HNMC, Inc. v. Chan – 683 S.W.3d 373 – Jan 19, 2024

The Texas Supreme Court reversed the lower court’s holding regarding the specialized, case-specific duty owed by the Employer-Defendant when the Employee-Plaintiff was killed on an adjoining public roadway. Although the workers compensation bar was raised, the Court did not discuss the arguments because it found no duty was owed.

Frausto v. RC Industries LLC – 13-23-00194-CV – Jan 11, 2024

The Thirteenth Court of Appeals (Corpus Christi) affirmed the lower court’s summary judgement in favor of the Employer-Defendant in a workers compensation retaliation claim. The Court noted that the Employee-Plaintiff failed to provide any controverting evidence that the Employer-Defendant did not uniformly enforce the absence-control policy.

The City of Corpus Christi, Texas v. Nickerson – 13-22-00040-CV – Jan 4, 2024

The Thirteenth Court of Appeals reversed the lower court’s denial of Employer-Defendant’s plea to the jurisdiction. The Court reasoned that Employee-Plaintiff received workers’ compensation insurance coverage for a work-related injury, and the Texas Workers’ Compensation Act applied—barring waiver of the City’s immunity under the Texas Torts Claims Act.

In re East Texas Medical Center – 12-23-00263-CV – Nov 21, 2023

The Twelfth Court of Appeals (Tyler) upheld the lower court’s order striking relator’s designation as a responsible third party. In reaching its conclusion, the Court determined that a negligence case against a nonsubscribing employer is an action for workers’ compensation benefits under the Texas Workers’ Compensation Act.