THE OPINION OF THE COURT OF APPEALS
Pleasant Glade Assembly of God v. Schubert, No. 02-02-00264-CV, 174 SW3d 388 (Tex.App.- Fort
Worth Sep. 15, 2005, pet granted) (reversed by the Texas Supreme Court June 27, 2008) (church and ministers
sued by member of congregation for mental anguish damages caused by exorcism performed on her at age 17)
COURT OF APPEALS
SECOND DISTRICT OF TEXAS
FORT WORTH
NO. 2-02-264-CV
PLEASANT GLADE ASSEMBLY OF GOD, APPELLANTS
REVEREND LLOYD A. MCCUTCHEN,
ROD LINZAY, HOLLY LINZAY, SANDRA
SMITH, BECKY BICKEL, AND PAUL PATTERSON
V.
LAURA SCHUBERT APPELLEE
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FROM THE 141ST DISTRICT COURT OF TARRANT COUNTY
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OPINION ON REHEARING
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Introduction
This is an appeal from a judgment against Pleasant Glade Assembly of God church, two of its pastors, and
several church members[1] based on a jury verdict in favor of a former church member, Laura Schubert, for
assault and battery and false imprisonment. In ten issues, appellants assert they should not be held liable for
Laura=s damages because they were acting in loco parentis and as Good Samaritans. They also complain that
the damages awarded by the jury were not foreseeable and that the trial court improperly admitted medical
evidence concerning Laura=s post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Finally, appellants contend that the
judgment should be reversed because there is no clear and convincing evidence, as required by the First
Amendment, that they acted with malice.
We reverse and render in part and affirm in part.
Factual and Procedural Background
On Saturday, June 8, 1996, Tom and Judy Schubert went out of town for a long weekend, leaving their three
teenage children home alone. The Schuberts left their oldest child, nineteen-year-old Amy, in charge. While the
Schuberts were away, their middle child, seventeen-year-old Laura, spent much of her time at the family=s
church, Pleasant Glade Assembly of God, participating in church-related activities. Laura collapsed following the
evening service on Sunday, June 9, and several church members, including appellants, felt it necessary to
physically restrain her. The evidence concerning the restraint and the events that followed is hotly contested.
The record shows that, after her collapse, Laura clenched her fists tightly, gritted her teeth, foamed at the mouth,
made guttural noises, cried, yelled, kicked, sweated, and hallucinated. The parties sharply disagree, however,
over whether these things were the cause, or the result, of appellants= attempts to restrain her. The parties also
disagree over the amount of force used to restrain Laura and whether she was restrained for minutes or hours.
There is evidence that Laura=s collapse and her reaction to being restrained could have been due to the medical
condition hypoglycemia. Appellants did not know this at the time, however, and some of them believed that
Laura=s actions were a dramatic ploy for attention from members of the church=s youth group. None of
appellants sought medical attention for Laura, and there is conflicting evidence concerning whether any of them
attempted to check her vital signs or determine whether she was feeling all right. Appellants testified at trial,
however, that they had acted solely out of a desire to help Laura, not hurt her, and that they had no feelings of ill
will or malice towards her.
Following the Sunday episode, the next two days passed uneventfully. Laura continued to participate in church-
related activities, such as Vacation Bible School and preparing for youth drama productions. Tom and Judy
Schubert returned home late Tuesday afternoon.
On Wednesday evening, Laura attended the church=s weekly youth service. Rod Linzay, the church=s youth
pastor, was in charge of the service. At the close of the service, Laura began to act in a manner that Linzay and
the youth group believed indicated that she was having another episode like that of the previous Sunday night.
At some point, Laura began thrashing about on the floor. Once again, there is conflicting evidence about whether
this was the cause or the result of appellants= attempts to restrain her, as well as about how long the restraint
lasted and the amount of force used.
The church=s senior pastor, Lloyd McCutchen, was summoned and told that ALaura is doing it again.@[2] At the
prompting of Gene Schacterle, a visiting pastor, McCutchen eventually telephoned Tom Schubert. Laura=s
parents drove to the church to get her, where they found her in a condition that Tom described as Adazed.@
They took Laura to a restaurant for a meal and then drove home. Both Laura and her parents testified that Laura
suffered carpet burns, a scrape on her back, and bruises on her wrists and shoulders as a result of her
experiences. Laura=s parents did not, however, seek medical attention for her physical injuries.
