Opinion ID: 1399904
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: Waiver of Immunity by the Local Government Code and City Charter

Text: Reata also claims the City's immunity from suit is waived by section 51.075 of the Local Government Code, which provides that a home-rule municipality may plead and be impleaded in any court. See TEX. LOC. GOV'T CODE § 51.075. However, waiver of immunity for tort claims is governed by the Texas Tort Claims Act. See TEX. CIV. PRAC. & REM. CODE ch. 101; Miranda, 133 S.W.3d at 224-25 (holding that the governmental entity was immune from suit for a tort unless it was expressly waived by the Tort Claims Act). Under rules of statutory construction, we give precedence to the Tort Claims Act over section 51.075 because the Tort Claims Act is the later-enacted, more specific statute regarding waiver of immunity in tort cases. See TEX. GOV'T CODE § 311.026. Moreover, in Tooke v. City of Mexia, 197 S.W.3d 325, 342, 2006 WL 1792223 (Tex.2006), we have held that the phrase plead and be impleaded in section 51.075 does not clearly and unambiguously reflect legislative intent to waive immunity from suit. See Taylor, 106 S.W.3d at 697-98 (Tex.2003). Reata also claims the City's immunity is waived by the Dallas City Charter which states that the City may sue and be sued and implead and be impleaded. DALLAS, TEX., CITY CHARTER ch. II, § 1(2), (3). As we explain in Tooke, such phrases, separately or together, do not comprise a clear and unambiguous waiver of immunity to suit. Tooke, 197 S.W.3d at 342. The City Charter provision does not waive the City's immunity from suit. See id.