Vanessa Bolanos, Mayra Bolanos and Shelia Walton as Next Friend of Juan Manuel Solis, Decedent v. the Purple Goat, LLC.

Court of Appeals of Texas·Decided March 11, 2021·No. 08-21-00011-CV·Published

Opinion

ACCEPTED

08-21-00011-CV

EIGHTH COURT OF APPEALS EL PASO, TEXAS

3/11/2021 10:44 AM ELIZABETH G. FLORES CLERK

Appeal No. 08-21-00011-CV

FILED IN 8th COURT OF APPEALS EL PASO, TEXAS

3/11/2021 10:44:37 AM

ELIZABETH G. FLORES Clerk

In the Court of Appeals For the Eighth District of Texas

EI Paso, Texas

Vanessa Bolanos, Mayra Bolanos, and Shelia Walton, as Next Friend of Juan Manuel Solis, Decedent

The Purple Goat, LLC

Appellant’s Brief

Crocker Russell & Associates 2401 Callender Road, Suite 103 Mansfield, Texas 76063

Tel. (817) 482-6570

Ali Crocker Russell

Texas Bar No. 24098868 Email: ali@cralawfirm.com Attorney for Appellant

Page 1 of 30

IDENTITY OF PARTIES AND COUNSEL

Vanessa Bolanos, Mayra Bolanos, and Shelia Walton as Next Friend of Juan Manuel Solis, Decedent, Appellant

Appellant & Trial Counsel: Ali Crocker Russell Crocker Russell & Associates 2401 Callender Road, Suite 103 Mansfield, Texas 76063 Texas Bar No. 24098868 Email: ali@cralawfirm.com

The Purple Goat, Appellee

Appellee Counsel David Colley Fletcher, Farley, Shipman & Salinas, LLP 9201 N. Central Expressway, Ste. 600 Dallas, Texas Texas Bar No. 04583600 Email:David.colley @fletcherfarley.com

Page 2 of 30

Table of Contents

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INDEX OF AUTHORITIES

STATE CASES

Sabre Travel Int’l v. Deutshe Lufthansa, 567 S.W.3d 725, 730 (Tex. 2019)

Long v. State, 2012 Tex. App. LEXIS 6201 (Tex. App. — Austin July 25, 2012, no pet.)

The Corp. of the President of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints v. Doe, 2013 Tex. App. LEXIS 12543 (Tex. App. — Corpus Christi Oct. 10, 2013, no pet.)

Double Diamond Del., Inc. v. Walkinshaw, 2013 Tex. App. LEXIS 12447 (Tex. App. — Dallas Oct. 7, 2013, no pet.)

ADT Sec. Servc. Van Peterson Fine Jewelers, 2015 Tex. App. LEXIS 7831 (Tex. App. — Dallas July 29, 2015, no pet.) citing Gulf Coast Asphalt Co. v. Lloyd, 457 S.W.3d 539, 543-44 (Tex. App. — Houston [14 Dist.] 2015, no pet.) quoting Renee Forinash McElhaney, Toward Permissive Appeal in Texas, 29 ST. MARY’S L.J. 729, 747-49 (1998).

Exxon Corp. v. Quinn, 726 S.W.2d 17, 20 (Tex. 1987).” Otis Engineering Corp. v. Clark, 668 S.W.2d 307 (Tex. 1983)

Spruiell v. Schlumberger Limited, 809 S.W.2d 935 (Tex. App. — Texarkana [6" Dist.] 1991)

Greenfield Energy, Inc. vy. Duprey, 252 S.W.3d 721, 733 (Tex. App. — Houston [14 Dist.] 2008, no pet.)

Coleman vy. Klockner & Co. AG, 180 S.W.3d 577, 587 (Tex. App. — Houston [14 Dist.] 2005, no pet.)

Page 4 of 30

Continental Airlines, Inc. v. Kiefer, 920 S.W.2d 274, 276-77 (Tex. 1996)

Science Spectrum v. Martinez, 941 S.W.2d 910 (Tex. 1997)

Fort Worth Osteopathic Hosp. Inc. v. Reese, 148 S.W.3d 94, 99 (Tex. 2004)

LMB, Ltd. v. Moreno, 20] S.W.3d 686, 687 (Tex. 2006)

Walmart Stores v. Rodriguez, 92 S.W.3d 502 (Tex. 2002)

Forbes, Inc. v. Granada Biosciences, 124 §.W.3d 167, 172 (Tex. 2003)

Diversicare Gen. Partner, Inc. v. Rubio, 185 S.W.3d 842, 846 (Tex. 2005) Cincinnati Life Ins. Co. v. Cates, 927 S.W.2d 623, 625 (Tex. 1996)

Moore y. Shoreline Ventures, Inc., 903 S.W.2d 900, 902 (Tex. App. — Beaumont 1995, no writ. ).

