Residents Against Flooding v. Reinvestment Zone Number Seventeen
The case involves Residents Against Flooding (RAF) and individual plaintiffs suing the City of Houston, Reinvestment Zone Number Seventeen (TIRZ 17), and the Memorial City Redevelopment Authority. Plaintiffs sought declaratory and injunctive relief, alleging that defendants' drainage and development policies in TIRZ 17 caused increased flooding in their residential neighborhoods, violating their Fourth and Fourteenth Amendment rights and Article 1, Section 19 of the Texas Constitution. Specifically, they claimed defendants diverted stormwater, approved developments without sufficient mitigation, and postponed residential flood relief. The defendants filed motions to dismiss for lack of standing, failure to state a claim, and immunity. The Court dismissed the state-created-danger claims, found federal and state takings claims not ripe, and concluded that all Section 1983 claims were time-barred. Additionally, the Court found the Zone not a suable entity and dismissed claims based on governmental immunity, ultimately granting all motions to dismiss.