Real Estate

Texas 2nd Court of Appeals, Personal Injury & Tort, Real Estate

Griffith v. Steele — Texas appeals court affirms dismissal of legal malpractice claim as time-barred because Hughes tolling ended when adversary proceeding appeals were exhausted, not when the overall bankruptcy case concluded

automatic / June 24, 2026

Case Ray Douglas Griffith v. Lindsay D. Steele and Steele Law Firm PLLC Court Court of Appeals, Second Appellate District […]

Texas 13th Court of Appeals, Personal Injury & Tort, Real Estate

Texas Cordia Construction v. Cantu — Private Government Contractor Cannot Invoke Interlocutory Appeal as “Governmental Unit”; Derivative Sovereign Immunity Fact Question Survives Plea to Jurisdiction

automatic / June 8, 2026

The Thirteenth Court of Appeals dismissed a private contractor’s interlocutory appeal of a denied plea to the jurisdiction because a private LLC is not a “governmental unit” under § 51.014(a)(8); treating the filing as a mandamus petition, the court denied relief because the contractor’s own contract gave it sole responsibility for means and methods of construction, raising a fact question that defeats derivative sovereign immunity — a doctrine the Texas Supreme Court has not yet adopted.

Texas 15th Court of Appeals, Civil Procedure, Oil & Gas, Probate, Real Estate

Parker v. Parrack — Court Cannot Declare Rights of Non-Party in Adverse Possession Dispute Over Family Ranch; Fiduciary-Duty Deed Challenge Fails on Sufficiency Review

automatic / June 8, 2026

The Fifteenth Court of Appeals affirmed the jury’s finding that a sister did not breach her fiduciary duty in accepting a deed to mineral executive rights from her brother, but vacated the adverse-possession declaration because the company asserting ownership was never joined as a party, rendering the declaration advisory and jurisdictionally void.

Texas 2nd Court of Appeals, Appellate Procedure, Civil Procedure, Oil & Gas, Real Estate

Atmos Energy v. DPC Parker Properties — Order Enforcing Rule 11 Settlement Does Not Function as a Temporary Injunction and Is Not Subject to Interlocutory Appeal

automatic / June 8, 2026

The Fort Worth Court of Appeals dismissed Atmos Energy’s interlocutory appeal of a trial court order enforcing a Rule 11 mediated settlement in an eminent-domain dispute, holding that the order did not function as a temporary injunction because it compelled performance based on the parties’ own agreement rather than any merits determination.

Constitutional, Municipal Law, Real Estate

Modern Builders v. City of Fort Worth — Second Court Upholds Municipal Zoning Restrictions on Short-Term Rentals

automatic / June 7, 2026

The Second Court of Appeals upheld Fort Worth's zoning restrictions confining short-term rentals to designated areas, rejecting constitutional challenges from property owners operating STRs in residential districts.

Civil Procedure, Real Estate

Huffman Asset Management v. Colter — Texas Supreme Court Reverses Default Judgment Over Defective Substituted Service

automatic / June 7, 2026

The Texas Supreme Court reversed a no-answer default judgment where substituted service through the Secretary of State was forwarded to incorrect addresses, holding strict compliance with statutory address requirements is necessary.

Banking & Finance, Constitutional, Real Estate

Staub v. BBVA USA — Texas Supreme Court Limits Constitutional Forfeiture Remedy to Breaches of Constitutionally Mandated Loan Terms

automatic / June 7, 2026

The Texas Supreme Court held that the constitutional forfeiture remedy for home equity loan violations applies only to breaches of constitutionally mandated loan conditions, not to every contractual breach by a lender.