Opinion ID: 1383975
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: jurisdiction

Text: The Texas Government Code generally makes jurisdiction over interlocutory appeals final in the courts of appeals. See Tex. Gov't Code § 22.225(b); Coastal Corp. v. Garza, 979 S.W.2d 318, 319 (Tex. 1998). However, this Court has jurisdiction over an interlocutory appeal when there is a dissent in the court of appeals, or the court of appeals holds differently from a prior decision of another court of appeals or of the supreme court on a question of law material to a decision of the case. Tex. Gov't Code § 22.001(a)(2); see also Tex. Gov't Code § 22.225(c); Texas Natural Res. Conservation Comm'n v. White, 46 S.W.3d 864, 867 (Tex.2001). Our conflicts jurisdiction exists only if the rulings in the two cases are `so far upon the same facts that the decision of one case is necessarily conclusive of the decision in the other.' Bland Indep. Sch. Dist. v. Blue, 34 S.W.3d 547, 551 (Tex.2000) (citations omitted). The test is whether one case would operate to overrule the other if the same court rendered both. Coastal Corp., 979 S.W.2d at 319-20. Here, there is no dissent in the court of appeals. Accordingly, we have jurisdiction only if we determine that the court of appeals held differently from a prior decision of another court of appeals or this Court. See Tex. Gov't Code §§ 22.001(a)(2), 22.225(c); White, 46 S.W.3d at 867. We conclude that the court of appeals' decision conflicts with Ho v. University of Texas at Arlington, 984 S.W.2d 672 (Tex. App.-Amarillo 1998, pet. denied). In Ho, the University dismissed Ho from its doctoral program without granting her a degree. Ho brought various contract, tort, and constitutional claims against the University. In a summary-judgment motion, the University asserted that the sovereign-immunity doctrine barred Ho's claims. Relying on Federal Sign and a court-of-appeals decision, Ho asserted that she did not have to plead and prove legislative consent to suit because the University's conduct waived its immunity from suit. Ho, 984 S.W.2d at 682. The trial court granted the University's motion. On appeal, Ho relied on Federal Sign to argue that the University's conduct waived its immunity from suit and, consequently, she could sue the University without obtaining legislative consent. Ho, 984 S.W.2d at 682 (citing Federal Sign v. Texas S. Univ., 951 S.W.2d 401, 408 n. 1 (Tex.1997)). The court of appeals rejected her argument: We disagree with Ho's premise. By stating that it is the Legislature's sole province to waive or abrogate sovereign immunity, the majority opinion in Federal Sign clearly reaffirmed a long line of cases standing for that general principle.... [T]he only exception we have found in which the State, by its own actions waives immunity, is that which applies when the State initiates a suit.... Therefore, inasmuch as Ho was unable to plead and prove she had the State's consent to bring this suit, she has not complied with that procedural requirement and the trial court correctly granted summary judgment dismissing Ho's contract claims. Ho, 984 S.W.2d at 682-83 (citations omitted) (emphasis added). Because Ho rejects any waiver-by-conduct exception to sovereign immunity when a private party sues the State, the court of appeals' decision here would operate to overrule Ho if the same court of appeals had rendered the decision. See Coastal Corp., 979 S.W.2d at 319-20. Therefore, we have jurisdiction to consider this interlocutory appeal. See Tex. Gov't Code §§ 22.001(a)(2), 22.225(c); White, 46 S.W.3d at 867.