Texas Supreme Court: Public Entities Immune from Retaliatory Discharge Claims

A ruling by the Texas Supreme Court will make it more difficult for former employees of public entities to pursue retaliatory discharge claims against those employers. The Court has held that a political subdivision has immunity from a state law prohibiting retaliatory discharge of an employee after the filing of a workers’ compensation claim. The state’s high court said an appeals court erred in allowing a retaliatory discharge claim against Travis Central Appraisal District (TCAD) to proceed because the case upon which the appeals court relied is no longer the “controlling authority” in such cases due to changes in state statute.