No. 14-0582
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The Court requested full merits briefing on December 19, 2014. The Court issued an opinion resolving the case on September 18, 2015. File Closed
Tracking 1 article about this case.
September 18, 2015
from SCOTXblog
The article also mentions:
Per Curiam OpinionView Electronic Briefs | Oral Argument N/A | Video N/A PDF
| Appellate District: | 5th Court of Appeals |
| Outcome Below: | Affirmed |
| COA Docket No.: | 05-13-00632-CV |
| Opinion Author: | Honorable David W. Evans |
| Trial Court: | 68th District Court |
| County: | Dallas |
| Trial Judge: | Honorable Martin J. Hoffman |
| Trial Docket: | DC09-06233 |
| Date | Event | Outcome | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2015-10-30 | Mandate issued | ||
| 2015-09-18 | Opinion issued | Court of Appeals' judgment reversed and dismissed | |
| 2015-09-18 | Petition for Review granted under TRAP 59.1 | ||
| 2015-09-18 | Court approved judgment sent to attorneys of record | Issued | |
| 2015-09-18 | Petition for Review disposed | Petition granted pursuant to TRAP 59.1 | |
| This case was pending on merits briefs between April 27, 2015 and September 18, 2015. | |||
| 2015-04-27 | Reply Brief (Petitioner) | ||
| 2015-03-19 | Motion for Extension of Time disposed. | Filing granted | |
| 2015-03-19 | Motion for Extension of Time to File Brief filed | ||
| 2015-03-10 | Brief on the Merits (Respondent) | ||
| 2015-02-19 | Brief on the Merits (Petitioner) | ||
| 2015-01-12 | Motion for Extension of Time disposed. | Filing granted | |
| 2015-01-12 | Case Record Filed | ||
| 2015-01-09 | Motion for Extension of Time to File Brief filed | ||
| 2014-12-23 | Record Requested in Petition for Review | ||
| 2014-12-19 | Brief on the Merits Requested | ||
| 2014-11-12 | Reply to Response (Petitioner) | ||
| 2014-10-29 | Phone call from Clerk's Office | ||
| 2014-10-28 | Response to Petition (Respondent) | ||
| 2014-10-03 | Supreme Court of Texas Requested Response | ||
| 2014-09-25 | Letter Filed | ||
| 2014-09-23 | Letter Filed | ||
| 2014-09-02 | Case forwarded to Court | ||
| 2014-07-28 | Petition for Review (Petitioner) |
| Party | Counsel | Role | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Office of the Attorney General |
|
Petitioner | |||
| Weatherspoon, Ginger |
|
Respondent |
The Court again faced the question of whether a report that an employee makes internally within a government agency counts as a report to "law enforcement," and thus grants the employee protection from retaliation under the Texas Whistleblower Act.
This case was decided at the court of appeals level before the Court's decision in TEXAS DEPARTMENT OF HUMAN SERVICES v. OLIVER OKOLI, No. 10-0567. The Court concluded that the same holding should apply here, and that a report made to an official with merely internal oversight authority within the agency did not qualify. Instead, the report must be made to someone with the authority to enforce laws against the public.
