Melanie T. Tellison v. Texas Workforce Commission and Two Dimensions Preparatory Academy, Inc.

• Court: Court of Appeals of Texas
• Decided: December 22, 2025
• Docket: 15-25-00233-CV
• Status: Published

Opinion

BEVERLEY MCGREW WALKER DISTRICT CLERK Fort Bend County, Texas

FILED IN 15th COURT OF APPEALS To: The Clerk of the Court of Appeals for the Fifteenth Court of Appeals Supreme Judicial DistrictAUSTIN, (Civil Appeal) TEXAS Trial Court No: 23-DCV-302162 12/22/2025 From the 400th Judicial District Court4:52:45 PMCounty, Fort Bend Texas CHRISTOPHER A. PRINE Clerk Judge Presiding: Edward M. Krenek Court Reporter: Mindy Hall

Appellant(s): MELANIE T. TELLISON Appellee(s): TEXAS WORKFORCE COMMISSION AND VS TWO DIMENSIONS PREPARATORY ACADEMY, INC

Attorney for Appellant(s) Attorney For Appellee(s) Melanie T. Tellison – Pro Se Alyson Thompson Elizabeth Angelone SBN: N/A SBN: 24143794 SBN: 24077349 15443 Campden Hill Rd Office Of The Attorney General Houston TX 77053 Po Box 12548, Capital Station Austin TX 78711-2548

Schulman Lopez Hoffer & Adelstein LLP 845 Proton Road San Antonio TX 78258 Telephone: 832-964-3026 Telephone: 512-475-4253; 512-840-0022 Facsimile: Facsimile: 512-478-4013; 210-538-5384 E-mail: melainesheppard85@gmail.com E-mail: ally.thompson@oag.texas.gov; eangelone@slh- law.com Attorney for: MELANIE T. TELLISON, Appellant Attorney for: TEXAS WORKFORCE COMMISSION AND TWO DIMENSIONS PREPARATORY ACADEMY, INC, Appellee

Date of Judgment/Appealable Order: December 01, 2025 - Nature of Action: Other Civil Order Granting Defendants' Joint Motion for Summary Judgment December 01, 2025 - Order Granting Defendant Two Dimensions Preparatory Academy's Rule 91A Motion to Dismiss Plaintiff's Second Amended Claims and Plea to the Jurisdiction December 11, 2025 - Order Denying Plaintiff's Motion for New Trial Disposition of Case: Summary Judgment/Final Jury Trial: No Plaintiff’s Motion for New Trial filed on: December 05, 2025 Plaintiff’s Notice of Appeal Filed On: December 22, 2025

Signed, on this the 22nd day of December, 2025.

BEVERLEY MCGREW WALKER, DISTRICT CLERK FORT BEND COUNTY, TEXAS Physical Address: 1422 Eugene Heimann Circle, Room 31004 Richmond, Texas 77469 Mailing Address: 301 Jackson Street, Room 101 Richmond, Texas 77469

By: Deputy District Clerk Tracy Tran Telephone: (281) 341-4515

Physical Address Mailing Address 1422 Eugene Heimann Circle, Room 31004 Phone: (281) 341-4515 301 Jackson Street, Room 101 Richmond, Texas 77469 Fax: (281) 341-4519 Richmond, Texas 77469 BEVERLEY MCGREW WALKER DISTRICT CLERK Fort Bend County, Texas

Electronically Filed with the Fifteenth Court of Appeals

Enclosure(s): Plaintiff’s Notice of Appeal

cc: Melanie T. Tellison Alyson Thompson Elizabeth Angelone

Physical Address Mailing Address 1422 Eugene Heimann Circle, Room 31004 Phone: (281) 341-4515 301 Jackson Street, Room 101 Richmond, Texas 77469 Fax: (281) 341-4519 Richmond, Texas 77469 Filed 12/22/2025 2:45 PM Beverley McGrew Walker District Clerk Fort Bend County, Texas Tracy Tran

CAUSE NO. 23-DCV-302162 MELANIE T. TELLISON SHEPPARD § IN THE DISTRICT COURT Plaintiff § § v. § § FORT BEND COUNTY, TEXAS TEXAS WORKFORCE § COMMISSION § AND TWO DIMENSIONS § PREPARATORY ACADEMY, § 400TH JUDICIAL DISTRICT Defendants

PLAINTIFF’S NOTICE OF APPEAL

TO THE HONORABLE JUDGE OF THE 400TH DISTRICT COURT, THE PARTIES, AND THE CLERK OF THE COURT: COMES NOW Plaintiff, MELANIE T. TELLISON, Pro Se, and files this Notice of

Appeal pursuant to Texas Rule of Appellate Procedure 25.1 and 26.1, and respectfully shows the

Court as follows:

I. Court and Cause Number: This appeal is taken from Cause No. 23-DCV-302162 in the

400th Judicial District Court of Fort Bend County, Texas.

