Melchor Galindo v. Imperial Group, L.P. A/K/A Transportation Technologies Industries, Imperial Fabricating, Inc. and Imperial Fabrication
Appellant Melchor Galindo filed a wrongful termination suit against Appellees Imperial Group, L.P. after being laid off following a work-related back injury and subsequent return to work with restrictions. Imperial filed a motion for summary judgment, which Galindo's counsel failed to timely respond to due to a calendaring error and staff turnover. The trial court denied Galindo's oral motion for leave to file a late response and granted Imperial's motion for summary judgment. On appeal, the Court of Appeals for the Second District of Texas reversed and remanded the case, holding that the trial court abused its discretion by denying leave, as Galindo demonstrated good cause for the late filing (clerical error, not conscious indifference) and no undue prejudice to Imperial would have resulted from a short delay.