In the Court of Appeals for the Fifth Judicial District at Dallas, Texas

809 Pages·2017·14.8 MB·English

ACCEPTED
05-18-00204-CV
05-18-00204-CV FIFTH COURT OF APPEALS
DALLAS, TEXAS
2/23/2018 5:37 PM
LISA MATZ
CLERK
Cause No. _______________

In the Court of Appeals for th e FILED IN
5th COURT OF APPEALS
DALLAS, TEXAS
Fifth Judicial District at Dallas, Texas
2/23/2018 5:37:54 PM

LISA MATZ
Clerk

In re ABM ONSITE SERVICES, INC. and
ABM JANITORIAL SERVICES-SOUTH CENTRAL, INC.,
Relators

On Petition for Writ of Mandamus from
The 193rd Judicial District Court of Dallas County, Texas
Cause No. DC-17-01318

PETITION FOR WRIT OF MANDAMUS

Farbod Farnia
State Bar No. 24078493
[email protected]

MCCATHERN, PLLC
3710 Rawlins, Suite 1600
Dallas, TX 75219
Phone: [phone]
Fax: [phone]
ORAL ARGUMENT IS

NOT REQUESTED
Counsel for Relators
IDENTITY OF PARTIES AND COUNSEL
Parties Attorneys

ABM ONSITE SERVICES, INC. Farbod Farnia
and ABM JANITORIAL Texas Bar No. 24078493
SERVICES-SOUTH CENTRAL, [email protected]
INC.,
MCCATHERN, PLLC
Relators; 3710 Rawlins, Suite 1600
Defendants below. Dallas, Texas 75219
Phone: [phone]
Fax: [phone]

Rodney L. Drinnon
Texas Bar No. 24047841
[email protected]
Andrew T. Green
Texas Bar No. 24069823
[email protected]
Brittené V. Wilson
Texas Bar No. 24073326
[email protected]

MCCATHERN, PLLC
2000 West Loop South, Suite 1850
Houston, Texas 77027
Phone [phone]
Fax [phone]

ii
Parties (Cont’d) Attorneys

LANDRY MARKS PARTNERS, Joel W. Reese
L.P., [email protected]
Tyler J. Bexley
Real Party in Interest [email protected]
Plaintiff Below REESE GORDON MARKETOS LLP
750 N. Saint Paul St., Suite 600
Dallas, Texas 75201
Fax: [phone]

COMPLETE FACILITY Carlos A. Peniche
SERVICES, INC. and JESUS [email protected]
“JESSE” GODINA, LAM, LYN, & PHILIP, P.C.
6213 Skyline Drive, Suite 2100
Other Defendant Below Houston, Texas 77057
Fax: [phone]

CLAY JOHNSON, John R. DeVoss
[email protected]
Other Defendant Below SMITH DEVOSS, PLLC
8225 Mid Cities Boulevard, Suite 200
North Richland Hills, Texas 76182
Fax: [phone]

VANESSA DRENNAN Jason N. Thomas
[email protected]
Other Defendant Below CARNAHAN THOMAS
1190 N. Carroll Ave.
Southlake, Texas 76092
Fax: [phone]

iii
Parties (Cont’d) Attorneys

THE HONORABLE CARL N/A
GINSBERG, JUDGE, 193rd
JUDICIAL DISTRICT COURT
OF DALLAS COUNTY, TEXAS

Respondent

600 Commerce Street
8th Floor New Tower
Dallas, TX 75202
Phone [phone]

iv
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Identity of Parties and Counsel ....................................................................... ii
Table of Contents .............................................................................................v
Statement of the Case .................................................................................... vi
Statement Regarding Oral Argument ........................................................... vii
Statement of the Issues ................................................................................ viii
Statement of Jurisdiction ............................................................................... ix
Statement of Facts ............................................................................................1
I. Factual Background ..........................................................................1
II. Procedural Background ....................................................................2
Argument and Authorities ...............................................................................4
I. Standard of Review ..........................................................................4
II. The Trial Court Abused its Discretion in Ordering ABM
to Produce Privileged Materials .......................................................5
A. ABM met its burden to establish that the materials
sought by Landry Marks were privileged. ............................... 5
B. Relators did not Waive their Privilege .................................... 8
III. Relators Will Have No Adequate Remedy By Appeal ................. 14
Conclusion and Prayer .................................................................................. 15
Certificate of Compliance ............................................................................. 16
Certificate of Service .................................................................................... 17
Certificate of Compliance ................................................................................4
Certificate of Service .......................................................................................4

v
STATEMENT OF THE CASE
Nature of This is a suit for damages arising from a factoring
the Case: agreement
Trial The Honorable Carl Ginsberg
Court: 193rd Judicial District Court Of Dallas County, Texas
600 Commerce Street
8th Floor New Tower
Dallas, TX 75202
Phone [phone]

Order from On January 29, 2018, the Trial Court heard Real Party
which relief Landry Marks Partners, L.P.’s (“Landry Marks”) Motion
is sought: for Sanctions (the “Motion”). In the Motion, Landry
Marks sought the production of documents related to its
internal investigation of the subject matter of this lawsuit.1
Relators objected that the documents were privileged.2
The Trial Court granted the Motion, compelling the
deposition of Relators’ corporate representative on or
before March 2, 2018 (the “Order”).3 The Order further
requires that Relators produce documents which are
privileged.4

1 See Appx., at 376 et seq.
2 See Appx., at 516 et seq.
3 See Appx., at 764–65.
4 See id.
vi
STATEMENT REGARDING ORAL ARGUMENT
Appellants do not believe that oral argument is necessary to resolve this
appeal. The issues on appeal have been “authoritatively decided” and this
Court’s “decisional process would not be significantly aided by oral
argument.”5 Relator is mindful that mandamus is an extraordinary remedy
and wishes to avoid consuming more of this Court’s time than is necessary to
correct the Trial Court’s error.
However, Relator conditionally requests oral argument to preserve his
right to participate should Real Party in Interest request, and this Court grant,
oral argument.

5 TEX. R. APP. P. 38.1(e).
vii
STATEMENT OF THE ISSUES
1. Did the Trial Court abuse its discretion in ordering Relator
to produce privileged materials to Real Party in Interest?
2. If so, will Relator’s appellate remedies be inadequate to
address the error?
viii
STATEMENT OF JURISDICTION
This Court has jurisdiction over this original proceeding under Texas
Government Code §22.221(b)(1).6

6 TEX. GOV’T CODE § 22.221(b)(1); TEX. R. APP. P. 52.3 (e).
ix
STATEMENT OF FACTS
I. FACTUAL BACKGROUND
Relator is a cleaning company that operates nationwide.7 It sometimes
works with subcontractors to provide cleaning services.8 One such company
was Complete Facility Services, Inc. (“CFS”).9 CFS had a business
arrangement with Real Party in Interest, Landry Marks. In other words,
Landry Marks would pay CFS money in the present in exchange for CFS’s
promise to pay Landry Marks money due from CFS’s clients.10
This lawsuit arose when Landry Marks allegedly discovered that CFS’s
owner Jesus Godina, was misrepresenting the amount of money coming in,
and was instead paying some of that money to an ABM employee. In return,
the ABM employee would award CFS with subcontracts to clean certain
buildings.11

7 Appx., at 9–10.
8 Id.
9 Id.
10 Appx., at 4.
11 Appx., at 7–8.
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