Kenneth Henry v. Marc A. Notzon and Law Office of Marc A. Notzon, P.C. ( 2022 )


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  • AFFIRMED and Opinion Filed December 22, 2022
    S  In The
    Court of Appeals
    Fifth District of Texas at Dallas
    No. 05-20-00994-CV
    KENNETH HENRY, Appellant
    V.
    MARC A. NOTZON AND LAW OFFICE OF MARC A. NOTZON, P.C.,
    Appellees
    On Appeal from the 191st Judicial District Court
    Dallas County, Texas
    Trial Court Cause No. DC-19-13449
    MEMORANDUM OPINION
    Before Justices Schenck, Molberg, and Pedersen, III
    Opinion by Justice Pedersen, III
    Appellant Kenneth Henry sued appellees Marc A. Notzon and the Law Offices
    of Marc A. Notzon, P.C. (together, Notzon) claiming a breach of fiduciary duty. The
    trial court granted summary judgment in favor of Notzon based on collateral
    estoppel. In two appellate issues, Henry argues the trial court erroneously granted
    summary judgment and erroneously denied Henry’s motions to compel certain
    discovery by Notzon. We affirm the trial court’s judgment.
    Background
    On May 29, 2015, Henry was driving a truck for his long-time employer, Time
    Warner Cable (TWC). As a Maintenance Technician, Henry was assigned a
    company truck to drive to commercial and residential locations to install and repair
    cable services. Henry ran a red light and hit another vehicle; Henry and the three
    people in the other vehicle were seriously injured, and both vehicles were totaled.
    That accident touched off a series of business and legal proceedings, culminating
    with this case now on appeal.
    Henry’s Termination
    Well before the 2015 accident, TWC learned that Henry had been diagnosed
    with insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus. On the day of the accident, a co-worker
    raised a question about Henry’s behavior, claiming Henry was acting “weird and
    combative.” Concern was expressed about Henry’s blood sugar, and a supervisor
    was notified. For part of the day, Henry rode in a truck with the supervisor.
    Eventually he “was put back in his company truck and told to go home.” That was
    when the accident occurred. Henry’s injuries included broken vertebrae.
    Just days after the accident, Notzon undertook representation of both Henry
    and TWC in regard to the accident; Notzon had represented TWC for many years.
    Notzon called Henry, requesting a list of his medications. Henry took his
    medications to TWC, where he met with Notzon and a number of TWC employees.
    The group discussed Henry’s diabetes, his medications, and the accident. Days after
    –2–
    that meeting, according to Henry, an Accident Review Committee (ARC) conducted
    a review of the accident.1 Notzon and a number of TWC representatives attended the
    proceeding.
    Henry continued to be treated for his injuries. He filed a worker’s
    compensation claim and was released to return to work on September 7, 2015.
    Shortly thereafter, according to TWC and Notzon, an ARC was held. (A TWC
    representative testified that these committees typically review an accident within
    seven days, but this one was delayed because of Henry’s leave of absence.) Henry
    learned that Notzon had spoken with TWC representatives before and after that
    proceeding. Notzon contends he spoke with Henry then as well and advised him “to
    say very little to avoid criminal prosecution.” Henry denies that Notzon spoke to him
    at all concerning the proceeding, and Henry denies attending the proceeding. Indeed,
    Henry questions whether a September ARC actually occurred. According to TWC,
    the ARC determined that Henry’s accident had been avoidable.
    On October 2, 2015, Henry’s employment was terminated. TWC asserted that
    Henry was fired because he was responsible for a severe, avoidable accident.
    1
    In our record, the acronym ARC is sometimes used to refer to the committee and sometimes used to
    refer to the committee’s procedure for reviewing an accident.
    –3–
    The Ward Lawsuit
    Both Henry and TWC were sued by the three people in the vehicle struck by
    Henry.2 Notzon represented both defendants throughout the suit, and he eventually
    negotiated settlements with all three plaintiffs. Documents indicate that Notzon’s
    representation of Henry was paid for by ESIS, Inc., the entity that administered
    Henry’s worker’s compensation claim.
