Removal Statute Does Not Apply to Pre-Effective Date Cases: Business Court Lacked Authority to Accept 2017-Filed Action

The Fifteenth Court of Appeals denied mandamus relief in In re ETC Field Services, holding that the Business Court properly remanded a 2017-filed breach of contract action because HB 19's removal provisions apply only to "civil actions commenced on or after September 1, 2024"—and removal transfers rather than commences an action. The court rejected ETC's attempt to remove a seven-year-old case just months before trial, establishing that the Legislature's choice of "commenced" forecloses removal of cases filed in district court before the Business Court's creation.