University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston v. Joplin

525 S.W.3d 772, 2017 WL 2218959, 2017 Tex. App. LEXIS 4550
CourtCourt of Appeals of Texas
DecidedMay 18, 2017
DocketNO. 14-16-00538-CV
StatusPublished
Cited by16 cases

This text of 525 S.W.3d 772 (University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston v. Joplin) 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
University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston v. Joplin, 525 S.W.3d 772, 2017 WL 2218959, 2017 Tex. App. LEXIS 4550 (Tex. Ct. App. 2017).

Opinion

OPINION

Marc W. Brown, Justice

By this interlocutory appeal, the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (UTHSCH) challenges the trial court’s denial of UTHSCH’s motion to dismiss Bryan Joplin and Janice Joplin’s law[775]*775suit with prejudice for failure to serve an expert report and curriculum vitae (CV) pursuant to section 74.351 of the Texas Civil Practice and Remedies Code. Because the Joplins failed to comply with the service requirement under section 74.351(a), subjecting their claims to mandatory dismissal under section 74.351(b), we conclude that the trial court abused its discretion. We also reject the Joplins’ arguments that enforcing section 74.351’s mandatory dismissal encourages unprofessional conduct and violates the Texas Constitution as applied to them. Therefore, we reverse the trial court’s order denying UTHSCH’s motion to dismiss, render judgment dismissing the Joplins’ claims against UTHSCH with prejudice, and remand for a determination of reasonable attorney’s fees and costs.

I. Background

On August 7, 2015, Bryan and Janice Joplin filed a healthcare liability suit against Phillip Lloyd Leggett, M.D., and Sarah Josephine Lippert, M.D., in connection with surgery performed on Bryan in August 2013. The Joplins filed two exhibits with their original petition: (1) an expert report signed by Miguel Angel Velez, M.D., and (2) Velez’s CV. The Joplins served their original petition, Velez’s expert report, and Velez’s CV on Leggett and Lippert. Lippert forwarded to UTHSCH a copy of the original petition and exhibits, and requested defense and representation under the UT System Professional Medical Liability Plan.

Lippert filed a motion to dismiss. Lip-pert asserted: that (1) she was a full-time employee of governmental unit UTHSCH at the time of the surgery, (2) she was acting in the general scope of her employment at the time of the surgery, and (3) the lawsuit could have been brought against UTHSCH. See Tex. Civ, Prac. & Rem. Code Ann. § 101.106(f) (West 2011).

On January 5, 2016, the Joplins filed their first amended petition and substituted UTHSCH for Lippert as a defendant. The Joplins alleged vicarious liability negligence claims against UTHSCH based on Lippert’s conduct. The first amended petition stated that the Joplins simultaneously were attaching and serving two exhibits with their petition: (1) Velez’s expert report and (2) Velez’s CV. The Joplins failed to upload these exhibits when they electronically filed their first amended petition. The Joplins did not serve these exhibits on UTHSCH with the first amended petition.

UTHSCH filed its original answer on January 21, 2016. On March 1, 2016, the Joplins filed a second amended petition, which stated that Velez’s expert report and CV previously had been produced. On June 2, 2016, UTHSCH filed its motion to dismiss -with prejudice for failure to serve an expert report and CV pursuant to section 74.351 of the Texas Civil Practice and Remedies Code. UTHSCH argued that dismissal was mandatory under section 74.351 and requested that the Joplins pay UTHSCH’s reasonable attorney’s fees and costs of court. UTHSCH included the following exhibits: the Joplins’ first amended petition; the civil process request for the first amended petition on UTHSCH; and the affidavit of service for the first amended petition on UTHSCH.

In their response, the Joplins argued that their mistake in inadvertently not uploading, attaching, and serving Velez’s expert report and CV with their first amended petition should not result in dismissal under section 74.351. The Joplins relied on Hebner v. Reddy, 498 S.W.3d 37 (Tex. 2016). The Joplins also argued that they fulfilled the purposes of section 74.351 because Lippert forwarded a copy of the original petition with Velez’s expert report [776]*776and CV to UTHSCH. The Joplins further argued that dismissal would violate the Texas Constitution and would reward what the. Joplins claim was unprofessional conduct by the Attorney General’s Office, which has represented UTHSCH throughout this litigation. Finally, the Joplins requested a 30-day extension to cure any deficiency in service of the expert report. The Joplins included the following exhibits: their original petition; Velez’s expert report and CV as filed with the Joplins’ original petition; the citation and return of citation for the original petition on Lip-pert; Lippert’s. original answer; Lippert’s motion to dismiss; UTHSCH’s answers to requests for admissions; the Joplins’ first and second amended petitions; the citation and affidavit of service for the first amended petition on UTHSCH; and the slip opinion in Hebner. UTHSCH filed a reply.

On June 17, 2016, the trial court signed an order denying UTHSCH’s motion to dismiss. UTHSCH timely filed this interlocutory appeal. See Tex. Civ. Prac. & Rem. Code Ann. § 51.014(a)(9) (West 2015 & Supp. 2016).

II. Analysis

A. Standard of review

We review a trial court’s ruling on a motion to dismiss under section 74.351 for an abuse of discretion. See Am. Transitional Care Ctrs. of Tex., Inc. v. Palacios, 46 S.W.3d 873, 875 (Tex. 2001); Univ. of Tex. Health Sci. Ctr. at Houston v. Cheatham, 357 S.W.3d 747, 748 (Tex. App.—Houston [14th Dist.] 2011, pet. denied). Under this standard, we defer to a trial court’s factual determinations, but we review de novo questions of law involving statutory interpretation and constitutional challenges. Cheatham, 357 S.W.3d at 748; see Stockton v. Offenbach, 336 S.W.3d 610, 615 (Tex. 2011); Rivenes v. Holden, 257 S.W.3d 332, 336 (Tex. App.—Houston [14th Dist.] 2008, pet. denied). A trial court has no discretion in determining what the law is or applying the law to the facts. Univ. of Tex. Med. Branch at Galveston v. Callas, 497 S.W.3d 58, 62 (Tex. App.—Houston [14th Dist.] 2016, pet. denied) (citing Walker v. Packer, 827 S.W.2d 833, 840 (Tex. 1992)). Therefore, the trial court’s failure to analyze or apply the law correctly is an abuse of discretion. Id. In this case, the facts are undisputed, and the parties’ dispute concerns purely legal questions. See id.

B. The parties’ positions

UTHSCH brings one main issue: that the trial court erred in denying UTHSCH’s motion to dismiss with prejudice pursuant to section 74.351 because the Joplins failed to serve an expert report and CV on UTHSCH within 120 days of the filing of UTHSCH’s original answer. Within this issue, UTHSCH asserts: (1) failure to timely serve an expert report and CV on UTHSCH requires dismissal of the suit against UTHSCH, (2) accident or mistake does not extend the 120-day deadline, and (3) service on Lippert was not service on UTHSCH.

In response, the Joplins contend that they meant to upload the exhibits and serve them on UTHSCH and they believed the exhibits had been served • until UTHSCH filed its motion to dismiss. The Joplins argue that the Supreme Court of Texas in

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Related

James Rinkle M.D. v. William Graf & Linda Graf
Court of Appeals of Texas, 2022
John T. Nguyen, MD, FACS, FICS v. Mary Lavigne
Court of Appeals of Texas, 2021

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
525 S.W.3d 772, 2017 WL 2218959, 2017 Tex. App. LEXIS 4550, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/university-of-texas-health-science-center-at-houston-v-joplin-texapp-2017.