    Henry v. TWC
    Henry sued TWC for wrongful termination in federal court. He claimed that
    TWC discriminated against him because of his disability, i.e., his diabetes. He also
    alleged that TWC fired him in retaliation for his filing a worker’s compensation
    claim. In a summary judgment proceeding discussed in more detail below, the trial
    court concluded that Henry was unable to prove either of his claims because the
    summary judgment evidence established that TWC fired him for causing a severe,
    avoidable accident. Henry appealed the trial court’s decision to the Fifth Circuit
    Court of Appeals; that court affirmed the judgment for TWC.
    Henry v. Notzon
    Henry filed this lawsuit against Notzon in August 2019. He contends that
    Notzon breached the fiduciary duty he owed Henry while representing him.
    2
    The lawsuit was styled Wanda Adaway and Anethra Ward, Individually and as Next Friend of
    Ladaysha Robinson, a Minor v. Time Warner Cable Texas, LLC and Kenneth Raynard Henry; it was filed
    in the same court as this suit, the 191st District Court of Dallas County.
    –4–
    Specifically, Henry charges that Notzon gave TWC information at the time of the
    September ARC that resulted in TWC’s terminating Henry. Notzon did not disclose
    to Henry that he was meeting with TWC, and he refused to disclose anything he had
    told TWC about Henry. Henry complains further that Notzon has misrepresented
    facts surrounding his role in the termination, including the contention that there was
    an ARC on September 25, 2015, and that he warned Henry to say little to avoid
    criminal charges. Henry contends that Notzon was involved in the decision to fire
    Henry, to “orchestrate” the September ARC so that it would appear the accident was
    solely the fault of Henry, and to exculpate TWC for its own gross negligence in
    allowing Henry to drive. Henry pleaded that these violations of Notzon’s duty
    caused TWC to terminate Henry’s employment, and he alleges that he suffered not
    only a loss of employment-related benefits, but also actual and exemplary damages
    as a result.
    Notzon filed a traditional motion for summary judgment, arguing that Henry
    was unable to prove that any breach of duty by Notzon was the cause of his
    termination and the damages that flowed from that termination. Notzon asserted that
    the cause of Henry’s termination had been determined in the federal lawsuit: TWC
    fired him because he caused a severe, avoidable accident. Notzon argued that the
    doctrine of collateral estoppel, thus, barred relitigation of the causation issue. The
    trial court granted Notzon’s motion.
    –5–
    As the case proceeded below, Henry pressed for discovery of a number of
    documents that Notzon contended were privileged based on his attorney-client
    relationship with TWC. The trial court denied Henry’s motions to compel production
    of the documents.
    Henry’s appeal in this Court challenges the trial court’s grant of summary
    judgment and its denial of his motions to compel.
    Summary Judgment Based on Collateral Estoppel
    The affirmative defense of collateral estoppel—sometimes called issue
    preclusion—bars the successive litigation of an issue of fact or of law that was
    actually litigated and resolved in a valid court determination essential to the prior
    judgment. Taylor v. Sturgell, 
    553 U.S. 880
    , 892 (2008). In his first issue, Henry
    argues that the trial court erred by granting Notzon’s motion for summary judgment
    based on collateral estoppel.3 This defense is designed to “promote judicial
    efficiency, protect parties from multiple lawsuits, and prevent inconsistent
    judgments by precluding the relitigation of issues.” Sysco Food Servs., Inc. v.
    Trapnell, 
    890 S.W.2d 796
    , 801 (Tex. 1994).
    Henry v. TWC: The First Motion for Summary Judgment
    Henry’s federal court wrongful termination suit was predicated on two legal
    theories: discrimination based on his disability and retaliation for his filing a
    3
    Although the parties initially briefed additional issues in the trial court, they have agreed that only
    the issue of collateral estoppel could support the trial court’s summary judgment.
