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Comprehensive coverage of the Texas Business Court

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Dallas, Texas  ·  Complex Commercial Litigation

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Portrait of Hon. Stacy Sharp

Hon. Stacy Sharp

Judge · Seat 4B

Texas Business Court · Fourth Business Court Division (San Antonio)

Biography

Stacy Rogers Sharp sits in the Texas Business Court’s Fourth Division, which covers 22 counties in South Texas extending from the border south of Laredo to coastal Aransas County. Judge Sharp’s background in commercial litigation derives from her private practice as an appellate lawyer and trial-litigation consultant in civil suits that included contractual breaches, unfair competition, banking disputes, corporate-governance and fiduciary litigation, energy matters, employment law, and intellectual-property matters. She has long served on the faculty of the University of Texas School of Law, having most recently taught advanced writing for litigation. Her publications and papers cover the topics of fraudulent transfers, trade secrets, oil and gas litigation, business torts, rhetorical techniques for handling counterarguments, and the Texas Civil Participation Act. She is former president of the Federal Bar Association’s Austin Chapter and sits on its San Antonio Chapter’s executive board. A 2006 graduate of the University of Texas School of Law, she was a Chancellor, a Teaching Quizmaster, and member of the Texas Law Review. She began her appellate practice at Baker Botts LLP after clerking in the Western District of Texas for the Honorable Lee Yeakel. Before practicing law, she attended Vanderbilt University and served as a math and science teacher. More recently, she served her community on the Board of Trustees for Alamo Heights Independent School District and on the State Bar's Child Abuse & Neglect Committee. After years of serving as a foster parent, she now enjoys volunteering with the National Charity League and Young Men's Service League.

Source: txcourts.gov

Opinions by Judge Sharp (4)

Jurisdiction & remand ×
2026 Tex. Bus. 6 Jurisdiction & Remand February 03, 2026

Business Court Finds Jurisdiction Over Aiding-and-Abetting and Intellectual-Property Claims Despite Absence of Standalone Causes of Action

In Alamo Title Company v. WFG National Title Company, the Texas Business Court held that allegations of a former president's new company aiding and abetting his fiduciary breach satisfied Section 25A.004(b)(5)'s jurisdictional requirement, and that repeated allegations of misappropriated business information invoked Section 25A.004(d)(4)'s intellectual-property clause even without a standalone trade-secret claim. The court applied its balance-shifting framework to find the defendant's removal notice pleading more than five million dollars in controversy satisfied the amount-in-controversy threshold where plaintiff offered no rebuttal.

Removal & Remand Section 25A.004 Amount in Controversy Trade Secrets & Non-Competes Aiding and Abetting Opinion PDF ↓
2025 Tex. Bus. 51 Jurisdiction & Remand December 18, 2025

Partial Settlement Does Not Divest Business Court of Jurisdiction Once Properly Invoked

In Ornelas v. Herrera, the Business Court's Fourth Division held that agreed dismissal of claims against most defendants did not reduce the jurisdictional amount in controversy, which is fixed at the suit's commencement based on the plaintiff's pleadings. The court applied Bland ISD v. Blue to conclude that absent proof of fraud or sham pleading, the allegations in the pleadings control the jurisdictional determination.

Mem. Op. Section 25A.004 Oil & Gas Amount in Controversy Fiduciary Duty Derivative Standing Opinion PDF ↓
2025 Tex. Bus. 4 Jurisdiction & Remand February 04, 2025

Business Court Holds Removal Statute Bars Partial Claim Removal and Applies Commencement Date to Original Petition

In Sebastian v. Durant, the Business Court remanded a derivative action after concluding that Section 8 of House Bill 19 fixes an action's commencement date at the filing of the original petition regardless of subsequent joinder, and that Chapter 25A permits removal of entire actions only—not individual claims. The ruling clarifies critical temporal and scope-of-removal questions under the court's enabling legislation.

Chapter 25A Removal & Remand Commencement Date HB 19 Section 8 Partial Removal Opinion PDF ↓
2024 Tex. Bus. 4 Jurisdiction & Remand November 07, 2024

Business Court Lacks Jurisdiction Over Pre-Effective-Date Cases Despite Party Consent

In Jorrie v. AL Global Services, 2024 Tex. Bus. 4, the Business Court sua sponte remanded a 2018 commercial dispute removed from district court with full party consent, holding that Chapter 25A does not confer subject-matter jurisdiction over cases commenced before the Business Court's September 1, 2024 effective date. The decision establishes that the Business Court's statutory jurisdiction operates prospectively only, regardless of party agreement to transfer.

Chapter 25A Subject-Matter Jurisdiction Removal & Remand Effective Date Sua Sponte Review Opinion PDF ↓