Paula M Rosales

Resigned as a Dallas municipal judge on October 15, 2017, and joined Miller Weisbrod, a plaintiffs' law firm whose partners backed her 2018 challenge to County Court at Law No. 4 Judge Ken Tapscott, The Dallas Morning News reported. She had become the city's youngest judge in 2012.

October 15, 2017

Source: dallasnews.com

Had her September 2022 eviction judgment thrown out by the Fifth Court of Appeals. She had gone ahead with a jury trial over the residents' objection that the case turned on a dispute over who owned the house; the appeals court agreed ownership was tied up with possession and dismissed the case for lack of jurisdiction (Harris v. Rich Willis Construction).

June 4, 2024Unfavorable on Legal Competence

Source: search.txcourts.gov

Was upheld by the Fifth Court of Appeals on her eviction judgment for an apartment landlord. The appeals court rejected the tenants' claims that she ruled wrongly and did not give them enough time to present their case (Smith v. Snug Owner).

October 3, 2023Favorable on Legal Competence

Source: search.txcourts.gov

Was ordered by the Texas Supreme Court to undo her ruling letting jurors appear remotely, over the defendants' objection, in a lawsuit against Ethicon and Johnson & Johnson. The court found the ruling broke its COVID-19 emergency order, which barred making jurors appear remotely unless all parties agreed (In re Ethicon).

December 14, 2022Unfavorable on Legal Competence

Source: search.txcourts.gov

Was ordered by the Fifth Court of Appeals to undo her September 12, 2022 order reviving a car-crash lawsuit she had dismissed. The appeals court ruled her order void because the plaintiff's reinstatement request was not properly sworn, so her power over the case had ended (In re Briseno).

December 14, 2022Unfavorable on Legal Competence

Source: search.txcourts.gov

Was reversed by the Fifth Court of Appeals in a lawsuit by a man who fell on a broken city sidewalk. She had denied the City of Dallas's immunity plea; the appeals court overturned that ruling and sent the case back so she could decide the man's request to delay the hearing and take depositions first (City of Dallas v. Monroy).

September 21, 2022Unfavorable on Legal Competence

Source: search.txcourts.gov

Was reversed by the Fifth Court of Appeals in an age-discrimination lawsuit by a 69-year-old fired worker. She had granted summary judgment for the employer without a trial; the appeals court found enough evidence for a jury to decide (Kanen v. DeWolff, Boberg & Associates).

January 18, 2022Unfavorable on Legal Competence

Source: search.txcourts.gov

Was ordered by the Texas Supreme Court to undo her July 8, 2019 order in an injury lawsuit. Her order had barred the defendants from arguing at trial that the injured man's medical bills were unreasonable or unnecessary; the court said such orders can severely undercut a party's defense (In re Guevara).

June 25, 2021Unfavorable on Legal Competence

Source: search.txcourts.gov

Was partly reversed by the Fifth Court of Appeals in a fraud case she tried before a jury over a failed title-company partnership. The appeals court upheld the fraud verdict but struck her award of attorney's fees and sent the case back for one plaintiff to choose between her remedies (Mundheim v. Lepp).

May 13, 2021Unfavorable on Legal Competence

Source: search.txcourts.gov

Was reversed by the Fifth Court of Appeals in a lawsuit over a car bought at a Dallas police auto-pound auction. She had refused to dismiss the buyer's contract claim against the City of Dallas; the appeals court ruled the city was immune and threw out the claim (City of Dallas v. Asemota).

March 1, 2021Unfavorable on Legal Competence

Source: search.txcourts.gov

Was upheld by the Fifth Court of Appeals after presiding over a March 2019 jury trial in a car-crash injury lawsuit. The appeals court agreed with her ruling letting a witness testify and her denial of a new trial (El-Rayes v. Lee).

December 30, 2020Favorable on Legal Competence

Source: search.txcourts.gov