    –6–
    worker’s compensation claim. TWC filed a motion for summary judgment seeking
    to show (1) that Henry could not prove either discrimination or retaliation, and (2)
    that the summary judgment evidence actually proved a different reason for Henry’s
    termination, i.e., the fact that he had caused a severe, avoidable accident. The
    Honorable Judge David Godbey issued a Memorandum Opinion, granting TWC’s
    motion. Henry v. Spectrum LLC, No. 3: 18-CV-01 086-N (N.D. Tex. March 3, 2019)
    (Henry I).
    The court applied the burden-shifting test from McDonnell Douglas
    Corporation v. Green, 
    411 U.S. 792
     (1973) in evaluating this claim. It concluded
    that even if all inferences were drawn in favor of Henry to conclude that he made a
    prima facie showing of discrimination, TWC had articulated a legitimate,
    nondiscriminatory reason to terminate Henry’s employment, and Henry had failed
    to show that a reasonable jury could conclude that TWC’s reasons for terminating
    Henry were mere pretext. Henry I at 6–7.4 Ultimately, the court concluded:
    In sum, Henry cannot show either direct or circumstantial evidence of
    disability discrimination. That the parties dispute whether Henry's
    diabetes was in fact the cause of the accident is irrelevant. Time Warner
    alleges that Henry’s condition was never a factor in its decision, and
    Henry produces no evidence to create a reasonable inference that it was.
    4
    The opinion considered and rejected both of Henry’s arguments concerning pretext: that TWC gave
    inconsistent explanations regarding his termination and that TWC departed from its disciplinary policy in
    terminating him. The court concluded that Henry may have identified conflicting evidence about issues
    such as timing or personnel involved, there was no conflicting evidence about why he was fired. 
    Id.
     at 6—
    7. And although Henry argued that company policy called for progressive punishment, the court pointed
    out that the policy provided that severity of an accident can accelerate punishment up to and including
    termination. Id. at 7.
    –7–
    The Court thus grants summary judgment to Time Warner as to Henry's
    ADA discrimination claim.
    Id. at 7.
    The opinion goes on to assert that, if he was to survive summary judgment on
    his workers’ compensation retaliation claim, “Henry must show that ‘the employer’s
    action would not have occurred when it did had the employee’s protected conduct
    filing workers’ compensation claim not occurred.’” Id. at 8 (citing Haggar Clothing
    Co. v. Hernandez, 
    164 S.W.3d 386
    , 388 (Tex. 2006)). But the court concluded: “In
    short, [Henry] has not given the Court any evidence suggesting that he would have
    been treated differently but for his decision to file for workers’ compensation.”
    Henry I at 9.
    Having concluded that TWC’s stated reason for terminating Henry’s opinion
    was not a pretext and that Henry had provided no evidence that the termination
    would not have occurred when it did if he had not filed his workers’ compensation
    claim, Judge Godbey granted TWC’s summary judgment motion and dismissed
    Henry’s suit for wrongful discharge. 
    Id.
    Henry appealed, and the Fifth Circuit affirmed. See Henry v. Spectrum,
    L.L.C., No. 19-10452 (5th Cir. 20119) (per curiam, not designated for publication).
    As to Henry’s claim for discharge based on his disability, the court stated:
    To succeed, Henry needed to create a fact issue about Time Warner's
    motive in firing him. The company’s safety policy explicitly allowed
    for immediate termination for severe accidents. The undisputed facts
    indicate that is what happened here.
    –8–
    Id. at 4 (interior citation omitted). And when reviewing Henry’s retaliation claim,
    the court agreed with the trial court that Henry failed to establish causation. It
    concluded that there was “nothing in the record” supporting a conclusion that Henry
    would have been treated differently but for his filing for workers’ compensation. Id.
    at 6.
    Thus, the Fifth Circuit affirmed that Henry was unable to establish that his
    termination was caused by discrimination or retaliation. Instead, the termination was
    caused by TWC’s conclusion that Henry had caused a severe, avoidable accident.