By June 21, Laura had begun to experience nightmares about her experiences at the church. In late June 1996,
she first visited a counselor. In addition, although Laura had been attending public school before the summer of
1996, she became anxious and left school on the first day of her senior year in August 1996. She was authorized
to complete her senior year of high school at home. Also, while at work in late October 1996, Laura cut her wrists,
although not badly, with a box cutter after seeing her overwhelming work schedule. She also reported that she
had become depressed and suicidal because of the June 1996 events at the church.
In November 1996, Laura was first diagnosed as suffering from post -traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). By May
1997, several other doctors had also made this diagnosis and a diagnosis of acute stress disorder. Several of
Laura=s doctors testified at trial and opined that Laura=s PTSD was caused by her being held down physically at
the church in early June 1996.
Between the fall of 1996 and the time of trial, Laura saw many different counselors, psychologists, and
psychiatrists and, on a number of occasions, was admitted to psychiatric institutions for several days. She
suffered a variety of symptoms, including angry outbursts, weight loss, sleeplessness, nightmares, hallucinations,
self-mutilation, fear of abandonment, and agoraphobia.[3] She was also classified as Adisabled@ by the Social
Security Administration and began drawing a monthly disability check.
Laura eventually sued appellants for, among other things, assault and battery and false imprisonment. In
defense to the suit, appellants claimed that they were immune from liability under the in loco parentis doctrine and
because they acted as Good Samaritans. In addition, appellants contended that under the First Amendment to
the United States Constitution and article I, section 6 of the Texas Constitution Laura should be required to prove
by clear and convincing evidence that appellants acted with malice. Appellants also asserted that they should not
be held responsible for Laura=s damages because they were not foreseeable.
The case was tried to a jury. At the close of the evidence, appellants moved for a directed verdict on their
defenses and on the ground that there was no evidence that Laura=s damages arising from her PTSD were
foreseeable as a result of appellants= conduct. The motion was overruled. Appellants then requested jury
instructions on their defenses and on the question of foreseeability as it related to Laura=s damages, all of which
the trial court denied.
The jury found appellants liable for assault and battery and false imprisonment and awarded Laura damages for
past physical pain and mental anguish in the sum of $150,000, past and future loss of earning capacity in the sum
of $122,000, and past and future medical care in the sum of $28,000, for a total recovery of $300,000. After the
trial court overruled appellants= motion for judgment notwithstanding the verdict, this appeal followed.
In Loco Parentis
In their first issue, appellants complain that the trial court improperly denied their motions for a directed verdict
and for judgment notwithstanding the verdict based on in loco parentis. They assert that they are immune from
liability for Laura=s assault and battery and false imprisonment claims because they stood in loco parentis as to
Laura during the June 1996 incidents and acted with the Areasonable belief@ that their actions were necessary
to restrain her. In the alternative, appellants assert that the trial court erroneously refused to submit their
proposed jury instruction on in loco parentis.
AIn loco parentis@ literally means Ain the place of a parent@ and refers to Aacting as a temporary guardian or
caretaker of a child, taking on all or some of the responsibilities of a parent.@[4] In Texas, in loco parentis status
has been conferred on persons and entities who have voluntarily assumed parental responsibilities and
attempted to create a home-like environment for the child.[5] A[O]ne who through kindness or charity or other
motive has received into his family and treats a child as a member thereof, stands in loco parentis . . . so long as
the child remains in his family.@[6] The defining characteristics of in loco parentis are the actual care and
custody of a child by a nonparent who assumes parental duties because the parentCgenerally due to his or her
absenceCis unable or unwilling to care for the child.[7] A person who has only a temporary responsibility for
supervising a child, however, is not deemed to be in loco parentis as to the child.[8]
In this case, appellants assert that they stood in loco parentis as to Laura on the occasions in question because
Tom and Judy Schubert had entrusted them with Laura=s care while the Schuberts were out of town; the
church=s youth pastor, Rod Linzay, and his wife Holly, regularly Aplayed a parental role with respect to the youth
group@; and other church members assumed parental responsibilities for Laura, which Tom Schubert testified
that he expected. These are, however, merely temporary supervisory situations; they are not the types of
circumstances that give rise to the in loco parentis status.[9]
Further, the record shows that Laura was primarily responsible for her own care and was not in the custody of
anyone in particular while the Schuberts were out of town. Although Laura=s parents left Amy Ain charge@ and
also expected Laura to spend much of her time at the church, Laura was responsible for her own meals and
getting herself to and from her retail job and church-related activities. She also stayed at night in her own home,
sometimes with a friend, unsupervised by any adults. Thus, the defining characteristics of in loco parentisCactual
care and custodyCare not present in this case.[10]
The authorities on which appellants rely are inapposite because they involve either the teacher-pupil relationship
[11] or defenses to criminal prosecutionCneither of which is present here.[12] The teacher-pupil relationship is
statutorily defined and is limited to professional employees of a school district.[13] Moreover, the fact that
conduct is justified under the penal code does not abolish or impair any remedy for the conduct that is available in
a civil suit.[14]
Because appellants did not stand in loco parentis as to Laura, the trial court did not err by overruling their
requests based on this doctrine. Accordingly, we overrule appellants= first issue.
