Cameron Appraisal District v. Alfaro, No. 13-19-00198-CV, 2021 WL 1134315 (Tex. App—Edinburg, March 25, 2021, no pet. history) (mem. op.)
The Thirteenth Court of Appeals reversed a trial court judgment against the Cameron Appraisal District in an underlying dispute over property ownership. In the dispute, Alfaro claims that an individual wrongfully purchased Alfaro’s property at a tax sale. After the lawsuit had been on file for a while, Alfaro brought the Cameron Appraisal District into the lawsuit, and the District moved for dismissal in the trial court on the basis that Alfaro should have brought her complaint against the District to the ARB before suing the District. The trial court denied the District’s plea to the jurisdiction, so the District appealed.
The Court of Appeals agreed with the District that Alfaro’s failure to exhaust administrative remedies means that the trial court lacked jurisdiction to hear the case against the District and that the trial court should have dismissed Cameron Appraisal District. The Court of Appeals rendered judgment dismissing the District. LSEJ attorney Jim Evans represented Cameron Appraisal District.