Yellow Engine Services, LP v. Genstar Insurance Services, LLC

CourtDistrict Court, N.D. Texas
DecidedMay 12, 2026
Docket4:25-cv-00520
StatusUnknown

This text of Yellow Engine Services, LP v. Genstar Insurance Services, LLC (Yellow Engine Services, LP v. Genstar Insurance Services, LLC) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, N.D. Texas primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Yellow Engine Services, LP v. Genstar Insurance Services, LLC, (N.D. Tex. 2026).

Opinion

IN THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT FOR THE NORTHERN DISTRICT OF TEXAS FORT WORTH DIVISION YELLOW ENGINE SERVICES, LP § § Plaintiff, § § v. § Civil Action No. 4:25-CV-00520-O § GENSTAR INSURANCE SERVICES, § LLC § § Defendant. § OPINION & ORDER Before the Court are Defendant’s Motion for Summary Judgment, Brief in Support, and Appendix in Support (ECF Nos. 16–18); Plaintiff’s Response and Appendix in Support (ECF Nos. 25–26); Defendant’s Reply (ECF No. 28); Defendant’s Motion to Exclude Expert Testimony of Daryll Thompson and Heath Fries, Brief in Support, and Appendix in Support (ECF Nos. 19–21); Plaintiff’s Response and Appendix in Support (ECF Nos. 23–24); and Defendant’s Reply (ECF No. 27). Having reviewed the briefing and relevant caselaw, Defendant’s Motion for Summary Judgment (ECF No. 16) is GRANTED; and Defendant’s Motion to Exclude Expert Testimony (ECF No. 19) is GRANTED. I. BACKGROUND1 This case arises from an insurance dispute. Plaintiff Yellow Engine Services, LP (“Plaintiff”) owns commercial property located at 4703 and 4705 Martin Street in Fort Worth, Texas. Defendant General Star Indemnity Company (“Defendant”) insured the properties through a policy with effective dates of coverage from September 4, 2022, to September 4, 2023 (the 1 Unless otherwise specified, the Court’s recounting of the facts in this case is drawn from the Parties’ briefing. “Policy”). On August 1, 2023, Plaintiff reported a claim for hail damage with a purported date of loss of July 25, 2023. Defendant then denied coverage for the claim, citing exclusions in the Policy. Plaintiff disputes Defendant’s denial determination and filed suit in Tarrant County, Texas District Court on April 11, 2025, bringing claims for breach of contract and violations of certain provisions

of Chapter 541 and 542 the Texas Insurance Code. Defendant then removed the case to this Court on May 16, 2025. Defendant filed its motion for summary judgment on all of Plaintiff’s claims and moves to strike Plaintiff’s retained experts. The Parties have fully briefed the Motions, which are now ripe for the Court’s review. II. LEGAL STANDARD A. Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 56(a) The Court may grant summary judgment when the pleadings and evidence show “that there is no genuine dispute as to any material fact and the movant is entitled to judgment as a matter of law.” FED. R. CIV. P. 56(a). Summary judgment is not “a disfavored procedural shortcut, but rather

. . . an integral part of the Federal Rules as a whole, which are designed to secure the just, speedy and inexpensive determination of every action.” Celotex Corp. v. Catrett, 477 U.S. 317, 327 (1986) (internal quotation marks and citation omitted). “[T]he substantive law will identify which facts are material.” Anderson v. Liberty Lobby, Inc., 477 U.S. 242, 248 (1986). A genuine dispute as to any material fact exists “if the evidence is such that a reasonable jury could return a verdict for the nonmoving party.” Id. The movant must inform the court of the basis for its motion and demonstrate from the record that no genuine dispute as to any material fact exists. Celotex, 477 U.S. at 323. The Court must view the evidence in the light most favorable to the nonmovant. Ion v. Chevron USA, Inc., 731 F.3d 379, 389 (5th Cir. 2013). And if there appears to be some support for disputed allegations, such that “reasonable minds could differ as to the import of the evidence,” the Court must deny the motion for summary judgment. Anderson, 477 U.S. at 250. “The party opposing summary judgment is required to identify specific evidence in the

record and to articulate the precise manner in which that evidence supports his or her claim.” Ragas v. Tenn. Gas Pipeline Co., 136 F.3d 455, 458 (5th Cir. 1998). “The opposing parties’ failure to produce proof as to any essential element of a claim renders all other facts immaterial.” 2223 Lombardy Warehouse, LLC v. Mount Vernon Fire Ins. Co., No. 3:17-CV-2795-D, 2019 WL 1583558, at *6 (N.D. Tex. Apr. 12, 2019) (Fitzwater, J.). Summary judgment is mandatory if the parties fail to meet this burden. Little v. Liquid Air Corp., 37 F.3d 1069, 1075 (5th Cir. 1994). B. Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 26(a)(2) Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 26(a)(2) governs disclosures of expert testimony. For retained experts or those specially employed to provide expert testimony, parties are generally required to provide a written report. That written report must include:

(i) a complete statement of all opinions the witness will express and the basis and reasons for them; (ii) the facts or data considered by the witness in forming them; (iii) any exhibits that will be used to summarize or support them; (iv) the witness’s qualifications, including a list of all publications authored in the previous 10 years; (v) a list of all other cases in which during the previous 4 years, the witnesses testified as an expert at trial or by deposition; and (vi) a statement of the compensation to be paid for the study and testimony in the case.

FED. R. CIV. P. 26(a)(2)(B)(i)–(vi). For nonretained experts, a report is not required. However, under Rule 26(a)(2)(C), the offering party must disclose “(i) the subject matter on which the witness is expected to present evidence under Federal Rule of Evidence 702, 703, or 705; and (ii) a summary of the facts and opinions to which the witness is expected to testify.” FED. R. CIV. P. 26(a)(2)(C). “This Rule, adopted in 2010, is intended to ensure that an opposing party has some notice of what the nonretained expert will testify about.” Everett Fin., Inc. v. Primary Residential Mortg., Inc., Civil Action No. 3:14-CV-1028-D, 2017 WL 90366 (N.D. Tex. Jan. 10, 2017) (Fitzwater, J.) (citing 8A Charles Alan Wright, et. al., Federal Practice and Procedure § 2031.2,

at 92 (3d ed. 2010 & Supp. 2016)). C. Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 37 Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 37 lays out the consequences for failure to meet the requirements of Rule 26(a)(2). Under Rule 37, “[i]f a party fails to provide information or identify a witness as required by Rule 26(a) or (e), the party is not allowed to use that information or witness to supply evidence on a motion, at a hearing, or at a trial, unless the failure was substantially justified or is harmless.” FED. R. CIV. P. 37(c)(1). In the Fifth Circuit, four factors are considered: “(1) the importance of the evidence; (2) the prejudice to the opposing party of including the evidence; (3) the possibility of curing such prejudice by granting a continuance; and (4) the explanation for the party’s failure to disclose.” Bailey v. Shell W. E&P Inc., 609 F.3d 710, 729

(5th Cir. 2010). D. Federal Rule of Evidence

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Yellow Engine Services, LP v. Genstar Insurance Services, LLC, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/yellow-engine-services-lp-v-genstar-insurance-services-llc-txnd-2026.