Latest 5 Cases: B.C. v. Stake N Shake Operations, Inc. (Civil Procedure), North East Independent School District v. Riou (Education Law), City of ...

Supreme Court Gives States the Green Light to Infringe Copyrights

MICHAEL C. DORF

Cornell law professor Michael C. Dorf comments on a recent decision in which the U.S. Supreme Court held that Congress lacked constitutional authority to enact the Copyright Remedy Clarification Act of 1990, which gives individuals the right to sue a state for damages for copyright infringement. Dorf describes the complexity of the Court’s sovereign immunity doctrine and points out the Court’s peculiar failure to simply invalidate a portion of the statute while severing and preserving the valid portions and/or applications of it—which the Court has done in some other cases.

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B.C. v. Stake N Shake Operations, Inc.

Docket: 17-1008

Opinion Date: March 27, 2020

Judge: Per Curiam

Areas of Law: Civil Procedure, Civil Rights, Labor & Employment Law

The Supreme Court reversed the judgment of the court of appeals upholding the trial court's grant of summary judgment without addressing its legal merit, holding that the trial court's recital in its final summary judgment order that it considered "the pleadings, evidence, and arguments of counsel" included a late-filed response and attached evidence. Plaintiff sued Defendant alleging that she had been sexually assaulted at work. Defendant moved for summary judgment, presenting traditional and no evidence grounds. The trial court granted the motion. On remand from the Supreme Court, the court of appeals affirmed, concluding that Plaintiff failed to file a timely response to the no-evidence motion and that the trial court did not consider the late-filed response. The court of appeals declined to consider the evidence that Defendant had attached to its combined motion because no timely response pointed out a fact issue raised by that evidence. The Supreme Court reversed, holding (1) the trial court's recital that it considered the "evidence and arguments of counsel," without limitation, was an "affirmative indication" that the trial court considered Plaintiff's response and the evidence attached to it; and (2) therefore, the court of appeals should have considered that evidence as well in its review of the trial court's summary judgment.

North East Independent School District v. Riou

Docket: 18-0986

Opinion Date: March 27, 2020

Judge: Bland

Areas of Law: Education Law, Labor & Employment Law

The Supreme Court reversed the judgment of the court of appeals affirming the judgment of the trial court reversing the decision of the Commissioner of Education upholding the decision of the North East Independent School District board to end Respondent's continuing teaching contract, holding that the record supported the board's and Commissioner's decisions. At issue was whether state and federal laws requiring school districts to record grades and evaluate student progress provide standards of conduct for the teaching provision such that the teacher's failure to comply with district policies implementing those laws supports termination for "good cause." The Commissioner agreed that Respondent's conduct was "good cause per se" for termination. The trial court reversed. The court of appeals affirmed, concluding that "good cause per se" has no basis in Tex. Educ. Code 21.156(a)'s good cause definition. The Supreme Court revered, holding (1) Respondent preserved her complaint for judicial review; (2) the Commissioner erred in employing the "good cause per se" test, which has no basis in the Education Code's plain text; and (3) evidence of a failure to meet a district policy that implements state law supports a good cause determination.

City of Conroe, Texas v. San Jacinto River Authority

Docket: 18-0989

Opinion Date: March 27, 2020

Judge: Busby

Areas of Law: Government Contracts, Securities Law

In this case concerning the scope of the Expedited Declaratory Judgment Act (EDJA), the Supreme Court held that the EDJA gives the trial court jurisdiction to declare whether the execution of contracts entered into by the San Jacinto River Authority to sell water to cities and other customers was legal and valid but not whether the Authority complied with the contracts in setting specific rates. The Authority, which used the revenue from the contracts to pay off its bonds, sought declarations regarding the contract and the specific water rates set forth pursuant to the contracts. Several cities filed pleas to the jurisdiction, arguing that the trial court lacked subject matter jurisdiction to adjudicate SJRA's claims under the EDJA. The trial court denied the pleas to the jurisdiction. On appeal, the court of appeals held primarily for the Authority. The Supreme Court reversed in part, holding (1) the trial court may exercise jurisdiction over the Authority's execution of the contracts - which met the statutory definition of "public security authorization" - but may not exercise jurisdiction over whether the Authority complied with the contracts in setting the water rates; and (2) the Cities' governmental immunity did not bar this EDJA suit, which was brought in rem to adjudicate interests in property.

Farmers Texas County Mutual Insurance Co. v. Beasley

Docket: 18-0469

Opinion Date: March 27, 2020

Judge: Paul W. Green

Areas of Law: Insurance Law

The Supreme Court reversed the judgment of the court of appeals reversing the trial court's judgment granting Defendant's plea to the jurisdiction and dismissing Plaintiff's suit, holding that the court of appeals erred in concluding that Plaintiff's allegations were sufficient to establish standing. At the time Plaintiff was injured in a car accident he had a personal injury protection (PIP) policy through Farmers Texas County Mutual Insurance Company (Defendant). Defendant paid Plaintiff's incurred medical expenses pursuant to the policy, but the amount Defendant paid was not the medical providers' list rate but, rather, the negotiated rate between Plaintiff's health care insurer and the medical providers. Plaintiff demanded an additional payment amounting to the difference between what Defendant paid Plaintiff and the PIP policy maximum. After Defendant refused, Plaintiff sued. Defendant filed a plea to the jurisdiction, arguing that Plaintiff lacked standing to sue under the PIP policy because Plaintiff alleged no actual or threatened injury. The trial court granted the plea and dismissed the suit. The court of appeals reversed, concluding that Plaintiff's allegations were sufficient to establish standing to sue under the PIP policy. The Supreme Court reversed, holding that the evidence supported Defendant's contention that Plaintiff had not suffered any actual or threatened injury.

State v. R.R.S.

Docket: 17-0819

Opinion Date: March 27, 2020

Judge: Jeffrey S. Boyd

Areas of Law: Juvenile Law

The Supreme Court reversed the judgment of the court of appeals reversing the decision of the trial court denying R.R.S.'s motion to withdraw his plea of "true" to allegations that he sexually assaulted his younger brother when he was thirteen years old, holding that a child's legal inability to consent to sex does not render the child legally incapable of committing aggravated sexual assault. Based on R.R.S.'s admissions and plea, the trial court found him delinquent. Before the disposition hearing, R.R.S. unsuccessfully filed a motion to withdraw his plea and requested a new trial. The court of appeals reversed the denial of the motion, ruling that because R.R.S. was not adequately informed when he entered his plea about his potential defense that he could not have committed aggravated sexual assault because he could not legally "consent to sex" the trial court erred in denying the motion. The Supreme Court reversed the court of appeals' decision and reinstated the trial court's judgment, holding that the court of appeals erred in holding that R.R.S.'s lack of knowledge of his inability to consent to sex required the trial court to grant his motion to withdraw his plea and for a new trial.