Texas Quarter Horse Association Texas Thoroughbred Association Texas Horsemen's Partnership Gillespie County Fair and Festivals Association, Inc.et Al. // American Legion Department of Texas v. American Legion Department of Texas, Temple Post 133 Kickapoo Traditional Tribe of Texas Thompson Allstate Bingo Supply, Inc. And Moore Supplies, Inc.// Texas Quarter Horse
ACCEPTED
03-15-00118-CV
5686565
THIRD COURT OF APPEALS
AUSTIN, TEXAS
6/15/2015 9:12:09 PM
JEFFREY D. KYLE
CLERK
No. 03-15-00118-CV
_______________________________________ FILED IN
3rd COURT OF APPEALS
AUSTIN, TEXAS
IN THE COURT OF APPEALS 6/15/2015 9:12:09 PM
FOR THE THIRD DISTRICT OF TEXAS JEFFREY D. KYLE
AUSTIN, TEXAS Clerk
_______________________________________
TEXAS QUARTER HORSE ASSOCIATION; TEXAS THOROUGHBRED
ASSOCIATION; TEXAS HORSEMEN’S PARTNERSHIP; GILLESPIE
COUNTY FAIR AND FESTIVALS ASSOCIATION, INC.; GLOBAL
GAMING LSP, LLC d/b/a LONE STAR PARK AT GRAND PRAIRIE; and
SAM HOUSTON RACE PARK, LLC,
Appellants
v.
AMERICAN LEGION DEPARTMENT OF TEXAS, TEMPLE POST 133;
KICKAPOO TRADITIONAL TRIBE OF TEXAS; THOMPSON
ALLSTATE BINGO SUPPLY, INC.; and MOORE SUPPLIES, INC.,
Appellees
__________________________________________________
UNOPPOSED MOTION TO ABATE APPEAL
_________________________________________________
TO THE HONORABLE THIRD COURT OF APPEALS:
Pursuant to Tex. R. App. P. 2 and 10.1, Appellants move to abate this appeal for
90 days. In support of the requested 90-day abatement, Appellants would show the
following:
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1. This cause concerns the validity of administrative rules adopted by the Texas
Racing Commission (“Commission”) that authorize pari-mutuel wagering on historical
horse racing.
2. The district court below held that the Commission’s adoption of the historical
racing rules in August 2014 constituted an ultra vires act, and that those rules are
therefore invalid.
3. Appellants have appealed the district court’s decision to this Court.
4. The Commission is currently considering its future plans with respect to the
issue of historical racing. At this time, it is unclear what the Commission will ultimately
decide. For example, the Commission could decide to maintain its current position in
support of historical racing. Alternatively, it could decide to maintain its current support
of historical racing, but do so through a new rule. Or it could decide to switch gears and
abandon the issue of historical racing entirely and permanently, by announcing in no
uncertain terms that the Commission will repeal the rule and will not replace it with
another historical racing rule at any time in the future. Depending on which course the
Commission ultimately suggests, that decision may or may not impact the status of this
appeal.
5. The Commission is expected to make a final decision about historical racing,
one way or another, in or around August 2015. Until then, there is no need for this Court
or for the parties to expend further resources on this appeal.
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6. Accordingly, Appellants ask the Court to suspend or toll all current appellate
deadlines and to abate the appeal for 90 days. The requested 90-day abatement will avoid
a potentially needless waste of time and expense involved in briefing issues raised by
both sides in this Court.
7. Appellees do not agree with Appellants’ characterization of the facts or
rationale expressed in this Motion, but Appellees do not oppose the granting of the
relief sought.
WHEREFORE, Appellants pray that the Court grant this unopposed motion to
abate and render an order suspending or tolling all existing appellate deadlines and
abating this appeal for a period of 90 days. Appellants also request such other and further
relief to which it may be entitled.
DATED: June 15, 2015 Respectfully submitted,
By: /s/ J. Bruce Bennett
J. Bruce Bennett
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Martha S. Dickie, J. Bruce Bennett
State Bar No. 00000081 State Bar No. 02145500
Boone Almanza John A. Cardwell
State Bar No. 01579001 State Bar No. 03791200
ALMANZA, BLACKBURN & DICKIE, LLP CARDWELL, HART & BENNETT, LLP
2301 South Capital of Texas Highway, 807 Brazos, Suite 1001
Building H Austin, Texas 78701
Austin, Texas 78746 Tel: (512) 322-0011
Tel: (512) 478-9486 Fax: (512) 322-0808
Fax: (512) 478-7151 cardwell53@earthlink.net
mdickie@abdlawfirm.com jbb.chblaw@me.com
balmanza@abdlawfirm.com
--and--
COUNSEL FOR APPELLANT GILLESPIE
Dudley D. McCalla
COUNTY FAIR AND FESTIVALS
State Bar No. 13354000
ASSOCIATION, INC.
JACKSON WALKER, LLP
100 Congress Avenue Ste 1100
James C. Ho
Austin, Texas 78701-0000
State Bar No. 24052766
Tel: (512) 236-2071
Bradley G. Hubbard
Fax: (512) 236-2002
State Bar No. 24090174
dmccalla@jw.com
GIBSON, DUNN & CRUTCHER LLP
2100 McKinney Avenue, Suite 1100 COUNSEL FOR APPELLANT GLOBAL GAMING
Dallas, Texas 75201 LSP, LLC D/B/A LONE STAR PARK AT
Tel: (214) 698-3100 GRAND PRAIRIE
Fax: (214) 571-2934
jho@gibsondunn.com Robert G. Hargrove
bhubbard@gibsondunn.com State Bar No. 24032391
Ana Maria Marsland Griffith
COUNSEL FOR APPELLANT SAM
State Bar No. 13049300
HOUSTON RACE PARK, LLC
OSBORN, GRIFFITH & HARGROVE
515 Congress Ave., Suite 2450
Austin, Texas 78701
Tel: (512) 476-3529
Fax: (512) 476-8310
rob@texasenergylaw.com
anamaria@texasenergylaw.com
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COUNSEL FOR APPELLANTS TEXAS
QUARTER HORSE ASSOCIATION, TEXAS
THOROUGHBRED ASSOCIATION, AND TEXAS
HORSEMEN’S PARTNERSHIP
CERTIFICATE OF CONFERENCE
I hereby certify that I have conferred with counsel for Appellees regarding
this Motion. Appellees do not agree with Appellants’ characterization of the facts
or rationale expressed in this Motion, but Appellees do not oppose the granting of
the relief sought.
/s/ J. Bruce Bennett
J. Bruce Bennett
CERTIFICATE OF SERVICE
I certify that a true copy of foregoing Motion was served via electronic means on
all counsel of record in this case on this 15th day of June 2015:
/s/ J. Bruce Bennett
J. Bruce Bennett
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