Kenneth Henry v. Marc A. Notzon and Law Office of Marc A. Notzon, P.C.

CourtCourt of Appeals of Texas
DecidedDecember 22, 2022
Docket05-20-00994-CV
StatusPublished

This text of Kenneth Henry v. Marc A. Notzon and Law Office of Marc A. Notzon, P.C. (Kenneth Henry v. Marc A. Notzon and Law Office of Marc A. Notzon, P.C.) 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
Kenneth Henry v. Marc A. Notzon and Law Office of Marc A. Notzon, P.C., (Tex. Ct. App. 2022).

Opinion

AFFIRMED and Opinion Filed December 22, 2022

S In The Court of Appeals Fifth District of Texas at Dallas No. 05-20-00994-CV

KENNETH HENRY, Appellant V. MARC A. NOTZON AND LAW OFFICE OF MARC A. NOTZON, P.C., Appellees

On Appeal from the 191st Judicial District Court Dallas County, Texas Trial Court Cause No. DC-19-13449

MEMORANDUM OPINION Before Justices Schenck, Molberg, and Pedersen, III Opinion by Justice Pedersen, III Appellant Kenneth Henry sued appellees Marc A. Notzon and the Law Offices

of Marc A. Notzon, P.C. (together, Notzon) claiming a breach of fiduciary duty. The

trial court granted summary judgment in favor of Notzon based on collateral

estoppel. In two appellate issues, Henry argues the trial court erroneously granted

summary judgment and erroneously denied Henry’s motions to compel certain

discovery by Notzon. We affirm the trial court’s judgment. Background

On May 29, 2015, Henry was driving a truck for his long-time employer, Time

Warner Cable (TWC). As a Maintenance Technician, Henry was assigned a

company truck to drive to commercial and residential locations to install and repair

cable services. Henry ran a red light and hit another vehicle; Henry and the three

people in the other vehicle were seriously injured, and both vehicles were totaled.

That accident touched off a series of business and legal proceedings, culminating

with this case now on appeal.

Henry’s Termination

Well before the 2015 accident, TWC learned that Henry had been diagnosed

with insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus. On the day of the accident, a co-worker

raised a question about Henry’s behavior, claiming Henry was acting “weird and

combative.” Concern was expressed about Henry’s blood sugar, and a supervisor

was notified. For part of the day, Henry rode in a truck with the supervisor.

Eventually he “was put back in his company truck and told to go home.” That was

when the accident occurred. Henry’s injuries included broken vertebrae.

Just days after the accident, Notzon undertook representation of both Henry

and TWC in regard to the accident; Notzon had represented TWC for many years.

Notzon called Henry, requesting a list of his medications. Henry took his

medications to TWC, where he met with Notzon and a number of TWC employees.

The group discussed Henry’s diabetes, his medications, and the accident. Days after

–2– that meeting, according to Henry, an Accident Review Committee (ARC) conducted

a review of the accident.1 Notzon and a number of TWC representatives attended the

proceeding.

Henry continued to be treated for his injuries. He filed a worker’s

compensation claim and was released to return to work on September 7, 2015.

Shortly thereafter, according to TWC and Notzon, an ARC was held. (A TWC

representative testified that these committees typically review an accident within

seven days, but this one was delayed because of Henry’s leave of absence.) Henry

learned that Notzon had spoken with TWC representatives before and after that

proceeding. Notzon contends he spoke with Henry then as well and advised him “to

say very little to avoid criminal prosecution.” Henry denies that Notzon spoke to him

at all concerning the proceeding, and Henry denies attending the proceeding. Indeed,

Henry questions whether a September ARC actually occurred. According to TWC,

the ARC determined that Henry’s accident had been avoidable.

On October 2, 2015, Henry’s employment was terminated. TWC asserted that

Henry was fired because he was responsible for a severe, avoidable accident.

1 In our record, the acronym ARC is sometimes used to refer to the committee and sometimes used to refer to the committee’s procedure for reviewing an accident. –3– The Ward Lawsuit

Both Henry and TWC were sued by the three people in the vehicle struck by

Henry.2 Notzon represented both defendants throughout the suit, and he eventually

negotiated settlements with all three plaintiffs. Documents indicate that Notzon’s

representation of Henry was paid for by ESIS, Inc., the entity that administered

Henry’s worker’s compensation claim.

Henry v. TWC

Henry sued TWC for wrongful termination in federal court. He claimed that

TWC discriminated against him because of his disability, i.e., his diabetes. He also

alleged that TWC fired him in retaliation for his filing a worker’s compensation

claim. In a summary judgment proceeding discussed in more detail below, the trial

court concluded that Henry was unable to prove either of his claims because the

summary judgment evidence established that TWC fired him for causing a severe,

avoidable accident. Henry appealed the trial court’s decision to the Fifth Circuit

Court of Appeals; that court affirmed the judgment for TWC.

Henry v. Notzon

Henry filed this lawsuit against Notzon in August 2019. He contends that

Notzon breached the fiduciary duty he owed Henry while representing him.

2 The lawsuit was styled Wanda Adaway and Anethra Ward, Individually and as Next Friend of Ladaysha Robinson, a Minor v. Time Warner Cable Texas, LLC and Kenneth Raynard Henry; it was filed in the same court as this suit, the 191st District Court of Dallas County. –4– Specifically, Henry charges that Notzon gave TWC information at the time of the

September ARC that resulted in TWC’s terminating Henry. Notzon did not disclose

to Henry that he was meeting with TWC, and he refused to disclose anything he had

told TWC about Henry. Henry complains further that Notzon has misrepresented

facts surrounding his role in the termination, including the contention that there was

an ARC on September 25, 2015, and that he warned Henry to say little to avoid

criminal charges. Henry contends that Notzon was involved in the decision to fire

Henry, to “orchestrate” the September ARC so that it would appear the accident was

solely the fault of Henry, and to exculpate TWC for its own gross negligence in

allowing Henry to drive. Henry pleaded that these violations of Notzon’s duty

caused TWC to terminate Henry’s employment, and he alleges that he suffered not

only a loss of employment-related benefits, but also actual and exemplary damages

as a result.

Notzon filed a traditional motion for summary judgment, arguing that Henry

was unable to prove that any breach of duty by Notzon was the cause of his

termination and the damages that flowed from that termination. Notzon asserted that

the cause of Henry’s termination had been determined in the federal lawsuit: TWC

fired him because he caused a severe, avoidable accident. Notzon argued that the

doctrine of collateral estoppel, thus, barred relitigation of the causation issue. The

trial court granted Notzon’s motion.

–5– As the case proceeded below, Henry pressed for discovery of a number of

documents that Notzon contended were privileged based on his attorney-client

relationship with TWC. The trial court denied Henry’s motions to compel production

of the documents.

Henry’s appeal in this Court challenges the trial court’s grant of summary

judgment and its denial of his motions to compel.

Summary Judgment Based on Collateral Estoppel

The affirmative defense of collateral estoppel—sometimes called issue

preclusion—bars the successive litigation of an issue of fact or of law that was

actually litigated and resolved in a valid court determination essential to the prior

judgment. Taylor v.

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