City of Gainesville v. Suzanne Sharp

Court of Appeals of Texas·Decided October 20, 2022·No. 02-22-00061-CV·Published

Opinion

In the

Court of Appeals Second Appellate District of Texas at Fort Worth

No. 02-22-00061-CV

CITY OF GAINESVILLE, Appellant V.

SUZANNE SHARP, Appellee

On Appeal from the 235th District Court Cooke County, Texas

Trial Court No. CV20-00300

Before Sudderth, C.J.; Birdwell and Wallach, JJ.

Memorandum Opinion by Justice Birdwell

MEMORANDUM OPINION

Appellant City of Gainesville files this interlocutory appeal from the trial court’s order denying the City’s plea to the jurisdiction on Appellee Suzanne Sharp’s premises liability claim. The City argues that Sharp did not pay for the use of the City’s premises and therefore was a licensee at the time of her accident, that the condition of the premises was not unreasonably dangerous, and that the City did not have actual or constructive knowledge of an unreasonably dangerous condition. Because Sharp has shown that there is a disputed material fact regarding whether the condition was unreasonably dangerous, we affirm the trial court’s ruling.

I. Background

Sharp sued the City for injuries she sustained on the Gainesville airport tarmac.

On May 17, 2020, Sharp and her instructor pilot landed their plane at the Gainesville airport to purchase fuel for the plane. Sharp deplaned onto the tarmac with a dog and began walking toward a grassy area. As she was walking the dog, Sharp tripped on an unmarked tie-down 1 protruding from a depression in the ground, which caused her to “fall violently face-first on the pavement.” The fall resulted in “serious and disabling injuries requiring surgical intervention,” and Sharp brought a premises defect claim against the City under the Texas Tort Claims Act (TTCA). The City then filed a plea to the jurisdiction asserting it was immune from suit because Sharp was a licensee, not

1 For reference, a tie-down is an iron anchor, bolt, or hook embedded in a depression in the concrete that is used to tie down or secure an airplane by its wings, which prevents the plane from being damaged during high winds or a storm.

an invitee, and as a licensee she was unable to prove that the City had actual knowledge of an unreasonably dangerous condition. Sharp responded that by landing at the airport for the sole purpose of purchasing fuel, she paid for the use of the airport and was therefore an invitee. Sharp also argued that regardless of whether she was an invitee or a licensee, the overwhelming evidence established fact issues as to the challenged elements of her TTCA claim, which required the trial court to deny the City’s plea. The trial court denied the City’s plea, and this appeal followed.

II. Standard of Review and Applicable Law Unless the state consents to suit, sovereign immunity deprives a trial court of subject-matter jurisdiction over lawsuits against the state or certain governmental units. Tex. Dep’t of Parks & Wildlife v. Miranda, 133 S.W.3d 217, 224 (Tex. 2004). Cities are political subdivisions of the state and, absent waiver, are similarly entitled to governmental immunity. Reata Constr. Corp. v. City of Dallas, 197 S.W.3d 371, 374 (Tex. 2006) (op. on reh’g).

A plea to the jurisdiction is a dilatory plea that seeks dismissal of a case for lack of subject-matter jurisdiction. Harris Cnty. v. Sykes, 136 S.W.3d 635, 638 (Tex. 2004). A jurisdictional plea’s purpose is to defeat a cause of action without regard to the asserted claims’ merits. Bland ISD v. Blue, 34 S.W.3d 547, 554 (Tex. 2000). The plea may challenge the pleadings, the existence of jurisdictional facts, or both. Alamo Heights ISD v. Clark, 544 S.W.3d 755, 770 (Tex. 2018). The plea to the jurisdiction standard generally mirrors that of a traditional motion for summary judgment under

Texas Rule of Civil Procedure 166a(c). Miranda, 133 S.W.3d at 228. Under this standard, the governmental unit must meet the summary judgment standard of proof by successfully asserting and supporting with evidence that the trial court lacks subject-matter jurisdiction. Id. The burden then shifts to the plaintiff, who—when the facts underlying the merits and subject-matter jurisdiction are intertwined—must show that there is a disputed material fact regarding the jurisdictional issue. Id. (citing Huckabee v. Time Warner Ent. Co. L.P., 19 S.W.3d 413, 420 (Tex. 2000)).

Whether the trial court has subject-matter jurisdiction is a legal question that we review de novo. Miranda, 133 S.W.3d at 226. We review a plea to the jurisdiction by considering the pleadings, the factual assertions, and all relevant evidence in the record. City of Houston v. Hous. Mun. Emps. Pension Sys., 549 S.W.3d 566, 575 (Tex. 2018). When reviewing a plea to the jurisdiction that incorporates evidence implicating the merits of the case, we must “take as true all evidence favorable to the nonmovant” and “indulge every reasonable inference and resolve any doubts in the nonmovant’s favor.” Miranda, 133 S.W.3d at 228 (citing Sci. Spectrum, Inc. v. Martinez, 941 S.W.2d 910, 911 (Tex. 1997)). If the evidence creates a fact question regarding jurisdiction, the trial court must deny the plea and leave its resolution to the factfinder. Id. at 227–28. But if the evidence is undisputed or fails to raise a fact question on the jurisdictional issue, the trial court rules on the plea as a matter of law. Id. at 228.

III. Discussion

The TTCA provides a limited waiver of governmental immunity for personal injury claims arising from premises defects. Tex. Civ. Prac. & Rem. Code Ann. § 101.021; Miranda, 133 S.W.3d at 224. Specifically, a governmental unit is liable for personal injury caused by the condition or use of real property “if the governmental unit would, were it a private person, be liable to the claimant according to Texas law.” Tex. Civ. Prac. & Rem. Code Ann. § 101.021. For such claims, “the governmental unit owes to the claimant only the duty that a private person owes to a licensee on private property, unless the claimant pays for the use of the premises.” Id. § 101.022(a). If the claimant paid for the use of the premises, she is an invitee. City of Fort Worth v. Posey, 593 S.W.3d 924, 927 (Tex. App.—Fort Worth 2020, no pet.) (citing Sullivan v. City of Fort Worth, No. 02-10-00223-CV, 2011 WL 1902018, at *8 (Tex. App.—Fort Worth May 19, 2011, pet. denied) (mem. op. on reh’g)).

Here, the elements of Sharp’s cause of action depend on whether she was a licensee or an invitee at the time of her accident. See id. If Sharp was a licensee, she must show that the City had actual knowledge of the unreasonable risk of harm created by the tie-down. Id. If she was an invitee, Sharp need only show that the City knew or should have known of the unreasonable risk of harm—i.e., constructive knowledge. See id.

A. Sharp’s Status as Invitee or Licensee The City first disputes whether Sharp paid for the use of the airport premises, arguing that Sharp was a licensee at the time of her accident. Sharp contends that she paid for the use of the premises because she and her instructor pilot landed their plane at the City’s airport for the sole purpose of purchasing fuel, and accordingly, she was an invitee. See Tex. Civ. Prac. & Rem. Code Ann. § 101.022(a).

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