    Henry v. Notzon: The Second Summary Judgment Motion
    In this lawsuit, Henry alleges a breach of Notzon’s fiduciary duty, tied
    primarily to Notzon’s undisclosed meetings and communications with TWC which,
    Henry contends, caused TWC to fire him. To prevail on a breach of fiduciary duty
    claim, a plaintiff must prove three elements: the existence of a fiduciary duty, a
    breach of the duty, and damages caused by the breach. Las Colinas Obstetrics-
    Gynecology-Infertility Ass’n, P.A. v. Villalba, 
    324 S.W.3d 634
    , 645 (Tex. App.—
    Dallas 2010, no pet.).
    Notzon’s traditional summary judgment motion raised the affirmative defense
    of collateral estoppel. He argued that the issue of causation of damages had been
    conclusively determined against Henry in the federal lawsuit. Judge Godbey’s
    opinion, affirmed by the Fifth Circuit, determined that the actual (i.e., not pretextual)
    reason for Henry’s termination was TWC’s good faith belief that Henry had caused
    –9–
    a severe, avoidable accident. Thus, Notzon argues, Henry is precluded in this lawsuit
    from arguing that it was Notzon’s betrayal that caused the termination and damages
    that flowed from it. See, e.g., Johnson & Higgins of Tex., Inc. v. Kenneco Energy,
    Inc., 
    962 S.W.2d 507
    , 521 (Tex. 1998) (“If a cause of action in the second lawsuit
    involves an element already decided in the first lawsuit, that cause of action is
    barred.”).
    The trial court granted Notzon’s motion, and Henry appeals that order. The
    application of collateral estoppel is a legal question that we review de novo. See In
    re J.A.C., No. 05-17-00768-CV, 
    2018 WL 2191604
    , at *3 (Tex. App.—Dallas
    May14, 2018, no pet.) (mem. op.).
    The Requirements of Collateral Estoppel
    A party attempting to establish that a claim is barred by collateral estoppel
    must prove: (1) that the facts sought to be litigated in the second action were fully
    and fairly litigated in the first action; (2) that those facts were essential to the
    judgment in the first action; and (3) that the party against whom the doctrine is
    asserted was a party in the first action. See Trapnell, 890 S.W.2d at 801. In this case,
    it is undisputed that Henry was a party to his suit for wrongful discharge against
    TWC and that he is bound by its judgment. Accordingly, we discuss in detail only
    the first two collateral estoppel requirements.
    –10–
    (1) Relitigation of the same facts
    Notzon’s motion for summary judgment argued that the cause of Henry’s
    termination from TWC was fully and fairly litigated in the TWC case. To determine
    whether facts were fully and fairly litigated in the first suit, we consider whether the
    parties were fully heard, whether the court supported its decision with a reasoned
    opinion, and whether the decision was subject to appeal or was in fact reviewed on
    appeal. Webb v. Diversegy, LLC, No. 05-17-01258-CV, 
    2019 WL 1146707
    , at *4
    (Tex. App.—Dallas Mar. 13, 2019, pet. denied) (mem. op.).
    Our review of the summary judgment proceedings in federal court indicate
    that the parties were fully heard. TWC’s summary judgment motion addressed both
    of Henry’s claims. TWC established first that—even if Henry could establish a
    prima facie case of discrimination based on a disability—it had an articulable, non-
    discriminatory reason to terminate Henry’s employment, namely Henry’s causing a
    severe, avoidable accident. Henry responded to the motion, but he offered no
    evidence that the reason articulated by TWC was pretextual. Similarly, Henry was
    unable to offer any evidence that he would not have been terminated when he was if
    he had not filed a worker’s compensation claim.
