Linda Baldwin v. Zurich American Insurance Co. ( 2015 )


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  •                                                                             ACCEPTED
    03-14-00457-CV
    3763130
    THIRD COURT OF APPEALS
    AUSTIN, TEXAS
    1/14/2015 11:15:32 AM
    JEFFREY D. KYLE
    CLERK
    No. 03-14-00457-CV                         FILED IN
    3rd COURT OF APPEALS
    IN THE   THIRD COURT OF APPEALS      AUSTIN, TEXAS
    1/14/2015 11:15:32 AM
    AT AUSTIN, TEXAS
    JEFFREY D. KYLE
    Clerk
    LINDA BALDWIN,
    Appellant
    V.
    ZURICH AMERICAN INSURANCE COMPANY,
    Appellee
    Court of Appeals Number: 03-14-00457-CV
    Trial Court Number: No. D-1-GN-13-001281
    APPELLEE’S BRIEF
    Jessica M. MacCarty
    State Bar No. 24077822
    jmm@fol.com
    Robert D. Stokes
    State Bar No. 19274100
    Lynette L. Phillips
    State Bar No. 15937770
    Flahive, Ogden & Latson
    P.O. Box 201329
    Austin, Texas 78720
    Telephone: (512) 435-2150
    Facsimile: (512) 241-3305
    APPELLEE REQUESTS ORAL ARGUMENT
    No. 03-14-00457-CV
    IN THE THIRD COURT OF APPEALS
    AT AUSTIN, TEXAS
    LINDA BALDWIN,
    Appellant
    V.
    ZURICH AMERICAN INSURANCE COMPANY,
    Appellee
    Court of Appeals Number: 03-14-00457-CV
    Trial Court Number: No. D-1-GN-13-001281
    APPELLEE’S BRIEF
    Jessica M. MacCarty
    State Bar No. 24077822
    Robert D. Stokes
    State Bar No. 19274100
    Lynette L. Phillips
    State Bar No. 15937770
    Flahive, Ogden & Latson
    P.O. Box 201329
    Austin, Texas 78720
    Telephone: (512) 435-2150
    Facsimile: (512) 241-3305
    Baldwin v. Zurich Am. Ins. Co.                                                ii
    No. 03-14-00457-CV
    Brief of the Appellee
    IDENTITY OF PARTIES AND COUNSEL
    Linda Baldwin                          Zurich American Insurance
    10151 Dorrell Lane #1164               Company
    Las Vegas, Nevada 89166                Corporation Service Company
    Appellant, Pro Se                      211 East 7th Street, Suite 620
    Austin, Texas 78701
    Appellee
    Hon. Gisela Triana                     Jessica M. MacCarty
    200th District Court                   Flahive, Ogden & Latson
    1000 Guadalupe Street, 5th Floor       P.O. Drawer 201329
    Austin, TX 78701                       Austin, Texas 78720
    Trial Court                            Appellate Counsel for Appellee
    Robert D. Stokes
    Flahive, Ogden & Latson
    P.O. Drawer 201329
    Austin, Texas 78720
    Appellate Counsel for Appellee
    Lynette Phillips
    Flahive, Ogden & Latson
    P.O. Drawer 201329
    Austin, Texas 78720
    Trial and Appellate Counsel for
    Appellee
    Baldwin v. Zurich Am. Ins. Co.                                           iii
    No. 03-14-00457-CV
    Brief of the Appellee
    TABLE OF CONTENTS
    Identity of Parties and Counsel ................................................................................ iii
    Table of Contents ..................................................................................................... iv
    Index of Authorities ...................................................................................................v
    Statement of the Case.............................................................................................. vii
    Issue Presented ....................................................................................................... viii
    Issue No. One: Does the trial court lack subject matter
    jurisdiction when an employee in a workers’
    compensation case files for judicial review after the 45
    day deadline specified in the Texas Labor Code lapses? ............................ viii
    Statement of Facts ......................................................................................................2
    Summary of the Argument.........................................................................................5
    Argument....................................................................................................................6
    Issue No. One: Does the trial court lack subject matter
    jurisdiction when an employee in a workers’
    compensation case files for judicial review after the 45
    day deadline specified in the Texas Labor Code lapses? ................................6
    A. Standard Of Review. ............................................................................... 7
    B.      The 45 Day Deadline Is Jurisdictional And
    Mandatory. .............................................................................................. 7
    C.      Baldwin Has Failed To Challenge The Plea To The
    Jurisdiction As The Proper Means To Dismiss Her
    Case. ...................................................................................................... 10
    Prayer .......................................................................................................................11
    Certificate of Compliance ........................................................................................12
    Certificate of Service ...............................................................................................12
    Baldwin v. Zurich Am. Ins. Co.                                                                                                iv
    No. 03-14-00457-CV
    Brief of the Appellee
    INDEX OF AUTHORITIES
    CASES
    Argonaut Sw. Ins. Co. v. Walker, 
    64 S.W.3d 654
    (Tex.