Cassingham y. Lutheran Sunburst Health Serv., 748 S.W.2d 589, 590 (Tex. App. — San Antonio 1988, no writ)

D. Houston v. Loving, 92 S.W.3d 450(Tex. 2001)

Monsanto Co. v. Cornerstones Municipal Utility Dist., 865 S.W.2d 937, 939 (Tex. 1993)

Geters v. Eagle Ins. Co.,834 S.W.2d 49, at 50 (Tex. 1992)

Hopkins v. Spring Ind. School Dist., 736 S.W.2d 617, at 619 (Tex. 1987)

In Redinger v. Living, Inc. 689 S.W.2d 415 (Tex. 1958)

Greater Houston Transportation Co. v. Phillips, SO1 S.W.2d 523, 525 (Tex. 1990)

Page 5 of 30

STATUTES & CODES

Texas Civil Practice & Remedies Code §51.014 Texas Rules of Civil Procedure 168

Tex. Govt. Code §312.002(a)

Tex. Alco. Bev. Code §2.02

Tex. Alco. Bev. Code §2.03

BLACK'S LAW DICTIONARY 357 (6th ed. 1990) BLACK'S LAW DICTIONARY 386 (6th ed. 1990) BLACK'S LAW DICTIONARY 707 (6th ed. 1990) BLACK'S LAW DICTIONARY 984 (6th ed. 1990)

WEBSTER'S NEW WORLD COLLEGE DICTIONARY 357 (4th ed. 2000)

Page 6 of 30

Appeal No. 08-21-00011-CV

In the Court of Appeals For the Eighth District of Texas EI Paso, Texas

Vanessa Bolanos, Mayra Bolanos, and Shelia Walton, as Next Friend of Juan Manuel Solis, Decedent

Vv.

The Purple Goat, LLC

Appellant’s Brief

TO THE HONORABLE JUSTICES OF THE EIGHTH COURT OF APPEALS: COMES NOW, Vanessa Bolanos, Mayra Bolanos, Shelia Walton, as Next Friend of Juan Manuel Solis, deceased, Appellant herein, and submit this brief. Appellant will be referred to as “Appellant.” Appellee, The Appellee, will be referred to as “Appellee.” References to the Clerk’s Record will be made as follow: (CR at Pg. #.). References to the Appendix will be made as follows: (Exhibit A)

Appellant would respectfully show the Court as follows:

Page 7 of 30

STATEMENT OF THE CASE

Nature of the Case

The underlying action is a wrongful death case brought by Appellants. (CR. pg. 17) In prior proceedings in the trial court, the Appellants were found to be precluded from bringing tort claims against Appellee and the remaining claim — Dram Shop provided an exclusion for Appellee. (CR. pg. 15). Course of Proceedings

Appellants filed their Original Petition on September 20, 2018. (CR. Pg. 17). Appellants filed their Second Amended Petition on August 7, 2020, to add additional causes of action, negligence per se and negligent hiring, supervision, and retention. Additionally, Appellants claimed wrongful death; negligent hiring, supervision, and retention; premise liability; and added Cynthia Stephens and V.W. Stephens as parties. (CR. Pg. 209).

Appellee filed its Original Answer on August 21, 2020. (CR pg. 24). Appellee filed its Special Exceptions on August 14, 2020. (CR pg. 225). At the conclusion of the Special Exceptions hearing, the trial court sustained the special exceptions and

excluded common law theories of lability. (CR pg. 305).

Page 8 of 30

Appellants filed their Findings of Fact and Conclusion of Law, Motion to Reconsider, then their Request for Permissive Appeal. (CR. pg. 307, 322, 373). All of which were denied by the Court. Appellants then filed their notice of appeal.

Appellee filed its Motion for No-Evidence Summary Judgement on September 25, 2020. (CR pg. 341). At the conclusion of the trial court’s hearing, the court granted the motion for summary judgment. (CR. pg. 538). Appellee then filed a Motion for No-Evidence Summary Judgment on behalf of Cynthia Stephens and V.W. Stephens on October 23, 2020, and the motion was granted. (CR. pg. 418). Appellant filed Motion to Reconsider on October 6, 2020 and it was denied on October 19, 2020. Appellant filed their Finding of Facts and Conclusion of Law on September 2, 2020 and it was denied on September 3, 2020 (CR. pg. 322). The case was then severed and rendered a final judgment on Defendant V.W. Stephens and

Cynthia Stephens. (CR. pg. 556).

Trial Court Disposition The Order on Motion for Summary Judgment was granted on November 20,

2020. (CR. pg. 540). The case was severed on November 30, 2020 and the Order on

the Motion for Summary Judgment became final. (CR. pg. 556).

Page 9 of 30

ISSUES PRESENTED FOR REVIEW

Issue 1: Whether the Texas DRAM SHOP exclusion under the Tex. Alco. Bev. Code §2.03 was intended to preclude employees from bringing common law civil claims

against employers who sell alcohol?

Issue 2: Whether an employee can sue an employer under the Texas Dram Shop Act?

Issue 3: Whether the trial court erred in granting Appellee’s Motion for Summary Judgment when there was more than scintilla of evidence showing Decedent was

served alcohol?

Page 10 of 30

STATEMENT OF FACTS

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Vanessa Bolanos, Mayra Bolanos and Shelia Walton as Next Friend of Juan Manuel Solis, Decedent v. the Purple Goat, LLC., (Tex. Ct. App. 2021).

Vanessa Bolanos, Mayra Bolanos and Shelia Walton as Next Friend of Juan Manuel Solis, Decedent v. the Purple Goat, LLC. (Vanessa Bolanos, Mayra Bolanos and Shelia Walton as Next Friend of Juan Manuel Solis, Decedent v. the Purple Goat, LLC.) — published by Counsel Stack Legal Research, free access to 12M+ legal documents.

Related

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124 S.W.3d 167 (Texas Supreme Court, 2003)
Fort Worth Osteopathic Hospital, Inc. v. Reese
148 S.W.3d 94 (Texas Supreme Court, 2004)
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185 S.W.3d 842 (Texas Supreme Court, 2005)
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736 S.W.2d 617 (Texas Supreme Court, 1987)
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