390 S.W.3d 426
Tex. App.2012Background
- Kelley was terminated from the El Paso County Sheriff’s Office on June 10, 2008.
- He filed two TWC-CRD complaints (July 16 and August 4, 2008) alleging disability and gender discrimination and retaliation.
- Kelley filed the underlying lawsuit on August 25, 2008.
- The County first answered, then filed a plea to the jurisdiction on August 18, 2010.
- The trial court denied the plea to the jurisdiction on April 11, 2011.
- Texas Labor Code sections 21.208 and 21.252 govern notice and rights to sue; the court ultimately held these provisions are not jurisdictional.
Issues
| Issue | Plaintiff's Argument | Defendant's Argument | Held |
|---|---|---|---|
| Whether the trial court had subject-matter jurisdiction | Kelley not required to obtain a right-to-sue letter to proceed | Failure to obtain letter and premature filing barred jurisdiction | Not jurisdictional; plea denied; jurisdiction exists |
Key Cases Cited
- Bland Indep. Sch. Dist. v. Blue, 34 S.W.3d 547 (Tex. 2000) (plea to the jurisdiction standard; authority)
- Texas Dept. of Transp. v. Jones, 8 S.W.3d 636 (Tex. 1999) (jurisdictional inquiry framework)
- Texas Dept. of Criminal Justice v. Miller, 51 S.W.3d 583 (Tex. 2001) (burden to prove subject-matter jurisdiction)
- Texas Ass’n of Business v. Texas Air Control Bd., 852 S.W.2d 440 (Tex. 1993) (jurisdictional pleading standards)
- City of Austin v. Rangel, 184 S.W.3d 377 (Tex.App.—Austin 2006) (non-jurisdictional notice provisions)
- MAG-T, L.P. v. Travis Cent. Appraisal Dist., 161 S.W.3d 617 (Tex.App.—Austin 2005) (jurisdictional analysis framework)
- In re United Servs. Auto. Ass’n., 307 S.W.3d 299 (Tex. 2010) (jurisdictional impact of administrative procedures)
- City of Houston v. Fletcher, 63 S.W.3d 920 (Tex.App.—Hou. [14th Dist.] 2002) (right-to-sue letter permissive, non-jurisdictional)
- Schroeder v. Tex. Iron Works, Inc., 813 S.W.2d 483 (Tex. 1991) (administrative remedies exhaustion principles)
- Jones v. Grinnell Corp., 235 F.3d 972 (5th Cir. 2001) (context on administrative exhaustion)
- Parga v. Kuehne + Nagel, Inc., 2009 WL 2956825 (W.D. Tex. 2009) (non-official reporter cited in discussion)