    App.—Texarkana 2001, pet. denied) ......................................................................8
    Cervantes v. Tyson Food, Inc., 
    130 S.W.3d 152
    (Tex. App.—
    El Paso 2003, pet. denied) .......................................................................................8
    Davis v. Am. Cas. Co. of Reading, Pa., 
    408 S.W.3d 1
    (Tex.
    App.—Amarillo 2012, pet. denied) ........................................................................8
    Fire & Cas. Ins. Co. of Conn. v. Miranda, 
    293 S.W.3d 620
     (Tex. App—San Antonio 2009, no pet.) .................................................................8
    Johnson v. United Parcel Serv., 
    36 S.W.3d 918
    (Tex. App.—
    Dallas 2001, pet. denied).........................................................................................8
    LeBlanc v. Everest Nat'l Ins. Co., 
    98 S.W.3d 786
    (Tex.
    App.—Corpus Christi 2003, no pet.) ......................................................................8
    Morales v. Travelers Indem. Co. of Conn., No. 01-14-00429-
    CV, 
    2014 WL 7340374
    (Tex. App.—Houston [1st Dist.]
    Dec. 18, 2014, no pet. h.) (mem. op.) .................................................................7, 8
    Sunbeam Envtl. Servs., Inc. v. Texas Workers' Comp. Ins.
    Facility, 
    71 S.W.3d 846
    (Tex. App. 2002) ...........................................................10
    Tex. Dep’t of Parks & Wildlife v. Miranda, 
    133 S.W.3d 217
     (Tex. 2004) ..............................................................................................................7
    Tex. Dep't of Transp. v. Backner, 
    74 S.W.3d 98
    (Tex. App.—
    Waco 2002, no pet.) ................................................................................................8
    Tex. Mun. League Intergovernmental Risk Pool v. Burns, 209
    Baldwin v. Zurich Am. Ins. Co.                                                                                            v
    No. 03-14-00457-CV
    Brief of the Appellee
    S.W.3d 806 (Tex. App.—Fort Worth 2006, no pet.) ..............................................8
    TEXAS RULES OF APPELLATE PROCEDURE
    Tex.R.App. P. 38.3 ...................................................................................................10
    STATUTES
    Tex. Lab. Code Ann. § 410.252 .................................................................... 1, 3, 5, 7
    Baldwin v. Zurich Am. Ins. Co.                                                                                        vi
    No. 03-14-00457-CV
    Brief of the Appellee
    STATEMENT OF THE CASE
    Nature of the     Linda Baldwin (Baldwin or the employee) asserted that she
    Case              sustained a compensable injury on March 1, 2006. Zurich
    contended that she had not sustained a compensable injury on
    this date or, in the alternative, argued that it was relieved of
    liability.
    Baldwin did sustain a compensable injury on August 20, 2007.
    However, she asserted that the injury included a myriad of
    conditions that Zurich disputed.
    Course of         The Texas Department of Insurance, Division of Workers’
    Proceedings       Compensation (the Division or DWC) determined that Baldwin
    did not sustain a compensable injury on March 1, 2006 and that
    Zurich was relieved of liability. CR 448-52. With regard to the
    August 20, 2007 claim that Zurich accepted, the Division found
    that the compensable injury did not include the disputed
    diagnoses. CR 448-52.
