Case Information
*0 FILED IN 14th COURT OF APPEALS HOUSTON, TEXAS 2/2/2015 12:44:38 PM CHRISTOPHER A. PRINE Clerk *1 ACCEPTED 14-10-00708-CV FOURTEENTH COURT OF APPEALS HOUSTON, TEXAS 2/2/2015 12:44:38 PM CHRISTOPHER PRINE CLERK No. 14-10-00708-CV
________________________________________ IN THE COURT OF APPEALS FOR THE FOURTEENTH DISTRICT OF TEXAS AT HOUSTON
________________________________________ Port of Houston Authority of Harris County, Texas, Appellant and Cross-Appellee, v.
Zachry Construction Corporation, Appellee and Cross-Appellant.
________________________________________ On appeal from the 151st District Court of Harris County, Texas
Trial Court Cause No. 2006-72970 ________________________________________ THE PORT AND ZACHRY’S AGREED MOTION TO MODIFY THE BRIEFING SCHEDULE TO THE FOURTEENTH COURT OF APPEALS:
The Port of Houston Authority (the “Port”) and Zachry Construction
Corporation (“Zachry”) jointly move the Court to modify the briefing schedule set
by the Court’s order of January 27, 2015 and jointly ask the Court to adopt the
agreed briefing schedule set out herein. The Port and Zachry would respectfully
show the Court as follows:
1. On October 20, 2011, this appeal was argued before a panel of Justices
Boyce, Christopher, and McCally.
2. The case then went to the Supreme Court, where on August 29, 2014, the
Supreme Court issued its decision, and the Court denied the Port’s motion for
rehearing on December 19, 2014.
3. On January 27, 2015, the Court ordered a briefing schedule on remand.
The Port and Zachry, by this motion, ask the Court to adopt the agreed briefing
schedule set out herein instead of the briefing schedule in the Court’s order of
January 27, 2015. As good cause for this change, the Port and Zachry would show
the Court as follows:
a. The schedule set out in the Court’s order required Zachry to file its supplemental brief of appellee on March 30, 2015, when Zachry’s appellate counsel has a long-planned spring break trip with her family from March 14-20, 2015.
b. Appellate counsel for the Port is also counsel for the Texas Railroad Commission concerning the attempts to overturn the City of Denton’s anti-fracing statute, and the agreed scheduling order in that case calls for dispositive motions to be filed on March 2, 2015. Therefore, the March 13 date for the Port’s supplemental brief of appellant is problematic for the Port’s counsel.
c. If the Court will adopt the briefing schedule, which is agreed to by Zachry and the Port, the parties represent to the Court that they will ask for no further extensions of time on briefing.
4. Zachry and the Port have agreed to request that the Court adopt the
following agreed briefing schedule.
a. Port’s supplemental brief of appellant (15,000 words) to be filed April 13, 2015;
b. Zachry’s supplemental brief of appellee (15,000 words) to be filed June 12, 2015; and
c. Port’s supplemental reply brief (7,500 words) to be filed July 13, 2015. Oral argument will be scheduled after all briefing is received.
PRAYER
For the foregoing reasons, the Port and Zachry respectfully ask the Court to
grant this motion, adopt the agreed briefing schedule set out herein, and grant the
parties all other relief to which they are entitled.
Respectfully submitted, /s/ Marie R. Yeates David H. Brown Marie R. Yeates
State Bar No. 03109200 State Bar No. 22150700
BROWN & KORNEGAY LLP Catherine B. Smith
2777 Allen Parkway, Suite 977 State Bar No. 03319970
Houston, Texas 77019 Michael A. Heidler
Phone: 713.528.3703 State Bar No. 24059921
Fax: 713.528.3701 VINSON & ELKINS L.L.P.
Email: dbrown@bkllp.com 1001 Fannin St.
Houston, Texas 77002 Karen L.T. White Phone: 713.758.4576
State Bar No. 20274500 Fax: 713.615.5544
KAREN L.T. WHITE, P.C. Email: myeates@velaw.com
1415 S. Voss, Suite 110-539
Houston, Texas 77057 David E. Keltner
Phone: 832.646.4667 State Bar No. 11249500
Email: karen@kltwpc.com 201 Main Street, Suite 2500
Fort Worth, Texas 76102 Lawrence J. Fossi Phone: 817.878.3560
State Bar No. 07280650 Fax: 817.878.9760
FOSSI & JEWELL LLP Email: david.keltner@kellyhart.com
4203 Yoakum Blvd., Suite 100
Houston, Texas 77006 Bill Sims
Phone: 713.529.4000 State Bar No. 18429500
Fax: 713.529.4094 VINSON & ELKINS L.L.P.
Email: lfossi@fossijewell.com 2001 Ross Avenue, Suite 3700
Dallas, Texas 75201-2975 Phone: 214.220.7703 Fax: 214.999.7703 Email: bsims@velaw.com ATTORNEYS FOR APPELLANT THE PORT OF HOUSTON AUTHORITY OF HARRIS COUNTY, TEXAS *5 /s/ Robin C. Gibbs REYNOLDS, FRIZZELL, BLACK, GIBBS & BRUNS, L.L.P.
DOYLE, ALLEN & OLDHAM, LLP Robin C. Gibbs
Brandon T. Allen State Bar No. 0785300
State Bar No. 24009353 rgibbs@gibbsbruns.com
ballen@reynoldsfrizzell.com Jennifer Horan Greer
1100 Louisiana, Suite 3500 State Bar No. 00785611
Houston, Texas 77002 jgreer@gibbsbruns.com
Phone: (713) 485-7200 Sydney G. Ballesteros
Fax: (713) 485-7520 State Bar No. 24036180
sballesteros@gibbsbruns.com ALEXANDER DUBOSE & Michael R. Absmeier
TOWNSEND LLP State Bar No. 24050195
Douglas W. Alexander mabsmeier@gibbsbruns.com
State Bar No. 00992350 Amanda B. Nathan
dalexander@adtappellate.com State Bar No. 00784662
515 Congress Avenue, Suite 2350 anathan@gibbsbruns.com
Austin, Texas 78701-3562 1100 Louisiana, Suite 5300
Phone: (512) 482-9301 Houston, Texas 77002
Fax: (512) 482-9303 Phone: (713) 650-8805
Fax: (713) 750-0903 A TTORNEYS FOR A PPELLEE , Z ACHRY C ONSTRUCTION C ORPORATION *6 CERTIFICATE OF SERVICE I hereby certify that on this 2nd day of February 2015, a true and correct
copy of the foregoing instrument was served by e-service on the following counsel
for Zachry Construction Corporation.
Robin C. Gibbs
Gibbs & Bruns, L.L.P.
1100 Louisiana, Suite 5300
Houston, Texas 77002
Brandon T. Allen
Reynolds, Frizzell, Black, Doyle,
Allen & Oldham L.L.P.
1100 Louisiana, Suite 3500
Houston, Texas 77002
/s/ Marie R. Yeates Marie R. Yeates
CERTIFICATE OF CONFERENCE Appellee Zachry Construction Corp. agrees to the relief requested by this
motion.
/s/ Marie R. Yeates Marie R. Yeates