PJC Business

DTPA/I NSURANCE C ODE

PJC 102.24

PJC 102.24 Counterclaim—Bad Faith or Harassment

(DTPA § 17.50(c); Tex. Ins. Code Ch. 541, Subch. D) (Comment)

Statutory remedies. A defendant may recover attorney’s fees and court costs from a plaintiff who files a groundless, bad-faith, or harassing lawsuit. Tex. Bus. & Com. Code § 17.50(c) (DTPA); Tex. Ins. Code § 541.153 (formerly Tex. Ins. Code art. 21.21, § 16(c)). The supreme court has held that the court, not the jury, must decide the issues of groundlessness, bad faith, and harassment. Donwerth v. Preston II Chrysler-Dodge, Inc. , 775 S.W.2d 634, 637 (Tex. 1989) (citing Tex. Bus. & Com. Code §17.50(c)). If the defendant seeks attorney’s fees, see PJC 115.60.

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