Bruington Engineering, Ltd. v. Pedernal Energy, L.L.C.
2014 Tex. App. LEXIS 9493
Tex. App.2014Background
- Pedernal sued Bruington and Schlumberger entities for various claims arising from fracking operations that damaged a well.
- Pedernal filed May 9, 2011; Bruington answered June 8, 2011 and moved to dismiss for lack of certificate of merit per §150.002(a).
- Pedernal later filed a non-suit without prejudice on July 7, 2011; the court granted non-suit without prejudice on August 2, 2011.
- Pedernal designated a §150.002 expert, Jennings, Jr., after the non-suit, and amended its petition on February 13, 2012 to add Bruington with the same claims; this amended petition included a certificate of merit.
- Bruington I (2013) held §150.002(a) requires contemporaneous filing with the first-filed complaint and remanded to decide if dismissal should be with or without prejudice; on remand, the trial court dismissed without prejudice.
- The issue on appeal is whether failure to file a contemporaneous §150.002(a) affidavit requires dismissal with prejudice under §150.002(e).
Issues
| Issue | Plaintiff's Argument | Defendant's Argument | Held |
|---|---|---|---|
| Whether §150.002(e) mandates dismissal with prejudice when no contemporaneous affidavit is filed | Pedernal contends dismissal with prejudice is required | Bruington argues discretion exists to dismiss with or without prejudice | Dismissal with prejudice required |
| Role of §150.002(c) exception in avoiding mandatory prejudice dismissal | Plaintiff argues exception may apply only if realmente within ten days of limitations | Defendant argues exception not applicable here | Exception not applicable; prejudice dismissal governs otherwise |
| Whether §150.002 is to be construed to permit dismissal without prejudice to allow refiling | Plaintiff contends statute allows non-preclusive sanction where warranted | Defendant contends dismissal with prejudice is the default when no contemporaneous affidavit is filed | Court concludes legislature intended dismissal with prejudice absent §150.002(c) exception |
Key Cases Cited
- Bruington Eng’g Ltd. v. Pedernal Energy L.L.C., 403 S.W.3d 523 (Tex.App.-San Antonio 2013) (holding that certificate of merit must be filed with first-filed complaint and remanding to determine dismissal with/without prejudice)
- CTL/Thompson Tex., LLC v. Starwood Homeowner’s Ass’n, Inc., 390 S.W.3d 299 (Tex. 2013) (guidance on discretionary nature of dismissals under §150.002(e))
- Samlowski v. Wooten, 332 S.W.3d 404 (Tex. 2011) (abuse of discretion standards and related principles)
- Seguin v. Bexar Appraisal Dist., 373 S.W.3d 699 (Tex.App.-San Antonio 2012) (statutory construction principles; plain meaning rule)
- Dunham Eng’g, Inc. v. Sherwin-Williams Co., 404 S.W.3d 785 (Tex.App.-Houston [14th Dist.] 2013) (statutory construction principles; plain meaning)