Strother v. City of Rockwall

358 S.W.3d 462, 2012 Tex. App. LEXIS 715, 2012 WL 252125
CourtCourt of Appeals of Texas
DecidedJanuary 27, 2012
DocketNo. 05-10-01348-CV
StatusPublished
Cited by13 cases

This text of 358 S.W.3d 462 (Strother v. City of Rockwall) 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
Strother v. City of Rockwall, 358 S.W.3d 462, 2012 Tex. App. LEXIS 715, 2012 WL 252125 (Tex. Ct. App. 2012).

Opinion

OPINION

Opinion By

Justice O’NEILL.

In this inverse condemnation case, appellant Cathy Strother appeals the trial court’s granting of the City of Rockwall’s plea to the jurisdiction and traditional and no-evidence motions for summary judgment. We affirm the trial court’s judgment.

Background

In June of 2007, appellant filed her original petition against the City of Rockwall (the “City”) alleging the City had violated article 1, section 17 of the Texas Constitution by taking, damaging, destroying, or applying her property for public use without adequate compensation or unreasonably interfering with her right to use and enjoy her property.

According to her petition, appellant owns 2 acres of improved real property located at 2430 S. Highway 205 in Rock-wall, Texas. Three commercial buildings are located on the property, which she currently leases to tenants. According to the FEMA Flood Insurance Rate Map, a portion of the property, but none of the buildings, are located within the one-hundred-year flood plain.

In March of 2007, appellant entered into a contract to sell the property for $600,000. Subsequently, the City allegedly told the buyers the property was in the flood plain and essentially unusable. The City said no changes could ever be made to the property, and it would never again issue certificates of occupancy for the property. The buyers terminated the contract.

Appellant alleges the City knew its actions would result in harm to her or knew that harm was substantially certain to occur. Such acts and statements by the City resulted in immediate, substantial, and unreasonable interference with her ability to sell the property. Appellant sought a declaration from the trial court regarding her rights under the Texas Constitution.

The City filed special exceptions and a general denial. It also asserted the trial court lacked jurisdiction because appellant failed to overcome the City’s immunity. The City then filed a plea to the jurisdiction and alternative motions for summary judgment.

In its plea to the jurisdiction, the City argues appellant’s claims are based on a determination by FEMA that certain flood plains apply to her property, but such actions did not result in a taking. In 2002, the City retained Nationwide Water Resource Services, Inc. (“NWRS”) to pre[466]*466pare a master drainage study. The primary purpose of the study was to provide a detailed assessment and documentation of storm water drainage within the City. The study took place over a period of years. During NWRS’s investigation, it determined that prior map elevation data contained discrepancies. Some of the elevations used in the prior study for an anticipated one-hundred-year flood were more than five feet too low.

After further meetings and investigations, in October 2006, FEMA issued its preliminary Flood Insurance Study and Digital Flood Insurance Rate Maps, which included revisions to prior FEMA maps affecting appellant’s property. The City argues its only involvement with appellant’s property was to have a Master Drainage Study prepared by NWRS, which included the whole City, and to comply with FEMA’s requests and regulations. It did not engage in any action to take appellant’s property nor has it given appellant notice of any intent to stop the property’s existing use. “In essence, Plaintiff is suing the City for FEMA revising its maps to correctly show actual conditions and moving a FEMA designation line.” By complying with federal law, the City argues it has not taken appellant’s property-

Appellant amended her original petition and included facts alleging the City conducted various activities on or near her land that resulted in water flooding her property after significant rainfall, which did not occur prior to the City’s activities. She added causes of action for negligent and intentional diversion of water, nuisance, trespass, and violation of water code section 11.086.

The City filed a supplement to its plea to the jurisdiction and alternative motions for summary judgment to include further evidence in support of its claim that the trial court lacked jurisdiction. It also addressed the new claims raised by appellant in her first amended original petition. Appellant responded by objecting to certain evidence included in the City’s plea and by arguing the City’s conduct and regulations have rendered her property unusable and worthless. Appellant’s response also included her affidavit about the events in question. The City objected to appellant’s affidavit on several grounds, including that it contained hearsay, was conclusory, and contained improper opinions.

After reviewing all the pleadings and conducting a hearing, the trial court granted the City’s plea to the jurisdiction and alternative motions for summary judgment under both rule 166a and 166a(i). It dismissed all claims against the City. This appeal followed.

Standard of Review

Sovereign immunity defeats a trial court’s subject matter jurisdiction and therefore is properly asserted in a plea to the jurisdiction. Tex. Dep’t of Parks & Wildlife v. Miranda, 133 S.W.3d 217, 227 (Tex.2004); Town of Fairview v. Lawler, 252 S.W.3d 853, 855 (Tex.App.-Dallas 2008, no pet.). Whether a court has subject matter jurisdiction is a question of law. Miranda, 133 S.W.3d at 226.

The plaintiff bears the burden of alleging facts affirmatively showing the trial court has subject matter jurisdiction. Id. We construe the pleadings liberally in favor of the plaintiff and look to the pleader’s intent. Id. If a plea to the jurisdiction challenges the existence of jurisdictional facts, we consider relevant evidence submitted by the parties to resolve the jurisdictional issues raised. Miranda, 133 S.W.3d at 227. After reviewing the pleadings and evidence, if the evidence is undisputed or fails to raise a fact question on [467]*467the jurisdictional issue, governmental immunity applies and the trial court should grant the plea to the jurisdiction. Id. at 228; City of Dallas v. Blanton, 200 S.W.3d 266, 272 (Tex.App.-Dallas 2006, no pet.).

This standard generally mirrors that of a traditional motion for summary judgment under rule of evidence 166a(c). See Tex.R. Evid. 166a(c); Miranda, 133 S.W.3d at 228. When reviewing a plea to the jurisdiction in which the pleading requirement has been met and evidence has been submitted to support the plea that implicates the merits of the case, we take as true all evidence favorable to the non-movant. Miranda, 133 S.W.3d at 228. We indulge every reasonable inference and resolve any doubts in the nonmovant’s favor. Id.

In a no-evidence summary judgment motion, the movant contends there is no evidence of one or more elements of the claims for which the non-movant would bear the burden of proof at trial. Tex.R. Civ. P. 166a(i). The trial court must grant the motion unless the respondent produces summary judgment evidence raising a genuine issue of material fact. Id. The respondent is “not required to marshal its proof; its response need only point out evidence that raises a fact issue on the challenged elements.” Tex.R. Civ. P. 166a(i) cmt. (1997).

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358 S.W.3d 462, 2012 Tex. App. LEXIS 715, 2012 WL 252125, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/strother-v-city-of-rockwall-texapp-2012.