Bringing Family Law Expertise to SCOTX | Justice Debra Lehrmann | Texas Appellate Law Podcast
Potential Changes to SCOTX Petition Practice | Justice Evan Young | Texas Appellate Law Podcast
An Unexpected Path to the Appellate Bench | Justice Rebeca Huddle | Texas Appellate Law Podcast
Texas Supreme Court Draws Line on Attorney Immunity Privilege
Handling the Texas Supreme Court’s Public Information | Osler McCarthy | Texas Appellate Law Podcast
Paths to Texas Judicial Selection Reform | Chief Justice Tom Phillips | Texas Appellate Law Podcast
In a recent opinion issued on June 27, the Supreme Court of Texas emphasized that the presence of negligence does not always lead to liability, and Texas law requires more from those seeking such a finding....more
On an icy winter day more than ten years ago, the driver of an F-350 pickup truck, traveling eastbound on Interstate 20, crossed a 42-foot grassy median, entered in westbound traffic, and collided with a Werner Enterprises...more
In a significant decision issued on June 27, 2025, the Supreme Court of Texas reversed a jury verdict awarding over $89 million in damages in favor of the plaintiffs in Werner Enterprises, Inc. v. Blake, holding that the...more
The Texas Supreme Court reversed a lower court’s decision against a franchisor based on a theory of negligence after a customer was assaulted by an employee of the franchisee. The court concluded that franchisor did not owe a...more
On May 2, 2025, the Texas Supreme Court held that a franchisor owes no duty of care for injuries caused by a franchisee’s employee unless the franchisor retained or exercised control over the hiring of that employee....more
Texas employers that opt out of the state’s workers’ compensation program recently received a big win that will impact litigation strategies. While workers’ comp provides a no-fault system, employers that elect not to...more
A recent Texas Supreme Court decision fully overturned a jury’s finding that a franchisor was liable for the criminal actions of a franchisee’s employee. This decision underscores the importance of a franchisor having clearly...more
On May 2, 2025, the Texas Supreme Court reversed a Texas Court of Appeals’ decision that had affirmed a jury’s verdict finding a franchisor directly liable to the customer of a franchisee for actions undertaken by the...more
We previously wrote about the procuring-cause doctrine here. As a refresher, the procuring-cause doctrine provides that a salesperson or other agent who contracts for a commission becomes entitled to payment of the commission...more
On December 30, 2022, the Texas Supreme Court issued its opinion in Cameron International Corporation v. Martinez, __ S.W.3d __, 2022 WL __ (Tex. Dec. 30, 2022) (per curiam) (“Cameron”). The opinion addresses vicarious...more
Executive Summary: In a recent case, the Texas Supreme Court upheld the validity of an arbitration clause in a case that had been in litigation for over nine years without the claim ever being heard. See In re Whataburger...more
The Texas Supreme Court recently established a “default rule” which, as the dissent puts it, may “threaten the expectations of Texas at-will employers and employees who have agreed to a commission structure but, for whatever...more
In 1916, the Texas Supreme Court articulated the procuring-cause doctrine, which is a default rule that applies when a valid agreement to pay a commission on sales of property or product does not address whether commissions...more
Texas courts generally look to federal courts’ interpretation of federal anti-discrimination laws to assist in interpreting the anti-discrimination provisions of the Texas Commission on Human Rights Act (TCHRA). However, the...more
The question of when a worker has raised concerns about discrimination sufficient to gain retaliation protection has not been answered consistently and clearly by courts. A case in Texas may provide clarification...more
The Texas Supreme Court recently clarified that the Workers’ Compensation Act’s intentional-injury exception applies only to situations where the employer purposefully causes injury or when the employer believes “that its...more
On June 5, 2020, the Texas Supreme Court refused to review a case that could have decided whether municipal paid sick leave ordinances in Texas were lawful. Specifically, it denied a petition from the City of Austin to review...more
As we have previously reported, in late 2018, a Texas appellate court ruled that a similar paid sick leave ordinance enacted in Austin violated the Texas Minimum Wage Act and the Texas Constitution and was therefore...more
On April 6, 2018, the Texas Supreme Court issued a decision assessing what evidence is necessary to support an actionable same-sex sexual harassment claim. In an opinion totaling over 100 pages, the six-justice majority and...more
On May 26, 2017, the Texas Supreme Court addressed whether Texas recognizes a defamation claim for compelled self-publication. The Texas Supreme Court, joining a number of other states, including Connecticut, Massachusetts,...more
The Texas Supreme Court recently blurred the distinctions between harassment and assault claims as they apply to employer liability under the state’s antidiscrimination statute. In considering whether a plaintiff is required...more
Seyfarth Synopsis: In a decision that is sure to increase the costs and complexity of litigation, the Texas Supreme Court recently held that a former employee’s common law assault claim was not preempted by the state’s...more
In Texas, some victims of workplace sexual assault may pursue common law assault claims against their employers, following a recent Supreme Court of Texas ruling. B.C. v. Steak N Shake Ops., Inc., — S.W.3d —, Case No. 15-0404...more
On April 24, 2015, the Supreme Court of Texas released an opinion in a case brought under Texas law that will help Texas employers defend themselves against claims of retaliation. In San Antonio Water System v. Nicholas, the...more