    Baldwin filed her first petition in district court on October 5,
    2012. CR 473. Baldwin brought tort claims against Zurich but
    did not appeal the decision of the Division. CR 473-81. The
    court dismissed the suit on January 3, 2013. CR 495.
    On April 28, 2013, Baldwin filed a new petition to request
    review of the Division’s decision. CR 454-61. Zurich filed an
    amended answer and plea to the jurisdiction asserting that
    Baldwin did not appeal the Division’s decision within 45 days
    pursuant to Texas Labor Code §410.252(a) and therefore the
    trial court lacked jurisdiction.
    Trial Court’s     The Hon. Judge Triana dismissed the case for lack of subject
    Disposition       matter jurisdiction on March 21, 2014.
    Baldwin v. Zurich Am. Ins. Co.                                                   vii
    No. 03-14-00457-CV
    Brief of the Appellee
    ISSUES PRESENTED
    ISSUE NO. ONE: DOES     THE TRIAL COURT LACK SUBJECT MATTER
    JURISDICTION WHEN AN EMPLOYEE IN A WORKERS’ COMPENSATION
    CASE FILES FOR JUDICIAL REVIEW AFTER THE 45 DAY DEADLINE
    SPECIFIED IN THE TEXAS LABOR CODE LAPSES?
    Baldwin v. Zurich Am. Ins. Co.                                      viii
    No. 03-14-00457-CV
    Brief of the Appellee
    No. 03-14-00457-CV
    IN THE THIRD COURT OF APPEALS
    AT AUSTIN, TEXAS
    LINDA BALDWIN,
    Appellant
    V.
    ZURICH AMERICAN INSURANCE COMPANY,
    Appellee
    APPELLEE’S BRIEF
    TO THE HONORABLE COURT OF APPEALS:
    The Texas Workers’ Compensation Act requires a party seeking judicial
    review from a decision rendered by the Division to file suit not later than 45 days
    after the date the Division mailed the decision. TEX. LAB. CODE ANN. § 410.252(a).
    This is an appeal of the trial court’s proper decision to grant Zurich’s plea to the
    jurisdiction.
    The underlying case is a workers’ compensation suit brought by Baldwin
    after the Division determined that she had not sustained a compensable injury on
    March 1, 2006 and that furthermore, the compensable injury she sustained on
    August 20, 2007 did not extend to and include diagnoses Zurich disputed.
    Baldwin v. Zurich Am. Ins. Co.                                                     1
    No. 03-14-00457-CV
    Brief of the Appellee
    However, Baldwin failed to file a petition seeking review of the Division decision
    within 45 days.
    Zurich moved to dismiss based on the grounds that Baldwin did not file suit
    within the requisite time period and the trial court therefore lacked jurisdiction
    over the suit. The trial court granted the plea and dismissed the suit. The district
    court’s grant of the plea was proper and Zurich requests that this Court affirm the
    dismissal.
    STATEMENT OF FACTS
    Baldwin was employed by Extended Stay Inc./HVM LLC as a laundry
    attendant in a hotel for both alleged dates of injury. CR 450. The Division heard
    two separate workers’ compensation disputes at the Contested Case Hearing
    (CCH) that took place on June 14, 2012. CR-448.
    The first case was docket number AU-11148351-01-CC-HD46. 
    Id. The three
    issues before the Hearing Officer were: 1) Did Baldwin sustain a compensable
    injury on March 1, 2006; 2) Is Zurich relieved of liability due to Baldwin’s failure
    to timely notify her employer of a work injury; and 3) Is Zurich relieved of liability
    due to Baldwin’s failure to timely file a claim with the Division. 
    Id. The second
    case was docket number AU-08103562-03-CC-HD46. 
    Id. Zurich accepted
    a claim with August 20, 2007 as the date of injury. 
