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Hon. Melissa Davis Andrews
Judge · Seat 3A
Texas Business Court · Third Business Court Division (Austin)
Biography
Melissa Andrews is a judge on the Texas Business Court, where she serves in the Third Division in Austin, Texas. Judge Andrews is Board Certified in Civil Appellate Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization. Before coming to the bench, she focused her legal practice on appellate briefing and oral argument, strategic dispositive motions, expert challenges, preservation of error, and jury charges. She has represented clients in the United States Supreme Court, the Supreme Court of Texas, several United States Courts of Appeals, and trial and appellate courts across the county. She also previously worked at the Supreme Court of Texas as an attorney for Justice Jeff Boyd and a law clerk for Justice Don Willett (now serving on the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals), as well as at the First Court of Appeals as an attorney for Justice Harvey Brown. She is currently the immediate past Chair of the Austin Bar Association’s Civil Appellate Section. She also serves on the Texas Board of Legal Specialization’s Advisory Commissions for Civil Appellate Law as well as for Judicial Administration. She is a frequent CLE presenter and has authored several law review articles. She received her Juris Doctorate from the University of Texas School of Law, where she was a member of the Texas Law Review, served as a Teaching Quizmaster, and graduated with honors. She received her Bachelor of Science degree from Texas A&M University, where she graduated magna cum laude.
Opinions by Judge Andrews (2)
Removal Deadline to Business Court Does Not Begin Before Suit Is Filed, Division 3 Holds
In SafeLease Insurance Services LLC v. Storable, Inc., the Business Court denied a motion to remand, holding that the 30-day removal period under Section 25A.006 and Rule 355 does not begin running before the lawsuit is filed, even when the removing party knew all jurisdictional facts earlier. The Court also reaffirmed that actions seeking only equitable relief can satisfy the jurisdictional amount-in-controversy requirement without any party seeking damages.
Business Court Clarifies Amount-in-Controversy Requirements for Injunctive Relief Under Section 25A.004(e) and Adopts Burden-Shifting Framework for Removal Challenges
In C Ten 31 LLC v. Tarbox, the Business Court held that Section 25A.004(e)'s grant of jurisdiction over actions seeking injunctive or declaratory relief incorporates the amount-in-controversy limits of the underlying subsections—here, Subsection (b)'s $5 million threshold. The Court adopted a burden-shifting framework in which the party moving to remand bears the initial burden of showing the pleaded amount is fraudulent or readily established otherwise, while the party asserting jurisdiction bears the ultimate burden of proof at trial.