City of Sachse v. Dan Wood

CourtCourt of Appeals of Texas
DecidedDecember 6, 2015
Docket05-15-01483-CV
StatusPublished

This text of City of Sachse v. Dan Wood (City of Sachse v. Dan Wood) 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
City of Sachse v. Dan Wood, (Tex. Ct. App. 2015).

Opinion

ACCEPTED 05-15-01483-CV FIFTH COURT OF APPEALS DALLAS, TEXAS 12/7/2015 12:00:00 AM LISA MATZ CLERK

IN THE COURT OF APPEALS FOR THE FIFTH DISTRICT OF TEXAS AT DALLAS FILED IN City of Sachse, § 5th COURT OF APPEALS DALLAS, TEXAS Appellant, § 12/6/2015 4:09:35 PM LISA MATZ Clerk v. § CAUSE NO.05-15-o14g3-~

Dan Wood, §

Appellee. §

APPELLANT'S REPLY IN SUPPORT OF EMERGENCY MOTION TO STAY PROCEEDINGS IN THE TRIAL COURT PENDING APPFAT"

On Appeal from Cause No. DC-12-00218-M in the 298th Judicial District Court of Dallas County, Texas

TO THE HONORABLE JUSTICES OF THIS COURT:

COMES NOW,Appellant City of Sachse (the "City") and files this reply in support

of its emergency motion to stay the proceedings in the trial court pending a resolution of

the City of Sachse's interlocutory appeal. In support thereof, the City of Sachse

respectfully shows the following:

1. Appellee Dan Wood("Wood")opposes the City's Emergency Motion to Stay

Proceedings based on his belief that the City's Plea to the Jurisdiction was not timely.

However,the timeline of events conclusively establishes that the City timely filed its Plea

to the Jurisdiction, Notice of Appeal and Emergency Motion to Stay.the Proceedings.

2. Wood's Original Petition alleged causes of action based on the Texas

Whistleblower Act, Chapter 554 of the Government Code, as well as Government Code

Section 614. Wood asked for damages, attorney's fees and reinstatement. Wood could

obtain all of this relief based on his whistleblower claim. His only available relief on his

Government Code Section 614 is reinstatement.

APPELLANT'S REPLY IN SUPPORT OF EMERGENCY MOTION TO STAY PROCEEDINGS IN THE TRIAL COURT PENDING APPEAI. PAGE 1 3. The City filed a Plea to the Jurisdiction on Wood's whistleblower claim

which the trial court denied. The City took an interlocutory appeal. The Fifth Court of

Appeals reversed the denial of the Plea; dismissed Wood's whistleblower claim; and

remanded the Government Code Section 614 claim back to the trial court for final

disposition. This Court's opinion and order are dated March 26, 2014. The style of the

appellate case is City ofSachse v. Dan Wood, Cause No. 05-13-00773-CV.

4. Following the remand, the trial court issued a scheduling order which

among other things set the deadline for amending pleadings to July 1, 2015;the deadline

to conduct discovery to August 23, 2015 and the case was to be tried on November 23,

2015. The trial date was later continued to December ~, 2015.

5. On April 4, 2015, Wood filed his First Amended Petition which amended

Wood's Government Code Section 614 Claim.l This claim is currently Wood's only cause

of action. During the course of discovery, it became apparent that Wood was expanding

the scope of Government Code Section 614 beyond all reason. For example, Wood claims

that he is entitled to discoveryfrom the City and that he has a right to put on any evidence

or arguments he believes is necessary at disciplinary and appeal conferences conducted

by the City. He also claims that he is entitled to all the remedies provided for under the

Texas Whistleblower Act including front pay, back pay and attorney's fees.2

6. Wood's interpretation of his Government Code Section 614 claim is well

beyond the scope of the statute and thus subject to a Plea to the Jurisdiction.

Subsequently, the City of Sachse filed its Plea to the Jurisdiction on September 23, 2015.

I See Plaintiffs First Amended Petition attached hereto as Exhibit"A" and incorporated herein by reference. 2 See Plaintiffs Sixth Response to the City's Request for Disclosure attached hereto as Exhibit"B" and incorporated herein by reference and compare to this Court decision in City ofSeagoville u. Lytle, 22~ S.W.3d 4o1(Tex.App-Dallas 200,no pet).

