Amboree v. Bonton

575 S.W.3d 38
CourtCourt of Appeals of Texas
DecidedMarch 5, 2019
DocketNO. 01-17-00936-CV
StatusPublished
Cited by11 cases

This text of 575 S.W.3d 38 (Amboree v. Bonton) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals of Texas primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Amboree v. Bonton, 575 S.W.3d 38 (Tex. Ct. App. 2019).

Opinion

Julie Countiss, Justice

Appellant Anna Amboree challenges the trial court's dismissal order and summary judgment in favor of appellees Michelle Bonton, Sonia Jordan, Danielle Harrison, and Decounder Thompson (collectively, "appellees") in her suit against them for *40violating the Open Meetings Act1 and for a declaratory judgment. In her sole issue, Amboree contends that the trial court erred in granting summary judgment and dismissing her claims because she sued the proper parties-appellees-and was not required to join the Rhodes School (the "School") in the suit.

We affirm in part and reverse and remand in part.

Background

This suit was appealed to a prior panel of this Court. See generally Amboree v. Bonton , No. 01-14-00846-CV, 2015 WL 4967046 (Tex. App.-Houston [1st Dist.] Aug. 20, 2015, no pet.) (mem. op.). There, we affirmed the trial court's summary judgment in appellees'2 favor on all of Amboree's claims against them save for the Open Meetings Act and declaratory-judgment claims. Id. at *3-7. We then remanded the suit for further proceedings. Id. at *7.

In her fifth amended petition, Amboree alleges that she was employed as "Chief Financial Officer, Business Manager[,] and Human Resources Manager" for the School, a charter school, and reported directly to Bonton. Bonton, "a founding member, the principal[,] and superintendent" was Amboree's "supervisor." Amboree advised Bonton "on financial and business matters as they related to the school." Jordan, Harrison, and Thompson are members of the School's board.

Amboree alleges that she discovered what she believed to be improprieties in the School's operation. According to her, Bonton "falsified a bid for [a] transportation contract" with Ellis Industries Inc., whose "sole shareholders" are Bonton and her husband. The bid was allegedly false because it "stated that the drivers meet all the state requirements for driving the school bus[,] and the school bus meets all state and local safety requirements, including seat belts[,] and that their drivers have completed or are in the process of completing school bus driver certification," when in fact those requirements were not met. When she raised concerns about this, she alleges that Bonton told her, "I don't mind a slap on the wrist."

Further, allegedly against Amboree's advice, Bonton approved "construction at the school without obtaining the requisite permits f[ro]m the county."

Amboree also alleges that Bonton asked her "to verify employment for [Bonton]'s daughter to receive financial aid," even though the daughter "was out of state on an internship at the time," and that verifying employment under the circumstances would have been illegal and fraudulent. After Amboree's refusal, Bonton then asked the School's board president, Sonia Jordan, "to verify employment for her daughter."

Amboree also alleges that Bonton paid herself "commissions ... as a grant writer on grants," including "grants that did not allow for these types of 'commissions.' " The School's board approved Bonton's request to be paid commissions, plus "$89,700 per year," and gave the approval "retroactive" effect, despite Bonton earlier having "swor[n] under oath that she would not receive compensation from the Rhodes School in her application for charter."

*41Amboree also alleges that once, when Jordan "was in need of money," Bonton offered to pay "Jordan for the board meetings (past and present) that were being held at her house (although The Rhodes School was closer and free)." And Bonton allegedly "ordered [Amboree] ... to complete and back[-]date a Texas Real Estate Commercial Lease Agreement between Sonia Jordan's husband, Marcellus Jordan," and the School. When Amboree refused to do so, Bonton "obtained a Texas Commercial Lease Agreement from the internet and executed it and illegally backdated the contracts between" the School and Marcellus Jordan.

Bonton also allegedly "inflated the school enrollment to obtain more government money for transportation as transportation funds were based on the amount of students enrolled."

Amboree further alleges that, at a July 2010 board meeting held "without sufficient notice" under the Open Meetings Act, Bonton "added her daughter Ashley and her very good friend Mignonne Anderson to the budget as new full[-]time employees," paying "her daughter full[-]time pay for part[-]time work."

Allegedly because Amboree reported to Bonton or to the School's board that many of these alleged activities were unlawful, Bonton "determined that [Amboree] was an obstacle in" Bonton's "continuing to use" the School "as a conduit or tool ... for her profit," and appellees fired Amboree in violation of the Open Meetings Act. Specifically, Amboree alleges that

Bonton and [the] board members terminated [Amboree]'s employment in a special meeting that was called in violation of The Open Meetings Act as well as took actions in other meetings also in violation of The Open Meetings Act. Specifically, the September meeting where [Amboree] was terminated ... did not contain [Amboree]'s proposed termination on an agenda published pursuant to the Texas Open Records Act.

The meeting during which Amboree's employment was terminated was held on September 26, 2010. Amboree seeks to hold appellees "liable in their individual capacity pursuant to the Texas Open Meetings Act ... because they failed to properly notice and hold the September 26, 2010 meeting terminating [Amboree]."

Amboree therefore filed this suit, seeking a declaration "that Defendants' termination of [Amboree] in such meeting is void," along with "reinstatement of [Amboree] to the date of that termination meeting on September 26, 2010." She also seeks a declaration that "the actions taken in any meeting including the board, including but not limited to the meeting terminating [Amboree] were void and unenforceable and invalid." Amboree requests "actual damages," "back pay lost," "front pay," "general damages for the damages to [her] reputation," pre-judgment and post-judgment interest, "[d]amages for mental pain and mental anguish and other compensatory damages," "[p]unitive or [e]xemplary [d]amages," attorneys' fees, and court costs.

After remand from the prior appeal, appellees filed their "Motion to Dismiss Pursuant to CPRC Section 37.006" and a "Motion for Final Summary Judgment."

In their motion to dismiss, appellees contended that the School is "an indispensable party" to this suit and that Amboree's failure to have the School served with process and joined in the suit "defeats the Court's subject[-]matter jurisdiction" over the suit under Civil Practice & Remedies Code section 37.006(a). Amboree responded that a dismissal for lack of jurisdiction under Section 37.006(a) "unduly limit[s] the availability of relief between the parties *42already joined and would be contrary to the dictate that the Declaratory Judgment Act be liberally construed."

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
575 S.W.3d 38, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/amboree-v-bonton-texapp-2019.