United Services Automobile Ass'n v. Brite

161 S.W.3d 566, 2005 WL 92580
CourtCourt of Appeals of Texas
DecidedJanuary 19, 2005
Docket04-04-00164-CV
StatusPublished
Cited by14 cases

This text of 161 S.W.3d 566 (United Services Automobile Ass'n v. Brite) 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
United Services Automobile Ass'n v. Brite, 161 S.W.3d 566, 2005 WL 92580 (Tex. Ct. App. 2005).

Opinions

OPINION

Opinion by

ALMA L. LÓPEZ, Chief Justice.

United Services Automobile Association (“USAA”) appeals the trial court’s judgment awarding damages to James Steven Brite in an employment discrimination lawsuit. USAA presents eleven issues on appeal, contending: (1) the trial court did not have jurisdiction over Brite’s claims; (2) the trial court erred in submitting question number one to the jury because it contained an improper instruction or a biased and inaccurate statement of law; (3) the trial court erred in refusing to include an instruction in the jury charge on USAA’s affirmative defense to punitive damages; (4) the evidence is insufficient to support a finding that Brite was laid off due to age; (5) the evidence is insufficient to support the jury’s finding that USAA would not have made the same decision to lay off Brite even if age had not been a motivating factor; (6) the evidence is legally and factually insufficient to support the back pay award; (7) the evidence is legally and factually insufficient to support the finding that USAA acted with malice; (8) the trial court erred in awarding front pay; (9) the evidence is insufficient to support the award of attorney’s fees; (10) the trial court erred in excluding the EEOC’s predetermination letter; and (11) the trial court erred in admitting evidence of bonuses and raises received by USAA executives. We affirm the trial court’s judgment.

Background

■ USAA is a financial services business that provides an extensive range of insurance and financial products through its family of services. Brite worked for USAA for almost 24 years, from 1977 to 2001. He worked his way through the ranks of USAA, beginning as an adjuster trainee and eventually advancing to Investigation Manager overseeing the Central Region.

In mid-2001, USAA underwent a corporate restructuring. During the restructuring process, approximately 1400 positions were eliminated, affecting a variety of departments within USAA across the United States. Brite’s department, the claims security unit (“CSU”), was affected by the restructuring. ' Brite was informed of his layoff on or about July 30, 2001, with the explanation that his position was being eliminated.

Prior to restructuring, the CSU was comprised of several managers, six of whom were based in San Antonio. The managers based in San Antonio were Brite, Central Region; Frank Thomson, Northeast Region; Wayne McNeely, Shared Services; B.J. Russell, Quality Assurance; Andy Diaz, Administrative and Jack Dever, Administrative. Other regional managers were: Robert Midzuno, Western Region, in Sacramento; Barry Bennet, Mountain States Region, in Colorado Springs; Norm Tupper, Mid-Atlantic, in Norfolk, Virginia; and Richard Swann, Southeast Region, in Tampa. Pete Galassi and Donna Augusyniak were branch managers, based in California and New Jersey, respectively.

When Brite was laid off, the branch manager positions were eliminated, as were the quality assurance and administrative posts. After the restructuring, only the seven positions with regional manager responsibilities remained. Brite was discharged, Thomson moved from the Northeast to Central Region, and Dever moved from the Administrative position to the [571]*571Northeast Region position. McNeely remained in Shared Services.

Brite filed a charge of age discrimination with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and the Texas Commission on Human Rights. The EEOC investigated Brite’s charge, and sent Brite a predetermination letter informing Brite that the EEOC intended to issue a determination that there was no evidence of discrimination. Brite requested, and received, notice of right to sue from the EEOC and notice of right to file a civil action from TCHR.

Brite filed suit against USAA for employment discrimination within sixty days. USAA filed a Plea to the Jurisdiction, claiming that the amount in controversy at the time of trial would exceed the maximum jurisdictional limit of the court, and that Brite was engaging in an obvious fraudulent and bad faith maneuver to confer jurisdiction on the court. The trial court denied USAA’s plea. The case was then removed to federal court, where Brite voluntarily non-suited all claims giving rise to federal jurisdiction and the case was remanded to state court. USAA filed a special exception and a second Plea to the Jurisdiction, which was denied.

Following a trial on the merits, a jury returned a verdict finding that USAA had discriminated against Brite because of his age. The jury awarded Brite $188,406.89 in back pay and $1,100,000.00 in punitive damages. The trial court granted a remit-titur, reducing the punitive damages to $800,000.00. The trial court also awarded Brite $350,000.00 in front pay and $129,387.50 in attorney’s fees.

Jurisdiction

County Courts at Law generally have statutorily prescribed jurisdiction in civil cases where the amount “in controversy exceeds $500, but does not exceed $100,000, excluding interest, statutory or punitive damages and penalties, and attorney’s fees and costs.” Tex. Gov’t Code Ann. § 25.0003(c) (Vernon 2004). The plaintiff has the burden to allege facts that affirmatively demonstrate that the trial court has jurisdiction over the suit. Tex. Ass’n of Bus. v. Tex. Air Control Bd., 852 S.W.2d 440, 446 (Tex.1993). “The plaintiffs allegations in the petition of the amount in controversy control for jurisdictional purposes unless the party challenging jurisdiction pleads and proves that the plaintiffs allegations of the amount in controversy were made fraudulently for the purpose of obtaining jurisdiction.” Tex. Dep’t of Parks & Wildlife v. Miranda, 133 S.W.3d 217, 224 n. 4 (Tex.2004).

Brite’s original petition did not specify the amount of damages he was seeking. Rather, Brite sought “damages in a sum exceeding the minimum jurisdictional limits of the [county court],” including (i) “wage payments, vacation pay, bonuses and all other compensation due Plaintiff that accrued at the time of the filing of [the] Petition” and (ii) “a further sum representing the present value of unaccrued wage payments, vacation pay, bonuses and all other compensation due Plaintiff for the period following the date of judgment, calculated as of the date of judgment for the losses that Plaintiff has to sustain in the future.” Even if damages are not specifically identified at the time a petition is filed, or if a plaintiffs damages increase beyond the court’s jurisdictional limit through the passage of time, the court will continue to have jurisdiction. Cont’l Coffee Prod. Co. v. Cazarez, 937 S.W.2d 444, 449 (Tex.1996); Peek v. Equip. Serv. Co., 779 S.W.2d 802, 804 (Tex.1989).

USAA argues, however, that the trial court never lawfully acquired jurisdiction over Brite’s case because:

[572]*5721. Brite’s Original Petition asserted only that “the amount in.controversy exceeds the minimum jurisdictional limits of this Court” without an allegation that the amount in controversy was within the trial court’s maximum jurisdiction, and
2.

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United Services Automobile Ass'n v. Brite
161 S.W.3d 566 (Court of Appeals of Texas, 2005)

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Bluebook (online)
161 S.W.3d 566, 2005 WL 92580, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/united-services-automobile-assn-v-brite-texapp-2005.