Good Samaritan
In their second issue, appellants contend that the trial court erred by denying their motion for a directed verdict
based on the Good Samaritan statute. This statute provides that a person who in good faith administers
emergency care is not liable in civil damages for an act performed during the emergency unless the act is wilfully
and wantonly negligent.[15] It is designed to offer protection to persons who voluntarily administer emergency
care.[16]
Appellants contend that they administered emergency care to Laura because there is evidence that her collapse
following the Sunday evening service was due to a hypoglycemic attack. Appellants= position is contradicted,
however, by their trial testimony that they moved Laura from the church sanctuary, where she had collapsed
initially, to a Sunday School room because they believed her actions were a dramatic ploy for attention from other
members of the youth group. Several of the appellants testified that they wanted to remove Laura from the
Aaudience@ that was forming in the main sanctuary. Moreover, there is no evidence that any emergency
continued after appellants moved Laura from the sanctuary to the Sunday School room.
In addition, the record does not show that appellants believed the Wednesday evening episode involved an
emergency. When McCutchen was summoned on Wednesday evening while Laura was being restrained, he
simply put his hand on her forehead, played a tape of music to calm things down, and eventually telephoned her
father.
A directed verdict is proper only in limited circumstances: (1) when the evidence conclusively establishes the right
of the movant to judgment or negates the right of the opponent; or (2) when the evidence is insufficient to raise a
material fact issue.[17] We hold that appellants did not conclusively establish their right to a directed verdict
based on the Good Samaritan statute.[18] Accordingly, we overrule appellants= second issue.
Foreseeability of Damages
In their third issue, appellants contend that the trial court erred by denying their request for a directed verdict on
the issue of mental anguish and loss of earning capacity damages because there is no evidence that those
damages were foreseeable.[19] Alternatively, appellants contend that the trial court erred by refusing to instruct
the jury that Laura=s damages were limited to those that were foreseeable.
At common law, actual damages are either Adirect@ or Aconsequential.@[20] In the case of intentional torts
such as assault and battery and false imprisonment, the wrongdoer is responsible for the direct and immediate
damages resulting from the tort regardless of whether those damages were contemplated, foreseen, or expected.
[21] Direct damages, also known as Ageneral@ damages, flow naturally and necessarily from the wrong and
compensate the plaintiff for the loss that the defendant is conclusively presumed to have foreseen as a result of
his wrongful act.[22]
Consequential or Aspecial@ damages, on the other hand, result naturally but not necessarily from the
defendant=s wrongful acts.[23] Unlike direct damages, consequential damages are not presumed to have been
foreseen; instead, they must be premised upon a finding that the damages were proximately caused by the
defendant=s wrongful conduct.[24]
Proximate cause requires proof of foreseeability.[25] An injury is foreseeable if its general character might have
been reasonably anticipated.[26] AEven an intentional wrongdoer has no liability for remote consequential
injuries that could not have been reasonably anticipated as a probable result of his acts.@[27]
Mental anguish damages shown to have resulted directly from some types of intentional torts, such as assault and
battery, are recoverable regardless of their foreseeability.[28] The rationale for this rule is that the traditionally
recognized Aproblems of foreseeability and genuineness are sufficiently mitigated@ because Athe high level of
culpability [associated with these torts] affects the determination of proximate cause . . . and makes it just that the
defendant should bear the risk of any overcompensation that an award of mental anguish damages in a particular
case might entail.@[29]
In this case, there is evidence that Laura=s mental anguish resulted directly from appellants= intentional acts.
Several of Laura=s experts, Drs. Roger Pentzien, Arthur Swen Helge, and Millie Carol Astin, testified that Laura
suffered from PTSD and major depressive disorder, which were caused by her being held down physically at the
church on two occasions in June 1996 when she was exhausted and unable to contact her parents. There is also
evidence that Laura=s damages for past and future medical care were the natural and necessary result of
appellants= wrongful conduct.[30] Dr. Helge tied Laura=s need for such medical care directly to her PTSD
caused by the June 1996 events.
