CareFlite v. Rural Hill Emergency Medical Services, Inc.
CareFlite initiated a lawsuit seeking a writ of mandamus to compel Rural Hill Emergency Medical Services, Inc. to disclose information under the Texas Public Information Act (TPIA). Rural Hill counterclaimed, requesting a declaratory judgment that it was not a governmental body subject to the TPIA. The trial court granted Rural Hill's motion for summary judgment and denied CareFlite's. On appeal, CareFlite challenged this ruling, arguing that Rural Hill was supported by public funds through non-arms-length contracts and provided services traditionally offered by governmental bodies. The Eleventh Court of Appeals affirmed the trial court's decision, concluding that the contractual relationships between Rural Hill and the cities constituted arms-length transactions, thereby exempting Rural Hill from the TPIA's "governmental body" definition. The court also upheld the propriety of Rural Hill's declaratory judgment counterclaim.