SmartBrief
Confirm favorite deletion?
Torts keyed to Robertson
Varela v. American Petrofina Company of Texas
Citation:
Supreme Court of Texas, 1993. 658 S.W.2d 561.Facts
The Defendant, American Petrofina Company, hired Hydrocarbon Construction Company to do a project on the Defendant’s catalytic cracking unit. The Plaintiff, Robert Varela, was an employee of Hydrocarbon who worked on the project. While working, the Plaintiff was injured. Under the Texas Workers’ Compensation Act, Hydrocarbon, as the Plaintiff’s employer, was immune from tort liability. Instead, Hydrocarbon owed the Plaintiff workers’ compensation benefits. The Plaintiff and Hydrocarbon agreed to settle the matter of workers’ compensation for $18,000 plus future medical expenses.
The Plaintiff then sued the Defendant for negligence, claiming that a premises defect in the Defendant’s plant caused him to fall and suffer harm. The Defendant defended the lawsuit, impleading Hydrocarbon and asserting a right to contribution or indemnity.
Only StudyBuddy Pro offers the complete Case Brief Anatomy*
Access the most important case brief elements for optimal case understanding.
*Case Brief Anatomy includes: Brief Prologue, Complete Case Brief, Brief Epilogue
- The Brief Prologue provides necessary case brief introductory information and includes:
Topic:
Identifies the topic of law and where this case fits within your course outline.Parties:
Identifies the cast of characters involved in the case.Procedural Posture & History:
Shares the case history with how lower courts have ruled on the matter.Case Key Terms, Acts, Doctrines, etc.:
A case specific Legal Term Dictionary.Case Doctrines, Acts, Statutes, Amendments and Treatises:
Identifies and Defines Legal Authority used in this case.
- The Case Brief is the complete case summarized and authored in the traditional Law School I.R.A.C. format. The Pro case brief includes:
Brief Facts:
A Synopsis of the Facts of the case.Rule of Law:
Identifies the Legal Principle the Court used in deciding the case.Facts:
What are the factual circumstances that gave rise to the civil or criminal case? What is the relationship of the Parties that are involved in the case.Issue(s):
Lists the Questions of Law that are raised by the Facts of the case.Holding:
Shares the Court's answer to the legal questions raised in the issue.Concurring / Dissenting Opinions:
Includes valuable concurring or dissenting opinions and their key points.Reasoning and Analysis:
Identifies the chain of argument(s) which led the judges to rule as they did.
- The Brief Prologue closes the case brief with important forward-looking discussion and includes:
Policy:
Identifies the Policy if any that has been established by the case.Court Direction:
Shares where the Court went from here for this case.
Topic Resources
Topic Outline
DamagesTopic Refresher Course
Negligence: Joint Tortfeasors, Identification and Contribution