Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission v. Quintana

225 S.W.3d 200, 2005 Tex. App. LEXIS 9988, 2005 WL 3226600
CourtCourt of Appeals of Texas
DecidedNovember 30, 2005
Docket08-04-00297-CV
StatusPublished
Cited by12 cases

This text of 225 S.W.3d 200 (Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission v. Quintana) 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
Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission v. Quintana, 225 S.W.3d 200, 2005 Tex. App. LEXIS 9988, 2005 WL 3226600 (Tex. Ct. App. 2005).

Opinion

OPINION

ANN CRAWFORD McCLURE, Justice.

The Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission (the Commission) appeals from a judgment reversing its order which can-celled a mixed beverage permit issued to Yolanda Quintana d/b/a The Tap Bar and Restaurant (Quintana). We reverse and render judgment for the reasons that follow.

FACTUAL SUMMARY

Quintana held a mixed beverage permit and mixed beverage late hours permit for the premises known as The Tap Bar and Restaurant. In 2003, the Commission issued Quintana a notice of hearing alleging two violations of the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Code: (1) permittee, her agent, servant, or employee was intoxicated on the licensed premises 1 on December 7, 2002 (Count l)and (2) permittee, her agent, servant, or employee sold or delivered an alcoholic beverage to an intoxicated person 2 on July 12, 2003 (Count 2). The evidence admitted at the administrative hearing showed that an employee of the licensed premises, Mariana Cordero, had been drinking at The Tap on December 7, 2002. Shortly after Cordero left the bar in her vehicle, she struck and killed a pedestrian. The arresting officer’s conclusion that Cordero was intoxicated was confirmed by analysis of a blood sample showing that Cordero’s blood alcohol concentration was .24, three times the legal limit.

In her brief filed with the administrative law judge (ALJ), Quintana argued that Cordero had not been drinking on the licensed premises, was not on duty when she appeared on the premises, and was not intoxicated. The ALJ rejected the argument that the Commission was required to prove that Cordero was on duty. The ALJ further found that the Commission had sustained its burden of proof for both alleged violations and recommended that Quintana’s license and permit be canceled. On March 10, 2004, the ALJ issued a proposal for decision containing findings of fact and conclusions of law. On April 26, 2004, the Commission adopted the ALJ’s findings and cancelled Quintana’s license and permit.

Quintana timely filed a motion for rehearing alleging that “the evidence presented at trial does not support the cancellation and constitutes a harsh penalty.” The Commission subsequently issued a notice to Quintana stating that her permits had been canceled and warning that the sale of alcoholic beverages under a void permit was a criminal violation. Quintana filed suit seeking judicial review. The Commission answered and filed a plea to the jurisdiction, contending that the trial court lacked subject matter jurisdiction to *203 hear any issues not preserved in Quinta-na’s motion for rehearing.

Over the Commission’s objections, the trial court considered Quintana’s argument that Cordero was not on duty at the time she was intoxicated on the premises, and therefore, the Commission had not proven a violation of Section 11.61(b)(13). The court concluded that the term “employee” as used in Section 11.61(b)(13) requires evidence that the person was acting in the course and scope of employment. Because the evidence showed that Cordero was not on duty, the court found that Count 1 was not supported by substantial evidence. The court affirmed Count 2, but concluded that the penalty was excessive and remanded the matter to the Commission for assessment of a new penalty. The Commission appeals.

SUFFICIENCY OF MOTION FOR REHEARING

In its first issue, the Commission contends that Quintana’s motion for rehearing was not sufficiently specific to allow judicial review of whether Section 11.61(b)(13) requires proof that an employee is acting within the course and scope of employment or whether Count 1 was supported by substantial evidence. In administrative proceedings, a party must timely file a motion for rehearing as a prerequisite to appeal. Tex.Gov’t Code Ann. § 2001.145 (Vernon 2000). The motion must be sufficiently definite to allow the agency to cure the error or defend the order. Ray v. State Bd. of Pub. Accountancy, 4 S.W.3d 429, 433 (Tex.App.-Austin 1999, no pet.); Four Stars Food Mart, Inc. v. Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission, 923 S.W.2d 266, 270 (Tex.App.-Fort Worth 1996, no writ). The timely filing of a motion for rehearing is jurisdictional, but the sufficiency of its content goes solely to the issue of preservation of error. Hill v. Board of Trustees of the Retirement System of Texas, 40 S.W.3d 676, 679 (Tex.App.-Austin 2001, no pet.).

The motion must set forth: (1) the particular finding of fact, conclusion of law, ruling, or other action by the agency which the complaining party asserts was error; and (2) the legal basis upon which the claim of error rests. BFI Waste Systems of North America, Inc. v. Martinez, 93 S.W.3d 570, 578 (Tex.App.-Austin 2002, pet. denied). To preserve error, both elements must be present in the motion, but neither requires a briefing of the law and the facts. Id. However, these two elements may not be supplied solely in the form of generalities. Morgan v. Employees’ Retirement System of Texas, 872 S.W.2d 819, 821 (Tex.App.-Austin 1994, no writ). For example, it is insufficient to state that the order is not supported by substantial evidence. Burke v. Central Education Agency, 725 S.W.2d 393, 397 (Tex.App.-Austin 1987, writ refd n.r.e.).

The ALJ issued a twelve-page “Proposal for Decision” which detailed the procedural history of the case, summarized the evidence presented at the administrative hearing, stated the applicable law, analyzed the evidence, and set forth findings of fact, including the following:

4. On the evening of December 7, 2002, Respondent’s employee, Mariana Corde-ro, was intoxicated on the licensed premises, the Tap Bar and Restaurant.
5. On December 7, 2002, Ms. Cordero was driving a Ford pick-up and struck a pedestrian at the corner of Campbell and Franklin, in downtown El Paso, shortly after leaving the Tap Bar and Restaurant. 3
*204 6. On December 7, 2002, Ms. Cordero was detained by an El Paso police officer after the vehicle suspected of being involved in the hit-and-run was spotted by the police officer.
7. On December 7, 2002, Ms. Cordero was driving while intoxicated.
8. On July 12, 2003, an undercover operation was conducted by the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission at the Tap Bar and Restaurant, located at 408 East San Antonio Street, El Paso, El Paso County, Texas, 79901.
9.

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Bluebook (online)
225 S.W.3d 200, 2005 Tex. App. LEXIS 9988, 2005 WL 3226600, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/texas-alcoholic-beverage-commission-v-quintana-texapp-2005.