Opinion issued May 24, 2012

In The

Court of Appeals

For the

First District of Texas

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NO. 01-12-00417-CV

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IN RE WILLIAM SCOTT JARRIEL, M.D., KAREN T. DEVILLE, M.D., BRENDA H. MCINTYRE, M.D., DEBORAH SELMA ENAD DE GUZMAN, M.D., AND MEDICAL CENTER NEONATOLOGY ASSOCIATES, P.A., Relators

Original Proceeding on Petition for Writ of Mandamus

MEMORANDUM OPINION

Relators, William Scott Jarriel, M.D., Karen T. DeVille, M.D., Brenda H. McIntyre, M.D., Deborah Selma Enad de Guzman, M.D., and Medical Center Neonatology Associates, P.A., petitioned for writ of mandamus seeking to compel the trial court to vacate its order denying their motion to stay discovery pursuant to Civil Practice and Remedies Code section 74.351(s) and granting the real parties in interest’s motion for entry of a docket control order.^[1]  On March 22, 2012, a panel of this Court affirmed the trial court’s denial of relators’ co-defendants’ (“the Hospital Defendants”) motion to dismiss.  See CHCA Woman’s Hosp., L.P. v. Lidji, No. 01-11-00879-CV, 2012 WL 963990, at *7 (Tex. App.—Houston [1st Dist.] Mar. 22, 2012, pet.filed).  Relators, who did not join the Hospital Defendants’ motion to dismiss, requested that we order the trial court to stay discovery in the underlying proceeding until the Texas Supreme Court finally determines the Hospital Defendants’ interlocutory appeal.  SeeTex. Civ. Prac. & Rem. Code Ann. § 74.351(s) (Vernon 2011) (“Until a claimant has served the expert report and curriculum vitae as required by Subsection (a), all discovery in a health care liability claim is stayed . . . .”); In re Lumsden, 291 S.W.3d 456, 460 (Tex. App.—Houston [14th Dist.] 2009, orig. proceeding) (“An interpretation staying discovery until final judicial determination that an expert report is adequate and, therefore, served is consistent with the legislature’s goal in enacting the Texas Medical Liability Act.”) (emphasis added).

The Hospital Defendants filed a petition for review of our March 22, 2012 opinion in the Texas Supreme Court on May 7, 2012.  On May 14, 2012, the court issued an order granting the Hospital Defendants’ emergency motion and staying all discovery in the underlying case.  Relators and the real parties in interest then filed an agreed motion to dismiss this petition for writ of mandamus as moot.

We agree that relators’ petition is moot pursuant to the Texas Supreme Court’s May 14, 2012 order.  We therefore dismiss the petition for writ of mandamus.

PER CURIAM

Panel consists of Chief Justice Radack and Justices Jennings and Keyes.

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¹        The Honorable Michael Miller, Judge of the 11th District Court of Harris County, Texas, Respondent.  The underlying lawsuit is Scott Lidji and Angela Lidji, as next friends of R.L., a minor v. CHCA Woman’s Hospital L.P. d/b/a The Woman’s Hospital of Texas, Woman’s Hospital of Texas, Inc., William Scott Jarriel, M.D., Karen T. DeVille, M.D., Brenda H. McIntyre, M.D., Deborah Selma Enad de Guzman, M.D., and Medical Center Neonatology Associates, P.A., No. 2011-47867 (11th Dist. Ct., Harris Cnty., Tex.).