II. Judgment/Order Appealed: Plaintiff hereby gives notice of her intent to appeal the

following orders signed by the Court that disposed of all parties and all claims:

1. The Final Judgment signed on December 1, 2025, granting:

• Defendant Two Dimensions Preparatory Academy’s Rule 91a Motion to

Dismiss, and

• Defendants’ Joint Motion for Summary Judgment; and

2. The Order Denying Plaintiff’s Motion for New Trial, signed on December 11,

2025. III. Parties to the Appeal:

• Appellant – Melanie T. Tellison, 15443 Campden Hill Rd. Houston, TX 77053

Email: melaniesheppard85@gmail.com, Telephone: (832) 964-3026

• Appellee – Texas Workforce Commission: Represented by: Alyson “Ally”

Thompson, Assistant Attorney General, Email: ally.thompson@oag.texas.gov

Office of the Attorney General, P.O. Box 12548 Austin, Texas 78711-2548

• Appellee – Two Dimensions Preparatory Academy: Represented by: H. Denise

N. Pierce, Email: dpierce@slh-law.com and Elizabeth Angelone, Email:

eangelone@slh-law.com, 845 Proton Road San Antonio, Texas 78258

IV. Court of Appeals: Pursuant to the exclusive statewide jurisdiction over matters

involving state commissions and agencies created by the 88th Legislature, this appeal is

taken to the Fifteenth Court of Appeals in Austin, Texas.

V. Nature of the Case: This appeal arises from a statutory judicial review under Texas

Labor Code §§ 212.201–212.202, in which Plaintiff sought a trial de novo regarding the

Texas Workforce Commission’s denial of unemployment benefits.

VI. Indigent Status: Plaintiff previously filed a Statement of Inability to Afford Payment of

Court Costs in the trial court. Pursuant to Texas Rule of Appellate Procedure 20.1,

Plaintiff is presumed indigent for the purposes of this appeal and is not required to pay

costs as the trial court has not overruled the claim of indigence.

VII. Request Regarding Costs: This appeal arises from a judicial review of a Texas

Workforce Commission decision under Texas Labor Code §§ 212.201–212.202. Pursuant to

Texas Labor Code § 212.202(b), "A court may not charge a claimant costs, including a fee

for filing a petition for judicial review or an appeal" VIII. Timeliness of Appeal: Plaintiff’s Motion for New Trial was denied on December 11,

2025. This Notice of Appeal is therefore timely under Texas Rule of Appellate Procedure

26.1(a).

IX. Prayer: Plaintiff respectfully requests that the District Clerk prepare and file the

appellate record and transmit it to the Fifteenth Court of Appeals, and that this appeal

proceed in accordance with the Texas Rules of Appellate Procedure.

Respectfully submitted,

By: __________________________________

Melanie T. Tellison 15443 Campden Hill Rd. Houston, TX 77053 Telephone: (832) 964-3026 Email: melaniesheppard85@gmail.com CERTIFICATE OF SERVICE

I hereby certify that on December 22, 2025, a copy of the foregoing document has been

sent to the other parties via email and eService, as follows:

Alyson “Ally” Thompson H. Denise N. Pierce Assistant Attorney General dpierce@slh-law.com State Bar No. 24143794 Elizabeth Angelone ally.thompson@oag.texas.gov eangelone@slh-law.com Tax Litigation Division 845 Proton Road Office of the Attorney General San Antonio, Texas 78258 P.O. Box 12548, Capitol Station Tel: 210-538-5385 Austin, Texas 78711-2548 Fax: 210-538-5384 Tel: 512-475-4253 Attorneys For Defendant Fax: 512-478-4013 Two Dimensions Preparatory Academy Attorneys for Defendant Texas Workforce Commission

Dated: December 22, 2025

________________________________

Melanie T. Tellison Sheppard 15443 Campden Hill Rd. Houston, Texas 77053 Telephone: 832-964-3026 Email: Melaniesheppard85@gmail.com Petitioner Pro Se