    Id. The sole
    Baldwin v. Zurich Am. Ins. Co.                                                       2
    No. 03-14-00457-CV
    Brief of the Appellee
    issue before the Hearing Officer was whether the compensable injury of August
    20, 2007 extended to include plantar fasciitis of the left foot, left ankle sprain and
    sprain of the left anterior talofibular ligament, osteoarthritis of the left knee and left
    lower extremity, left knee crepitus, left shoulder impingement syndrome, and
    osteoarthritis of the left forearm and radiocapitellar joint of the right elbow.
    CR448-49.
    The Hearing Officer found in Zurich’s favor on all issues for both docket
    numbers in a decision signed on June 22, 2012. CR 451-52. Baldwin requested
    review with the Appeals Panel, but on September 4, 2012, the Panel issued notice
    that the Hearing Officer’s Decision and Order had become final. CR 444. Baldwin
    then had 45 days from the date the Division mailed the notice from the Appeals
    Panel to file a request for judicial review of the Division’s decision in district
    court. TEX. LAB. CODE ANN. § 410.252(a). Since the statute provides that the notice
    is deemed mailed five days after the notice is filed with the Division, Baldwin
    essentially had 50 days from September 4, 2012. 
    Id. October 25,
    2012 was
    therefore the deadline. RR 7.
    Baldwin filed a petition on October 5, 2012, which was designated cause
    number D-1-GN-12 003139. CR 473. However, in that petition, Baldwin only
    alleged bad faith causes of action against Zurich and only requested relief in the
    Baldwin v. Zurich Am. Ins. Co.                                                           3
    No. 03-14-00457-CV
    Brief of the Appellee
    form of economic damages. CR 473-80. Baldwin did not request review of the
    Division’s decision in the October 5, 2012 petition and therefore did not comply
    with Texas Labor Code § 410.252(a).
    Judge Tim Sulak granted Zurich’s No Evidence Motion for Summary
    Judgment, Special Exceptions, and Plea to the Jurisdiction on January 3, 2013. CR
    348. Judge Sulak clearly indicated in his order that Baldwin’s suit was dismissed in
    its entirety and that the order was final and appealable. 
    Id. That order
    was not
    appealed and Judge Sulak’s ruling is not before this Court.
    Seven months after the appeals panel mailed its decision to her, on April 18,
    2013, Baldwin filed a second petition designated cause number D-1-GN-13-
    001281. CR 454. Baldwin re-plead her bad faith causes of action, but for the first
    time asserted that she was appealing the Division’s decision regarding her 2006
    and 2007 injuries. CR 454-61. Zurich filed another motion for partial summary
    judgment based on the affirmative defense of res judicata. CR 20. Zurich argued
    that Baldwin had already asserted tort and extra-contractual causes of action in her
    first suit and that they had been dismissed via the order from Judge Sulak. 
    Id. On July
    17, 2013, Judge Rhonda Hurley signed an order granting the motion
    for partial summary judgment based on res judicata. CR 470. Judge Hurley stated
    that the motion was granted “as to all claims, except for the appeal of Ms.
    Baldwin v. Zurich Am. Ins. Co.                                                     4
    No. 03-14-00457-CV
    Brief of the Appellee
    Baldwin’s worker’s compensation claims from the Texas Department of Insurance,
    Division of Workers Compensation, which remains unaffected by this Order.” 
    Id. Zurich then
    filed an amended original answer and plea to the jurisdiction on
    February 21, 2014. CR 439. Zurich argued Baldwin did not request review of the
    Division’s decision until April 18, 2013 and thus the trial court had no jurisdiction
    over the second lawsuit. CR 439-41. Judge Gisela Triana granted the plea and
    dismissed Baldwin’s remaining claims via order signed March 21, 2014. CR 787.
    This is the only order of the three signed orders that has been appealed.
    SUMMARY OF THE ARGUMENT
    The Texas Labor Code states that a request for judicial review of a Division
    decision in a Texas workers’ compensation case must be filed within 45 days of
    the Division’s decision. While Baldwin filed a petition within the 45-day limit, she
    plead bad faith causes of action and failed to indicate in her pleadings that she was
    seeking review of the adverse Division decision. Those causes of action were
    dismissed via summary judgment and plea to the jurisdiction.
