Texas Supreme Court Orders & Opinions 12/7/07
The Texas Supreme Court issued two decisions with this week's orders:
In Igal v. Brightstar Information Technology Group, (No. 04-0931), the Court held that the Texas Workforce Commission's final adjudication denying recovery of wages under the Texas Payday Law's administrative procedure bars a subsequent common-law claim for the same wages in state court. Justice Brister (joined by Chief Justice Jefferson and Justices O'Neill and Medina) dissented.
In Morales v. Liberty Mutual Insurance Co. (No. 05-0754), the Court concluded that a proceeding before a Texas Workers' Compensation Commission appeals panel involved whether a worker's widow had suffered a "compensable" injury that entitled her to pursue workers' comp benefits and bring suit in her home county. The Court reversed the court of appeals' judgment, which affirmed the trial court's judgment of dismissal, and remanded to the trial court for further proceedings.