    Judge Godbey addressed each of Henry’s attempts to defeat TWC’s motion,
    but he rejected the evidence offered by Henry as irrelevant or insubstantial. The
    opinion relies on the summary judgment record and settled law. We conclude that
    the Henry I opinion is well reasoned. That conclusion is supported by the fact that
    –11–
    the Fifth Circuit affirmed not only Judge Godbey’s disposition of the case, but also
    his rationalization, stating:
    To succeed, Henry needed to create a fact issue about Time Warner's
    motive in firing him. The company’s safety policy explicitly allowed
    for immediate termination for severe accidents. The undisputed facts
    indicate that is what happened here.
    Id. at 4.
    Henry disputes that this case turns on facts litigated in the federal case. He
    argues that because Notzon’s ethical breaches were hidden at the time of the federal
    proceeding, the breach of his fiduciary duty to Henry could not have been litigated
    then. This argument appears to misunderstand the nature of collateral estoppel. To
    the extent Henry is focused on his tort claim for breach of fiduciary duty, we stress
    that collateral estoppel does not operate to preclude claims; instead, it precludes
    relitigation of specific facts or issues. See Trapnell, 890 S.W.2d at 801.5 For that
    reason, collateral estoppel can apply in two cases based on different claims, so long
    as the issue determined in the first case appears in the second case as well. See Webb,
    
    2019 WL 1146707
    , at *4 (“Collateral estoppel prevents relitigation of issues
    resolved in a prior suit, even if the issue recurs in the context of a different
    claim.”). Here, Notzon contends that a specific factual issue—the cause of Henry’s
    termination—has already been legally determined, and, therefore, its relitigation is
    5
    To the extent Henry is focused upon a failure to prove the element of breach within his breach of
    fiduciary claim, we address that concern below.
    –12–
    precluded. Notzon’s defense is not defeated because the cause of Henry’s
    termination was determined in a lawsuit that urged different claims.
    We conclude that the cause of Henry’s termination was fully and fairly
    litigated in federal court. In that proceeding “the undisputed facts” established that
    he was fired by TWC because he caused the severe, avoidable accident that injured
    himself and others.
    (2) Proof of causation was essential to the first judgment
    To determine whether a fact issue is essential to the judgment, we look to the
    factual determinations that were necessary to form the basis of the first
    judgment. Tarter v. Metro. Sav. & Loan Ass’n, 
    744 S.W.2d 926
    , 928 (Tex. 1988).
    Henry’s brief acknowledges that causation was an essential element of both bases of
    his wrongful discharge claim:
    In the prior case, the essential elements Henry sought to prove under
    the Americans Disabilities Act were: (1) he has a disability or was
    regarded as disabled; (2) he was qualified for the job; and (3) he was
    subject to an adverse employment decision because of his disability.
    Nall v. BNSF Ry. Co., 
    917 F.3d 335
    , 341 (5th Cir. 2019) (emphasis
    added).
    With respect to the workers’ compensation retaliation claim, Henry
    sought to prove: that (1) he, in good faith, filed a workers’
    compensation claim; (2) he suffered an adverse employment action;
    and (3) there is a causal link between the two, i.e., that the filing of the
    claim was a “determining factor” in his discharge.
    Continental Coffee Products Co. v. Cazares, 
    937 S.W.2d 444
     (Tex.
    1996) (emphasis added).
    –13–
    Importantly, Henry has claimed the same injury in both lawsuits: termination of his
    employment. In addition, Henry has claimed the same damages flowing from that
    termination: past and future lost earnings and employee benefits; compensatory
    damages, including mental anguish and other nonpecuniary losses; and exemplary
    damages.6 In both lawsuits, thus, Henry was required to prove that the defendant’s
    tortious conduct caused his termination and those damages. The question raised,
    then, is whether Henry can prove that Notzon’s conduct, however reprehensible it
    may have been, caused TWC to fire Henry, because the federal courts have
    concluded that the cause of his termination was actually the severe, avoidable
    accident that he caused.
    Henry contends that collateral estoppel cannot apply because Notzon’s duties
    and responsibilities to Henry were never decided in any fashion in the federal suit.
