OPINION
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Tx Dept. of Transportation v. Sefzik (Tex. 2011)(Per Curiam)
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FULL TEXT OF OPINION [ coming soon ]
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OPINION OF THE COURT OF APPEALS BELOW: Court of Appeals
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Also see: Texas Causes of Action | 2011 Texas Supreme Court Opinions | 2011 Tex Sup Ct Per Curiams
TxDOT v. Sefzik, No. 08-0943 (Tex. Oct 21, 2011) (per curiam)
TEXAS DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION v. ROGER SEFZIK; from Travis County; 13th district (13-06-
00550-CV, 267 SW3d 127, 06-19-08)
Pursuant to Texas Rule of Appellate Procedure 59.1, after granting the petition for review and without hearing
oral argument, the Court reverses in part the court of appeals' judgment and remands the case to the trial court.
Per Curiam Opinion
(Justice Johnson not sitting)
View Electronic Briefs in 08-0943 TEXAS DEPT. OF TRANSP. v. SEFZIK
EXCERPT FROM SUPREME COURT OPINION
At issue in this case is whether sovereign immunity bars Roger Sefzik’s lawsuit seeking
declaratory relief under the Uniform Declaratory Judgments Act (UDJA) against the Texas
Department of Transportation (TxDOT). In City of El Paso v. Heinrich, we dismissed claims
seeking declaratory and injunctive relief against governmental entities as barred by sovereign
immunity. 284 S.W.3d 366, 380 (Tex. 2009). The court of appeals relied on our pre-Heinrich ultra
vires precedent to conclude that declaratory judgment actions do not implicate sovereign immunity.
We reverse and hold that state agencies, like TxDOT here, are immune from suits under the UDJA
unless the Legislature has waived immunity for the particular claims at issue. However, because
Sefzik’s claim was filed pre-Heinrich, we remand the case to the trial court so that Sefzik has a
reasonable opportunity to assert an ultra vires claim against state officials.