State Supreme Court Session in Longview

LONGVIEW – The Texas Supreme Court will be in session in East Texas next month. And the two cases the justices will hear have now been set. The first case is an inheritance rights case out of Amarillo. The second case is about medical malpractice and government immunity out of Houston. The oral arguments will be in the Belcher Center on the campus of Longview’s LeTourneau University. The public is invited to attend the oral arguments on February 16th, from 9:00 to 11:30 that morning. Following the oral arguments there will be time for a question and answer session with the justices.

The issues in the first case are (1) whether Texas law recognizes tortious interference with inheritance rights; (2) whether sufficient evidence supports the jury’s fraud verdict and its damages award; (3) whether damages may be awarded based on the jury’s undue-influence finding; and (4) whether sufficient evidence supports the jury’s finding that a woman lacked mental capacity to amend her trust.

In the second case, The principal issues stem from this challenge to a medical
resident’s dismissal from a malpractice claim are (1) whether the trial court’s dismissal order was interlocutory (issued before judgment) and (2) whether the resident is protected by governmental immunity if she is hired and paid by a separate foundation but supervised by employees of a medical school clinic. Appeals from interlocutory orders generally are not allowed except by limited statutory exceptions to avoid a case being appealed piecemeal.

That afternoon the justices will hold breakout sessions on campus for students and at the Gregg County Courthouse for attorneys and other legal professionals. The Texas Supreme Court’s visit is designed to educate students and the public about Texas government and how the highest court in the state, for civil appeals, operates.