The University of Texas at Austin v. Hayes

In this premises-liability suit, the plaintiff claims that a metal chain blocking a driveway at the University of Texas at Austin (the University) caused him to have a bicycle accident and constituted a premises defect for which the Texas Tort Claims Act waives sovereign immunity. See Tex. Civ. PRAC. & Rem.Code § 101.022(a), (b). Because we conclude that the condition of the location was not a special defect as a matter of law and that the plaintiff failed to establish a premises-defect element, we reverse the court of appeals’ judgment and dismiss the case for lack of jurisdiction.

On…