HOUSTON - The 14th Court of Appeals today found that ExxonMobil, as a summary-judgment movant, conclusively established its exclusive-remedy defense under the Texas Workers’ Compensation Act.
The litigation in question stems from a fire and explosion at Exxon’s Baytown Olefins Plant in 2019. The plaintiffs are twenty-three individuals, each of whom had been working at the plant as an employee of one of four subcontractors.
Court records show Exxon moved for summary judgment in a series of three motions, all of them on the basis of the exclusive-remedy defense under the Texas Workers’ Compensation Act.
The trial court denied the motions and Exxon appealed.
“We conclude that ExxonMobil conclusively established both elements of its exclusive-remedy defense as to each of the Plaintiffs, and that the Plaintiffs failed to raise a fact issue or otherwise show that summary-judgment was improper,” the opinion states.
“The trial court’s orders denying ExxonMobil’s motions for summary judgment are reversed, and judgment is rendered that the Plaintiffs take nothing by their claims against ExxonMobil.”
Appeals case Nos. 14-22-00863-CV, 14-22-00872-CV and 14-23-00013-CV.