross Appellee) v. State Farm Lloyds (Appellee/Cross Appellant)
Dora Gulley sued State Farm Lloyds for additional insurance benefits after foundation damage from a plumbing leak was covered under the Dwelling Foundation Endorsement, subject to a 15% limitation, while Gulley sought coverage under a Water Damage Endorsement. Both parties filed competing summary judgment motions, which the trial court denied without making a substantive ruling on which endorsement applied, but certified an interlocutory appeal. The appellate court found that the trial court erred in declining to decide the substantive legal issue presented by the competing summary judgment motions. The court clarified that section 51.014(d) of the Texas Civil Practice and Remedies Code is not a mechanism for a certified question before a substantive ruling. Thus, the decision was reversed and remanded for the trial court to make a substantive ruling.