    Baldwin then filed a second petition where she requested review of the
    Division’s determinations, but that petition was not filed within 45 days. As a
    result, jurisdiction was not conferred to the trial court and the grant of the plea to
    the jurisdiction was proper.
    Baldwin v. Zurich Am. Ins. Co.                                                       5
    No. 03-14-00457-CV
    Brief of the Appellee
    ARGUMENT
    The central issue in this workers’ compensation case is whether the trial
    court had jurisdiction over Baldwin’s appeal of the Division’s decision given that
    she did not file a petition requesting review within the 45 day time limit. TEX. LAB.
    CODE ANN. § 410.252(a).1 Because Baldwin did not file a petition seeking to
    appeal the Division decision within the requisite time period, this Court should
    affirm the trial court’s judgment that dismisses the suit for want of jurisdiction.
    ISSUE NO. ONE: DOES     THE TRIAL COURT LACK SUBJECT MATTER
    JURISDICTION WHEN AN EMPLOYEE IN A WORKERS’ COMPENSATION
    CASE FILES FOR JUDICIAL REVIEW AFTER THE 45 DAY DEADLINE
    SPECIFIED IN THE TEXAS LABOR CODE LAPSES?
    It is undisputed that Baldwin had until October 25, 2012 to file a petition
    requesting a review of the Division’s decision. Baldwin failed to meet that deadline
    and the trial court therefore lacked jurisdiction to consider a suit for judicial review
    of the Division’s order. The plea to the jurisdiction was properly granted.
    The statutory 45-day deadline is mandatory and jurisdictional. Baldwin has
    not claimed, at either the trial court level or the appellate level, that a plea to the
    jurisdiction is not a proper mechanism to challenge a late-filed workers’
    compensation appeal. Any such argument has been waived.
    1
    Appellee does not dispute that Baldwin timely filed a request for review of the Hearing Officer’s
    decision with the Appeals Panel. Instead, Zurich asserts that Baldwin failed to timely file suit in district
    court seeking judicial review of the Division’s determination. Baldwin’s assertion in this appeal that the
    Baldwin v. Zurich Am. Ins. Co.                                                                                 6
    No. 03-14-00457-CV
    Brief of the Appellee
    A. STANDARD OF REVIEW.
    Whether a court has subject matter jurisdiction is a question of law. Tex.
    Dep’t of Parks & Wildlife v. Miranda, 
    133 S.W.3d 217
    , 226 (Tex. 2004). Whether
    a pleader has alleged facts that affirmatively demonstrate a trial court's subject
    matter jurisdiction is a question of law reviewed de novo. 
    Id. Likewise, whether
    undisputed evidence of jurisdictional facts establishes a trial court's jurisdiction is
    also a question of law. 
    Id. When a
    plea to the jurisdiction challenges the pleadings,
    the court should determine if the pleader has alleged facts that affirmatively
    demonstrate the court's jurisdiction to hear the cause. 
    Id. The court
    should construe
    the pleadings liberally in favor of the plaintiff and look to the pleader’s intent. 
    Id. If the
    pleadings affirmatively negate the existence of jurisdiction, then a plea to the
    jurisdiction may be granted without allowing the plaintiffs an opportunity to
    amend. 
    Id. B. THE
    45 DAY DEADLINE IS JURISDICTIONAL AND MANDATORY.
    The Texas Workers’ Compensation Act § 410.252(a) states that:
    A party may seek judicial review by filing suit not later
    than the 45th day after the date on which the division
    mailed the party the decision of the appeals panel. For
    purposes of this section, the mailing date is considered to
    be the fifth day after the date the decision of the appeals
    panel was filed with the division.
    Appeals Panel dismissed her appeal due to untimely filing and that Zurich’s plea is based on that
    determination is inaccurate. CR 444.
    Baldwin v. Zurich Am. Ins. Co.                                                                      7
    No. 03-14-00457-CV
    Brief of the Appellee
    Eight Texas appellate courts have held that the 45 day deadline is mandatory
    and jurisdictional in nature, and if the suit is not timely filed, the trial court lacks
    subject matter jurisdiction. Davis v. Am. Cas. Co. of Reading, Pa., 
    408 S.W.3d 1
    , 6
    (Tex. App.—Amarillo 2012, pet. denied); Fire & Cas. Ins. Co. of Conn. v.
