Second Court of Appeals

Summaries of Civil Opinions and Published Criminal Opinions Issued - Week of May 25, 2026.

NOTE: Summaries are prepared by the court's staff attorneys and law clerks for public information only and reflect his or her interpretation alone of the facts and legal issues. The summaries are not part of the court's opinion in the case and should not be cited to, quoted, or relied upon as the opinion of the court.

Links to full text of opinions (PDF version) can be accessed by clicking the cause number.

Modern Builders, LLC v. City of Fort Worth, No. 02-25-00275-CV (May 28, 2026) (Kerr, J., joined by Sudderth, C.J., and Ruben Gonzalez, Jr., J. (Sitting by Assignment)).

Held:  The Owners of short-term rentals (STRs) in the City’s single-family residential districts have no vested right to lease their properties short-term; the City’s two STR Ordinances rationally relate to legitimate government interests in preserving the character of single-family residential neighborhoods; those Owners who were operating STRs before a 2018 Ordinance was adopted had no settled and reasonable expectations that they could so use their properties; and the Owners’ ultra vires claim is not proper against the City. Additionally, the trial court did not reversibly err by admitting the testimony of the City’s expert, and its award of attorney’s fees to the City was not an abuse of discretion.