We can't find the internet
Attempting to reconnect
Something went wrong!
Attempting to reconnect
Hon. Sofia Adrogué
Judge · Seat 11A
Texas Business Court · Eleventh Business Court Division (Houston)
Biography
Governor Greg Abbott appointed Sofia Adrogué as one of the inaugural judges of the Texas Business Court, Eleventh Business Court Division, effective September 1, 2024. The Eleventh Business Court Division is composed of Brazoria, Fort Bend, Galveston, Harris, Matagorda, Montgomery, and Wharton Counties. A native of Argentina, Sofia is a 10+ year Texas Super Lawyer, Best Lawyer, and Latino Leaders honoree, recognized among the “U.S. 25 Most Influential Hispanic Lawyers” and “Most Powerful Women in Law.” She envisioned and serves as Editor of the Texas Business Litigation treatise (6th Edition) and has published and/or spoken on more than 300 occasions. Sofia is a graduate of the Harvard Business School Owner/President Management Program and an alumna of Harvard Business School, where she served as the U.S. keynote graduation speaker for HBS OPM 37—ostensibly the first woman to do so—and as U.S. Class Representative. She graduated magna cum laude from the University of Houston Law Center and from Rice University, where she was elected to Phi Beta Kappa, both on full academic scholarships. Having handled matters arising throughout Texas, across the United States, and internationally in venues including Buenos Aires, Mexico City, and Puerto Rico, Sofia has obtained favorable judgments and settlements in state and federal courts as well as in alternative dispute resolution proceedings. Sofia has served on The Advocate Editorial Board, the Texas Supreme Court Advisory Committee, and the CLE, Mentor, and Professionalism Committees of the State Bar of Texas. She has also served on the Houston Lawyer and Professionalism Committees of the Houston Bar Association, among others. She is a Fellow of the American Bar Foundation, the Texas Bar Foundation, and the Houston Bar Foundation. Additionally, she has served as a member of the Houston First Board of Directors and the City of Houston Mayor’s Hispanic Advisory Board. She has received more than 40 accolades, including the 2026 Houston Bar Association Justice Ruby Kless Sondock Award; 2025 Greater Houston Women’s Chamber of Commerce Pioneering Leadership in Justice Award; 2025 Hispanic Bar Association Judge of the Year Award; 2024 L.I.F.E. Mother’s Day Award; 2023 University of Houston Law Center Hispanic Law Heritage Wall of Honor recognition; 2022 Top 30 Women in Houston Award; 2021 World Affairs Council of Greater Houston Global Leader of Influence Award; 2020 Comcast Hispanic Heroes Award; a Greater Houston Women’s Chamber Hall of Fame inductee; a Houston Chronicle/Channel 11 “Texas Legend”; one of the “10 Extraordinary Latinos” (inaugural list); a National Diversity Council “Most Powerful and Influential Woman of Texas” and “Top 50 Women Lawyers” honoree; a UH Law Center Immigration Clinic Arrival Award; a Houston Jaycees “Outstanding Houstonian” Award; a Texas Jaycees “Outstanding Texan” Award as well as the U.S. Jaycees “Outstanding Young American” Award, among others. The City of Houston has recognized her public service with proclamations designating July 10, 2004, and December 18, 2018, as “Sofia Adrogué Day.”
Opinions by Judge Adrogué (6)
Temporal Limits on Indemnification Obligations Bar Claims Asserted After Survival Period Expires
In Plains Pipeline v. Arrowhead Gulf Coast Holdings, Judge Adrogué granted summary judgment for defendants on indemnification claims arising from Louisiana erosion litigation, holding that the asset purchase agreement's exclusive remedy and survival provisions unambiguously barred claims asserted after the one-year indemnification period expired. The court rejected plaintiffs' argument that defendants' assumption of liabilities created perpetual reimbursement obligations independent of Article X's temporal limitations.
Estoppel Bars Specific Performance After Termination Notice, Even With Substantial Compliance
In City Choice Group v. TMC Grand Blvd Land Co., Judge Adrogué granted partial summary judgment holding that City Choice, having delivered an unequivocal termination notice during the inspection period of a $22.5 million land purchase agreement, was estopped from seeking specific performance of the contract it purported to terminate—even though it substantially complied with notice provisions and the termination was not subject to strict compliance standards applicable to option exercises. The court separately denied TMC's motion for pre-judgment release of $100,000 in independent consideration held in escrow, ruling that TMC must comply with statutory requirements for a writ of attachment rather than seeking immediate release.
Mirror-Image Rule Bars Declaratory Counterclaims That Merely Deny Plaintiff's Injunction Elements
In CreateAI Holdings v. Bot Auto TX Inc., the Business Court of Texas granted a Rule 91a motion dismissing declaratory judgment counterclaims that sought only declarations that plaintiff could not prove elements of its injunction claim—imminent irreparable injury and absence of adequate remedy at law. The court held the counterclaims violated the "mirror-image" rule because they presented nothing more than a denial of plaintiff's pending claims and sought no affirmative relief independent of the underlying suit.
Post-Effective-Date Joinder of Publicly Traded Defendant Does Not Confer Removal Jurisdiction Over Pre-Effective-Date Actions
In Case No. 24-BC11A-0013, the Texas Business Court entered an order on February 25, 2025, in a dispute involving Cypress Town Center, Ltd. and Kimco entities. The filing represents one of the early jurisdictional determinations by the newly established Business Court, though the substantive content of the court's ruling has not been made publicly available.
Business Court Lacks Jurisdiction Over Pre-September 1, 2024 Cases Despite Agreed Removal
In Bestway Oilfield, Inc. v. Cox, Judge Adrogué sua sponte remanded a four-and-a-half-year-old employment dispute removed by agreed notice in October 2024, holding that H.B. 19's plain text—"apply to civil actions commenced on or after September 1, 2024"—unambiguously bars Business Court jurisdiction over pre-effective-date cases even when all parties consent. The court stayed its remand order pending resolution of the Synergy appeal addressing the same jurisdictional question.
Business Court Lacks Jurisdiction Over Pre-September 1, 2024 Actions Despite Post-Effective Date Consent Agreement
In Lone Star NGL Product Services LLC v. EagleClaw Midstream Ventures, LLC, the Texas Business Court held it lacks subject-matter jurisdiction over actions commenced before September 1, 2024, even where parties executed a post-effective date written agreement purporting to confer jurisdiction under Section 25A.004(d). The Court remanded the case to district court, certifying the controlling question for permissive interlocutory appeal and staying the remand pending appellate resolution.