    Miranda, 
    293 S.W.3d 620
    , 624 (Tex. App—San Antonio 2009, no pet.); Tex. Mun.
    League Intergovernmental Risk Pool v. Burns, 
    209 S.W.3d 806
    , 812 n. 9 (Tex.
    App.—Fort Worth 2006, no pet.); LeBlanc v. Everest Nat'l Ins. Co., 
    98 S.W.3d 786
    , 787 (Tex. App.—Corpus Christi 2003, no pet.); Johnson v. United Parcel
    Serv., 
    36 S.W.3d 918
    , 921 (Tex. App.—Dallas 2001, pet. denied); Argonaut Sw.
    Ins. Co. v. Walker, 
    64 S.W.3d 654
    , 657 (Tex. App.—Texarkana 2001, pet. denied);
    Morales v. Travelers Indem. Co. of Conn., No. 01-14-00429-CV, 
    2014 WL 7340374
    , at *2 (Tex. App.—Houston [1st Dist.] Dec. 18, 2014, no pet. h.) (mem.
    op.); See Cervantes v. Tyson Food, Inc., 
    130 S.W.3d 152
    , 155 (Tex. App.—El Paso
    2003, pet. denied).2
    The Appeals Panel issued notice that the Hearing Officer’s decision and
    order had become final on September 4, 2012.CR 444. Baldwin had 50 days from
    that date to file suit seeking judicial review. TEX. LAB. CODE ANN. § 410.252(a).
    Baldwin did not file a petition in district court seeking review of the Division’s
    2
    But see Tex. Dep't of Transp. v. Backner, 
    74 S.W.3d 98
    , 103 (Tex. App.—Waco 2002, no pet.).
    Baldwin v. Zurich Am. Ins. Co.                                                                    8
    No. 03-14-00457-CV
    Brief of the Appellee
    decision until April 18, 2013. CR 454. The trial court therefore did not have
    jurisdiction to hear Baldwin’s suit and properly granted Zurich’s plea to the
    jurisdiction.
    Baldwin in her briefing asserts that the original petition she filed on October
    5, 2012 contains a request for judicial review of the Division’s decision and
    therefore she met the 45 day deadline. Appellant’s Brief, pg. 4. In that petition,
    Baldwin complains that Zurich failed to send the designated doctor in the
    underlying administrative action all of her medical records, that the carrier denied
    certain medications, and that Zurich exhibited bad faith practices. CR 28-36. She
    requested recovery of economic damages including loss of earnings as well as
    mental anguish. CR 34. However, nowhere in the petition did she assert that she
    was seeking judicial review of the Division’s decision or that she had been harmed
    or aggrieved by the Hearing Officer’s findings of fact or conclusions of law. As
    such, the four corners of the petition reflect that Baldwin failed to request judicial
    review by filing suit on October 5, 2012.
    Furthermore, Judge Sulak dismissed the case related to the October 5, 2012
    case in its entirety by order signed January 3, 2013. Baldwin did not appeal that
    dismissal. Therefore, even if Baldwin’s argument were correct that she raised a
    request for judicial review in that petition, Baldwin failed to perfect an appeal from
    Baldwin v. Zurich Am. Ins. Co.                                                       9
    No. 03-14-00457-CV
    Brief of the Appellee
    that order of dismissal.
    C. BALDWIN HAS FAILED TO CHALLENGE THE PLEA TO THE JURISDICTION
    AS THE PROPER MEANS TO DISMISS HER CASE.
    Where a claimant has failed to challenge the use of a plea to the jurisdiction to
    defeat a late-filed request for judicial review, Texas appellate courts have refused
    to remand a case where the trial court granted the plea. See Morales v. Travelers
    Indem. Co. of Conn., No. 01-14-00429-CV, 
    2014 WL 7340374
    , at *2 (Tex. App.—
    Houston [1st Dist.] Dec. 18, 2014, no pet. h.) (mem. op.).
