Pre-Suit Demand Letters Establish Amount in Controversy for Business Court Removal Deadlines

In DrinkPAK v. PRIII Crow Building C, Division 8 remanded a commercial lease dispute after finding defendants' removal notice untimely under Section 25A.006(f)(1), holding that pre-litigation demand letters and the underlying transaction's monetary terms established the $5 million jurisdictional threshold well before the 30-day removal window expired. The court rejected defendants' argument that a generic Rule 47 pleading alleging damages "over $1 million" prevented them from discovering jurisdictional facts, emphasizing that courts may consider the petition as a whole, the nature of claims, the underlying transaction, and pre-suit correspondence when determining when a party "reasonably should have discovered" facts establishing jurisdiction.