Opinion ID: 894908
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Koseoglu's Suit Against Texas A & M

Text: Koseoglu argues Texas A & M waived its sovereign immunity from suit on his Section 1983 due process claims and therefore, under Lawson, 87 S.W.3d at 519-23, Texas A & M's immunity has been waived in this breach of contract case as well. In Lawson, a plurality of this Court held a plaintiff's claim for breach of an agreement settling his underlying Whistleblower Act claim was encompassed within the Legislature's decision to waive immunity for Whistleblower Act claims. Id. at 522-23. But the court of appeals correctly held that the State and its officials sued in their official capacities are immune from money damages sought in a Section 1983 claim unless they waive their immunity. 167 S.W.3d at 380 (citing Will v. Mich. Dep't of St. Police, 491 U.S. 58, 66, 109 S.Ct. 2304, 105 L.Ed.2d 45 (1989)). It is up to the Legislature to institute such a waiver, and to date it has not seen fit to do so. See Tex. Natural Res. Conservation Comm'n v. IT-Davy, 74 S.W.3d 849, 857 (Tex.2002). Thus, as the court of appeals held, Koseoglu never had an actionable Section 1983 claim against Texas A & M and, therefore, his pleadings are deficient in the sense that Lawson is not implicated. However, rather than dismiss Koseoglu's lawsuit against Texas A & M, the court of appeals reversed the trial court's denial of Texas A & M's plea to the jurisdiction and remanded the cause to the trial court so that Koseoglu could amend his pleadings. 167 S.W.3d at 383-84. It is true that a plaintiff deserves a reasonable opportunity to amend unless the pleadings affirmatively negate the existence of jurisdiction. Harris County v. Sykes, 136 S.W.3d 635, 639 (Tex.2004); Tex. Dep't of Parks and Wildlife v. Miranda, 133 S.W.3d 217, 226-27 (Tex.2004); County of Cameron v. Brown, 80 S.W.3d 549, 555 (Tex.2002). Thus, the issue is whether Koseoglu has already been afforded that opportunity. If not, we agree that he deserves the opportunity if his pleadings can be cured. Koseoglu argues a plaintiff is not required to amend his pleadings until they are determined by a court to be deficient. Thus, he contends he should now be provided an opportunity to amend. Texas A & M, on the other hand, argues the plaintiff's opportunity to amend should come after the governmental entity files its plea to the jurisdiction, which puts the plaintiff on notice of alleged defects in his pleadings, but before the trial court takes any definitive action. Accordingly, Texas A & M contends, because Koseoglu had four months to amend his pleadings after it filed its jurisdictional plea, no further opportunity is warranted. Otherwise, Texas A & M argues, suits against governmental entities could be appealed at least twice before final judgmentonce to obtain a reversal and remand, and a second time after the remand is ordered. The court of appeals sided with Koseoglu, concluding a plaintiff may stand on his pleadings in the face of a plea to the jurisdiction unless and until a court determines that the plea is meritorious. 167 S.W.3d at 383 (citing County of Cameron, 80 S.W.3d at 559). Thereafter, the court of appeals held, the plaintiff must be given `a reasonable opportunity to amend' his pleadings to attempt to cure the jurisdictional defects found unless the pleadings are incurably defective. Id. (citing Sykes, 136 S.W.3d at 639; Tex. Dep't Of Transp. v. Ramirez, 74 S.W.3d 864, 867-68 (Tex. 2002)). Thus, the court of appeals concluded, Koseoglu has not been given a reasonable opportunity to amend his pleadings because the trial court never found merit in Texas A & M's jurisdictional plea. Id. On this point, we generally agree with the court of appeals. Texas A & M's proposed rule would essentially allow governmental entities the unjust advantage of being not only a litigant, but also the judge of the plaintiff's pleadings. We decline to adopt such a rule. Thus, we agree that Koseoglu deserves the opportunity to amend his pleadings if the defects can be cured. But Koseoglu's pleading defects cannot be cured, and he has made no suggestion as to how to cure the jurisdictional defect. As is the case with special exceptions, a pleader must be given an opportunity to amend in response to a plea to the jurisdiction only if it is possible to cure the pleading defect. See Baylor Univ. v. Sonnichsen, 221 S.W.3d 632, 635 (Tex.2007) (Generally, when the trial court sustains special exceptions, it must give the pleader an opportunity to amend the pleading, unless the pleading defect is of a type that amendment cannot cure.). Remanding this case would serve no legitimate purpose because Koseoglu's underlying claim is a breach of contract claim. Merely pleading more facts in support of the breach of contract claim will not overcome Texas A & M's immunity from suit. Koseoglu advances a waiver-by-conduct argument (i.e., that Texas A & M waived its immunity from suit by accepting benefits under its alleged contract with Koseoglu), but we have consistently rejected that position and held that the State does not waive its immunity from a breach-of-contract action by accepting the benefits of a contract. Gen. Servs. Comm'n v. Little-Tex Insulation Co., 39 S.W.3d 591, 598 (Tex.2001); see, e.g., Catalina Dev. Co. v. County of El Paso, 121 S.W.3d 704, 705-06 (Tex.2003); Travis County v. Pelzel & Assocs., Inc., 77 S.W.3d 246, 248 (Tex.2002); IT-Davy, 74 S.W.3d at 860; Federal Sign v. Tex. S. Univ., 951 S.W.2d 401, 408 (Tex. 1997). And absent special statutory permission, a party cannot pursue a breach of contract action against the State without first obtaining consent from the Legislature under chapter 107 of the Texas Civil Practice and Remedies Code. Little-Tex, 39 S.W.3d at 597 (concluding that there is but one route to the courthouse for breach-of-contract claims against the State, and that route is through the Legislature.). Accordingly, the court of appeals erred when it concluded Koseoglu, who has not obtained legislative consent to sue, may be able to state a cause of action for which sovereign immunity has been waived and remanded the cause to give Koseoglu an opportunity to amend. See Miranda, 133 S.W.3d at 228 (instructing that a plaintiff's suit should be dismissed when either the pleadings alone or the jurisdictional evidence demonstrates that the plaintiff's suit incurably falls outside any waiver of sovereign immunity).