    Baldwin has challenged the trial court’s decision to grant the plea. She has also
    argued that the plea was not a proper method for challenging her pleadings because
    it challenged “the validity of the merits of Ms. Baldwin’s claim, not the jurisdiction
    of the district court.” Appellant’s Brief, pg. 24-25. However, she does not contend
    that a plea to the jurisdiction is an improper vehicle to request relief from the trial
    court where the request for judicial review from the Division decision was filed
    after the 45 day time limit lapsed. Accordingly, she has waived such argument by
    failing to raise it in her initial brief. See Tex.R.App. P. 38.3; Sunbeam Envtl.
    Servs., Inc. v. Texas Workers' Comp. Ins. Facility, 
    71 S.W.3d 846
    , 851 (Tex. App.
    2002).
    Baldwin failed to file a timely suit for judicial review of the Division’s decision
    and the trial court therefore properly granted the plea to the jurisdiction.
    Baldwin v. Zurich Am. Ins. Co.                                                        10
    No. 03-14-00457-CV
    Brief of the Appellee
    PRAYER
    Zurich respectfully requests that this Court uphold the decision of the trial
    court to grant Zurich’s plea to the jurisdiction and dismiss the suit, or for such
    other and further relief to which Petitioner may have shown itself to be entitled.
    Respectfully submitted,
    FLAHIVE, OGDEN & LATSON
    P. O. Drawer 13367
    Capitol Station
    Austin, Texas 78711
    512-477-4405
    512-867-1700 Fax
    /S/ Jessica M. MacCarty
    Jessica M. MacCarty
    State Bar No. 24077822
    Robert D. Stokes
    State Bar No. 19274100
    Attorneys for Appellee
    Zurich American Insurance Company
    Baldwin v. Zurich Am. Ins. Co.                                                       11
    No. 03-14-00457-CV
    Brief of the Appellee
    CERTIFICATE OF COMPLIANCE
    In accordance with Tex. R. App. P. 9.4(i)(2)(B), the undersigned counsel
    certifies that the document attached hereto contains 3,422 words as measured by
    the word count of the computer program used to prepare the document.
    /S/ Jessica M. MacCarty_
    Jessica M. MacCarty
    State Bar No. 24077822
    Attorney for Appellee
    CERTIFICATE OF SERVICE
    I hereby certify that a true and correct copy of Appellee’s Brief has been
    forwarded by certified mail, return receipt requested, on this 12th day of January,
    2015 to:
    Linda Baldwin
    10151 Dorrell Lane #1164
    Las Vegas, Nevada 89166
    Appellant
    /S/ Jessica M. MacCarty_
    Jessica M. MacCarty
    Baldwin v. Zurich Am. Ins. Co.                                                    12
    No. 03-14-00457-CV
    Brief of the Appellee
    No. 03-14-00457-CV
    IN THE THIRD COURT OF APPEALS
    AT AUSTIN, TEXAS
    LINDA BALDWIN,
    Appellant
    V.
    ZURICH AMERICAN INSURANCE COMPANY,
    Appellee
    APPENDIX TO APPELLEE’S BRIEF
    1. Texas Department of Insurance, Division of Workers’ Compensation
    Contested Case Hearing Decision and Order, signed June 22, 2012
    2. Texas Department of Insurance, Division of Workers’ Compensation
    Appeals Panel Notice of Decision, dated September 4, 2012
    3. Baldwin’s Original Petition, filed October 5, 2012
    4. Order Granting Defendant’s Motion for Partial Summary Judgment, Special
    Exceptions, and Plea to the Jurisdiction with Dismissal by Judge Tim Sulak,
    dated January 3, 2013
    5. Baldwin’s Original Petition, filed April 18, 2013
    6. Order Granting Defendant’s Motion for Partial Summary Judgment by Judge
    Rhonda Hurley, dated July 17, 2013
    7. Order of Dismissal by Judge Gisela Triana, dated March 21, 2014
    8. TEX. LABOR CODE ANN. § 410.252
    Baldwin v. Zurich Am. Ins. Co.                                                  13
    No. 03-14-00457-CV
    Brief of the Appellee