Because there is evidence that Laura=s mental anguish and need for medical care resulted directly from
appellant=s intentional conduct, appellants are liable to Laura for these damages regardless of whether they were
contemplated, foreseen, or expected.[31] Accordingly, the trial court did not err by ruling against appellants
regarding these elements of Laura=s damages.
We now turn to appellants= complaint about Laura=s loss of earning capacity damages.
Unlike her mental anguish damages, Laura=s loss of earning capacity damages are consequential or special
damages.[32] Therefore, they must be premised upon a finding that they were proximately caused by, and a
foreseeable result of, appellants= wrongful conduct.[33] To be held liable for Laura=s lifetime loss of earning
capacity, appellants must have reasonably contemplated that their actions might have resulted in damages of this
general character.[34] This cannot be established by mere conjecture, guess, or speculation.[35]
The evidence supporting Laura=s loss of earning capacity damages shows that she could not go to Bible college
and become a missionary because of the PTSD she suffered as a result of appellants= intentional actions in
holding her down on the floor on two occasions during church functions when she was a junior in high school.
Based on these facts, Anothing short of prophetic ken@ could have foreseen that Laura would forever lose the
ability to pursue a college education and a career as a missionary as a result of appellants= conduct.[36] On the
record before us, the only way someone could conclude that appellants might have contemplated an injury of
such magnitude would be by Aviewing the facts in retrospect, theorizing an extraordinary sequence of events
whereby the defendants= conduct brings about the injury.@[37] A finding of foreseeablity requires more than this.
[38]
Because there is no evidence that would support a finding that Laura=s loss of earning capacity was foreseeable,
there is no evidence that appellants= conduct was the proximate cause of Laura=s consequential damages for
loss of earning capacity.[39] Thus, the trial court erred by denying appellants= motion for a directed verdict and
awarding Laura damages for loss of earning capacity.[40]
We sustain appellants= third issue in part and overrule it in part.
Absence of Malice
In their fourth issue, Appellants contend that Laura is not entitled to recover mental anguish damages or the
resulting expenses for her medical care under City of Tyler,[41] because appellants did not act with malice or
intend to cause Laura=s injuries. Appellants= reliance on City of Tyler is, however, misplaced. In City of Tyler,
the supreme court said, A[M]ental anguish damages are recoverable for some common law torts that generally
involve intentional or malicious conduct such as . . . battery.@[42] The supreme court did not hold that a plaintiff
who has suffered an intentional tort is required to prove malice in addition to the defendant=s intentional conduct
or that the defendant intended to cause the plaintiff=s injury.[43] Because the jury found the requisite intent to
commit the tortious conduct causing Laura=s mental anguish and other damages, neither the appellants= good
motives nor their erroneous beliefs that they were acting rightfully excuse them from liability.[44]
We overrule appellants= fourth issue.
Reliability of PTSD Evidence
In their fifth and sixth issues, appellants assert that the trial court improperly admitted certain medical records and
expert testimony showing that Laura suffered from PTSD as a result of the events of June 1996. Appellants
assert that this evidence lacks the scientific reliability required by E.I. du Pont de Nemours & Co. v. Robinson[45]
and the Texas Rules of Evidence.[46] In particular, appellants argue that the expert opinions of Drs. Roger
Pentzien, Arthur Swen Helge, and Millie Carol Astin are based on unreliable data because virtually all of the
information was provided by Laura or her family, whom the record shows to be prone to exaggeration and
fabrication. Appellants also contend that the opinions are unreliable because the experts failed to rule out
Laura=s traumatic childhood experiences in Africa as a possible cause of her PTSD.[47]
If scientific, technical, or other specialized knowledge will assist the trier of fact to understand the evidence or to
determine a fact in issue, a witness qualified as an expert by knowledge, skill, experience, training, or education
may testify thereto in the form of opinion or otherwise.[48] A two‑part test governs whether expert testimony is
admissible: (1) the expert must be qualified; and (2) the testimony must be relevant and be based on a reliable
foundation.[49]
To gauge reliability, the trial court must evaluate the methods, analysis, and principles relied upon in reaching the
opinion.[50] The trial court should ensure that the opinion comports with applicable professional standards
outside the courtroom and that it will have a reliable basis in the knowledge and experience of the discipline.[51]
In determining reliability, however, the trial court does not decide whether the expert=s conclusions are correct,
but only whether the analysis used to reach those conclusions is reliable.[52]
If the foundational data underlying opinion testimony are unreliable, an expert will not be permitted to base an
opinion on the data because any opinion drawn from that data is likewise unreliable.[53] Further, an expert=s
