Texas Supreme Court
Trammel Crow Company No. 60, Petitioners v. William Jefferson Harkinson and Jeff Harkinson Investments…
June 6, 1997944 S.W.2d 631
Summary
The Texas Supreme Court held that a broker's tortious interference and civil conspiracy claims are barred by section 20(b) of the Texas Real Estate License Act because they are essentially claims to recover a commission without a signed written commission agreement. The Court reversed the appellate court's judgment on those claims and affirmed the summary judgment granting the broker nothing. Justice Gonzalez, joined by Chief Justice Phillips and Justice Abbott, concurred in part and dissented in part, arguing that the majority wrongly applied section 20(b) to third‑party interference claims.