APPELLANT'S REPLY IN SUPPORT OF EMERGENCY MOTION TO STAY PROCEEDINGS IN THE TRIAL COURT PENDING APPEAL PAGE 2 The earliest available hearing date was November 13, 2015. The Plea was heard on

November 13, 2015 and the trial court took the motion under advisement. The trial court

signed an order denying the Plea on Friday, December 4, 2015. Within hours of receiving

the order denying the Plea to the Jurisdiction, the City filed its Notice of Appeal with the

trial court and its Emergency Motion to Stay the Proceedings. Under these circumstances,

the City was timely in its request for an Emergency Motion to Stay the Proceedings.

Praver

WHEREFORE,premises considered, the City of Sachse respectfully requests that

the Justices of this Honorable Court grant the instant motion and, pursuant to Rule 29.3

of the Texas Rules of Appellate Procedure, enter an order staying all proceedings in the

trial court pending resolution of the Appeal, and grant the City of Sachse any and all

further relief to which it may show itselfjustly entitled.

APPELLANT'S REPLY IN SUPPORT OF EMERGENCY MOTION TO STAY PROCEEDINGS IN THE TRIAL COURT PENDING APPEAL PAGE 3 Respectfully submitted,

MARIS & I.ANIER,P.C.

/s/ Robert F. Maris Marigny A. Lanier State Bar No. 11933200 mlanier@marislanier.com Robert F. Maris State Bar No. 12986300 rmaris@marislanier.com 3710 Rawlins Street, Suite 1550 Dallas, Texas 75219 214-X06-092o telephone 214-~06-0921 facsimile

A'I"TORNEYS FOR APPELLANT CITY OF SACHSE

CERTIFICATE OF SERVICE

This is to certify that a true, correct and complete copy of the foregoing document has been served in accordance with of the Texas Rules of Appellate Procedure on the 6th day of December, 2015 to:

Christopher Ayres Ayres Law Office, P.C. 4350 Beltway Drive Addison, Texas 75001

fs/ Robert F. Maris Robert F. Maris

APPELLANT'S REPLY IN SUPPORT OF EMERGENCY MOTION TO STAY PROCEEDINGS IN THE TRIAL COURT PENDING APPEAL PAGE 4 ~~ ~~

~~ FILED DALLAS COUNTY 4/20/2015 5:05:09 PM FELICIA PITRE DISTRICT CLERK

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]~,AINT~[F~'' FIRST ~IEI`dI)E~ PE'I'ITI4+i~i

Tt} ~'I-~E HOia1C3R~~Ll,JUDGE OF ~~~ ~tJUI~T:

GO~v1E~ I~lOW, Din ~c~c~d, Plai~ltif~ end foi-caus~ of action wo~.~lc3 respectfi~lly shotiv tl~e

~aurt a~ follows:

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1,1 .Plaintiffrequests Level 2 Discovery p~7is~aant to Tex. R. Czv, I'. i~C7.

~I, P~,~~'~r~s

2.1 ~'Iaintiff Daniel ~Ioar~ (h~reina~er re~er~ed fio as "Plaintiff' or "Lieutenant

W~ocl"j is a_r~sident of Catlin County, Texas

~.? Defe7l~ant, ~`ity of achse~ T~;c~s (h~rwi~lafCer refez~~d to as "L)~f~nd~~l~","City of

S~e,hse" car ;

Coll:ii~ bounty, Te~.as, T1ae D~fenc3azlt's prii~c~a~ai offi~.e and pi~3ce of business is iks City H~11

whic~I~ is located i~~ Dallas Coui-~ty, Texas ~t ~~15 ~~chse Road:, Building ~, Sa~.11se, Texas

75048, U~fe~lda~~t has been served wit1~ citation of suit axed I~~s made an ap~eai•zrlce in this

lawsuit,

-__ Plaintiff's First Am~xlded Petition ~ Page X III. JIJI2I5D[CTI~dN AND ~'ENt7~

3,1 PGrz•suant to Teas Rule of Civil PrQcedtiire 47(b), the damages sau~lzt by Plaintiff

are within the jui-isdicfiit~~~a1 limits of fihis Court. Pursu~itt to Te;:~~s Rile of Civil Procedure ~47(s},

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City of Sachse v. Dan Wood, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/city-of-sachse-v-dan-wood-texapp-2015.