    In effect, Henry argues that because his attorney’s disloyal conduct—the breach
    element of Henry’s breach of fiduciary duty claim—was not an element of his prior
    claims against TWC, the factual issues litigated in the wrongful termination case can
    have no preclusive effect in this case. We have already confirmed that the claims in
    two lawsuits need not be identical for collateral estoppel to apply. See Webb, 
    2019 WL 1146707
    , at *4. It follows necessarily that all of the essential elements of the
    claims urged in the two actions need not be identical. It is sufficient to invoke the
    6
    The single addition to Henry’s demand in this action is the equitable remedy of fee forfeiture, which
    we address in the next section of this opinion.
    –14–
    doctrine of collateral estoppel if one essential element, proven in the first action, is
    also necessary to the second. See State & Cnty. Mut. Fire Ins. Co. v. Miller, 
    52 S.W.3d 693
    , 696 (Tex. 2001) (“The issue decided in the prior action must be
    identical to the issue in the pending action.”).
    Finally, if Henry’s argument directed at proof of the element of breach is a
    challenge to the sufficiency of Notzon’s summary judgment motion, we must reject
    it as well. A defendant may prevail on summary judgment if he establishes as a
    matter of law that the plaintiff-movant cannot establish one element of his cause of
    action. See Wilbert Family Ltd. P’ship v. Dallas Area Rapid Transit, 
    371 S.W.3d 506
    , 510 (Tex. App.—Dallas 2012, pet. dism’d). Texas law does not require the
    defendant to disprove every element of the plaintiff’s claim.
    We are not unsympathetic to Henry’s contentions concerning his attorney’s
    conduct. An attorney owes a fiduciary duty of loyalty to his client throughout the
    course of the representation. Gillis v. Provost & Umphrey Law Firm, LLP, No. 05-
    13-00892-CV, 
    2015 WL 170240
    , at *10 (Tex. App.—Dallas Jan. 14, 2015, no pet.).
    The existence of a joint representation does not somehow diminish that duty. But
    this is not a case in which we are charged with adjudging the sufficiency of a jury’s
    findings concerning an attorney’s violation of his duties. We can only determine the
    issue before us: whether the trial court erred in granting Notzon’s motion for
    summary judgment on the ground that Henry is collaterally estopped from proving
    that Notzon’s breach was the cause of his termination.
    –15–
    Causation is an essential element in a client’s claim seeking actual damages
    as a remedy for his breach of fiduciary duty claim. Rogers v. Zanetti, 
    517 S.W.3d 123
    , 136 (Tex. App.—Dallas 2015), aff’d, 
    518 S.W.3d 394
     (Tex. 2017). It was also
    an essential element in Henry’s wrongful termination claims. See Nall v. BNSF Ry.
    Co., 
    917 F.3d 335
    , 341 (5th Cir. 2019); Continental Coffee Products Co. v. Cazares,
    
    937 S.W.2d 444
     (Tex. 1996). And the injury allegedly caused in both cases is
    identical. Accordingly, we conclude the trial court appropriately applied the doctrine
    of collateral estoppel in this case.
    The Equitable Exception for Proof of Causation
    Henry contends that, even if he cannot prove causation, his claim should
    survive. He relies upon the case of First United Pentecostal Church of Beaumont v.
    Parker, 
    514 S.W.3d 214
     (Tex. 2017). In that case, the church alleged that one of its
    lawyers, Mr. Parker, had breached his fiduciary duty to inform the church when he
    learned that another lawyer had stolen over a million dollars of the church’s money
    that was being held in the law firm’s trust account. 
    Id.
     at 217—18. The court of
    appeals had affirmed the trial court’s summary judgment in favor of Parker,
    concluding that Parker’s conduct had not caused the church’s loss. Id. at 219. In the
    supreme court, the church argued—as Henry does here—that it did not have to prove
    causation in a breach of fiduciary case. Id. at 220. The supreme court reviewed its
    earlier decisions in Kinzbach Tool Co. v. Corbett-Wallace Corp., 
    160 S.W.2d 509
    ,
    514 (1942), in which a disloyal agent was forced to return his “secret commission,”
    –16–
    and Burrow v. Arce,. 
