Unreported / Non-Citable
Background
The General Council of the Assemblies of God sought mandamus relief from orders entered in an underlying Harris County lawsuit brought by John Doe 1 and John Doe 2. The challenged May 27, 2026 order granted the plaintiffs’ motion to compel the deposition of Doug Clay, the General Council’s General Superintendent, and denied the General Council’s motion for protection from the deposition.
The General Council asked the court of appeals to direct the trial court to vacate that order. The appellate court stayed enforcement of the May 27 order on July 7, 2026, and later stayed a June 29 order that also concerned Clay’s deposition. The real parties in interest filed a response, and the General Council filed a reply.
The Court’s Holding
The Texas First Court of Appeals held that the General Council failed to establish entitlement to mandamus relief. The court therefore denied the petition for a writ of mandamus.
The court lifted the stays imposed by its July 7 and July 29 orders and dismissed all pending motions as moot. The memorandum opinion did not provide further analysis explaining why the General Council failed to satisfy the requirements for mandamus relief.
Key Takeaways
- The General Council did not establish a right to mandamus relief from the orders concerning Doug Clay’s deposition.
- The appellate court denied the petition without providing additional substantive analysis of the discovery dispute.
- The denial dissolved both appellate stays, and any remaining motions were dismissed as moot.
Why It Matters
The decision leaves the trial court’s deposition-related orders in place and removes the appellate stays that had prevented their enforcement. Because the memorandum opinion states only that the relator failed to establish entitlement to relief, it offers little guidance for future disputes involving depositions of senior organizational leaders.