in Re VCPalmsWestheimer Development LLC & Parawest Community Development LLC
Relators, VC PalmsWestheimer, LLC and Parawest Community Development, LLC, filed a petition for writ of mandamus seeking to compel Judge Daryl Moore to vacate an order denying their motion for leave to designate a responsible third party. The underlying case involves Seyedali Parsafar suing the Relators for negligence, gross negligence, premises liability, and DTPA violations following an assault at an apartment complex. The Relators sought to designate Jaeylen Deshawn Turner or an unknown individual (John Doe) as a responsible third party. The trial court denied the motion, believing the disclosure was untimely as it was not made before the statute of limitations ran or in the initial answer. The Court of Appeals found that the trial court abused its discretion, clarifying that disclosure obligations for responsible third parties arise when discovery responses are due, not necessarily before the statute of limitations or in the original answer when no discovery was served, and conditionally granted the petition for writ of mandamus.