    997 S.W.2d 229
    , 240 (Tex. 1999), in which attorneys who
    breached fiduciary duties to their clients were forced to return their fees to those
    clients. 
    Id.
     at 220—21. Then the supreme court delivered this succinct statement of
    the rule concerning when proof of causation is and is not required in a breach of
    fiduciary duty case:
    In neither of those cases did we hold that a client need not prove that a
    breach of fiduciary duty caused actual damages if a client is claiming
    such damages. Plainly put, for the church to have defeated a no-
    evidence motion for summary judgment as to a claim for actual
    damages, the church must have provided evidence that Parker’s actions
    were causally related to the loss of its money. It did not do so. On the
    other hand, the church was not required to show causation and actual
    damages as to any equitable remedies it sought.
    Id. at 221.
    It is not entirely clear what Henry hopes to recover at this point in his lawsuit.
    As we discussed above, he pleaded entitlement to actual and exemplary damages.
    At one point in his appellate brief, Henry states that he “only seeks equity,” and
    Henry did request fee forfeiture in this case. But in his reply brief, Henry reasserts
    that he “is entitled to equity, compensatory damages, and potentially exemplary
    damages.”
    Based upon the Parker rule quoted above, we conclude that Henry is not
    entitled to actual damages because he has failed to prove that Notzon’s conduct
    caused such damages. See id. Moreover, Texas law forbids recovery of exemplary
    damages in the absence of an award of actual damages. TEX. CIV. PRAC. & REM.
    CODE ANN. § 41.004(a).
    –17–
    The Parker rule allows a client to force his unfaithful lawyer to forfeit his
    fees, even in the absence of proof of causation. But Henry did not pay Notzon’s fees;
    TWC’s worker’s compensation administrator paid them. Henry asserts without
    citation that “whether Henry paid fees is irrelevant. His lawyer deceived him.” But
    Texas law does not allow disgorgement of amounts not paid by the client. Liberty
    Mut. Ins. Co. v. Gardere & Wynne, L.L.P., 
    82 Fed. Appx. 116
    , 118 (5th Cir. 2003).
    We conclude the trial court did not err by granting summary judgment in
    Notzon’s favor. We overrule Henry’s first issue.
    Denial of Henry’s Motions to Compel
    In his second issue, Henry argues that the trial court erroneously denied his
    motion to compel production of Notzon’s file (specifically including all of the
    documents identified in Notzon’s privilege log and a calendar used to refresh
    Notzon’s recollection in proceedings below) and refused to compel Notzon to
    answer all questions regarding his secret meetings with TWC. The materials sought
    by Henry through his motions to compel may be relevant to the breach element of
    his breach of fiduciary duty claim. However, our resolution of Henry’s first issue
    renders these discovery matters moot.
    We need not address the substance of Henry’s second issue.
    –18–
    Conclusion
    We affirm the trial court’s judgment.
    /Bill Pedersen, III/
    BILL PEDERSEN, III
    JUSTICE
    Molberg, J., dissenting.
    200994F.P05
    –19–
    S
    Court of Appeals
    Fifth District of Texas at Dallas
    JUDGMENT
    KENNETH HENRY, Appellant                       On Appeal from the 191st Judicial
    District Court, Dallas County, Texas
    No. 05-20-00994-CV           V.                Trial Court Cause No. DC-19-13449.
    Opinion delivered by Justice
    MARC A. NOTZON AND LAW                         Pedersen, III. Justices Schenck and
    OFFICE OF MARC A. NOTZON,                      Molberg participating.
    P.C., Appellees
    In accordance with this Court’s opinion of this date, the judgment of the trial
    court is AFFIRMED.
    It is ORDERED that appellee Marc A. Notzon and Law Office of Marc A.
    Notzon, P.C. recover their costs of this appeal from appellant Kenneth Henry.
    Judgment entered December 22, 2022
    –20–