testimony is unreliable even when the underlying data are sound if the expert draws conclusions from the data
based on flawed methodology.[54]
The supreme court has crafted two approaches for determining whether expert testimony is reliable: the
Robinson factors and the Gammill analytical gap test.[55] Only the Robinson factors are at issue here. These
factors include, but are not limited to (1) the extent to which the theory has been or can be tested, (2) the extent
to which the technique relies upon the subjective interpretation of the expert, (3) whether the theory has been
subjected to peer review and/or publication, (4) the technique=s potential rate of error, (5) whether the underlying
theory or technique has been generally accepted as valid by the relevant scientific community, and (6) the
nonjudicial uses that have been made of the theory or technique.[56] Expert testimony that is based on research
the expert has conducted independent of the litigation provides important, objective proof that the research
comports with the dictates of good science.[57]
The trial court has broad discretion to determine admissibility, and we will not reverse the trial court=s ruling
absent a clear abuse of that discretion.[58] A trial court abuses its discretion only if it acts arbitrarily and
capriciously, without reference to any guiding rules or principles.[59] Merely because a trial court may decide a
matter within its discretion in a different manner than an appellate court would in a similar circumstance does not
demonstrate that an abuse of discretion has occurred.[60]
The evidence concerning the reliability of Dr. Helge=s, Dr. Astin=s, and Dr. Pentzien=s expert testimony is as
follows.
Dr. Helge, a clinical and forensic psychologist, had over twenty-five years= experience diagnosing mental
diseases and disorders and had conducted seminars and published articles related to his profession. He had
also testified at more than two hundred trials and given over a hundred depositions.[61] Dr. Helge opined that
Laura suffered from a dependent personality disorder[62] and that her being touched and held down against her
will on the two occasions in June 1996 when she was exhausted and not able to contact her parents were the
cause of her PTSD.
Dr. Helge conceded that Laura or her family had been the source of all the information he had relied upon in
making these diagnoses, either through their self-reporting to him or other mental health professionals, or
Laura=s responses to the tests that he had conducted. But Dr. Helge testified that this was Athe way it=s
normally done@ in the psychological community and pointed out that he had also reviewed Laura=s medical
records and relied on the expertise of the other experts who had interviewed her. Moreover, Dr. Helge testified
that he had conducted standard psychological testing on Laura, along with a Psychiatric Diagnostic Interview (PDI-
R) and a clinical interview, which were consistent with the standard and practice for clinical psychology.
Dr. Helge also listed seven specific tests that he had performed on Laura. According to Dr. Helge, the tests had
been subjected to peer review, published in professional literature, accepted as valid testing instruments within
the psychological community, and used in court situations. Several of the tests had been used and revised since
the 1950s; others were introduced in the 1980s. He relied on the results from four of these tests, the MMPI-II,
MCRI, TAT, and TSI,[63] along with the PDI-R and Laura=s medical records from other doctors, in making his
diagnoses.
Dr. Helge explained that, while psychological testing does not identify the specific incidents that caused a
person=s PTSD, the tests do identify the fact that an event traumatic to an individual occurred and its
characteristics. For example, Dr. Helge testified that the TAT tests a person=s feelings or attitudes about certain
situations, and the TSI determines sources of situations in which the person expresses unusual symptoms of
trauma at a point in time. Further, Dr. Helge explained that, although there is always a measure of subjective
interpretation associated with the tests he conducted, the tests also involved objective data with objective norms.
Dr. Pentzien, a practicing neuropsychiatrist with twenty-six years= experience, also diagnosed Laura as suffering
from PTSD and major depressive disorder caused by the events of June 1996. Dr. Pentzien opined that nothing
that had happened in Laura=s life before the June 1996 events, including the Schubert family=s experiences in
Africa,[64] would have caused these disorders. Dr. Pentzien stated that, due to Laura=s conflicting recounting of
her history, he would want to see more information before rendering an opinion for the jury to base its verdict on.
But he further testified that the rate of error for the methodology he had used in making his diagnoses was one in
ten thousand, which is generally accepted throughout the scientific community as reliable. Dr. Astin had eight
years of experience as a clinical psychologist. She specialized in trauma disorders such as PTSD, had authored
articles and book chapters on PTSD, had taught courses on the psychology of victims and the assessment of
PTSD, and had made numerous conference presentations on PTSD.[65]
In May 2001, Dr. Astin diagnosed Laura as suffering from PTSD and major depression. She testified that these
diagnoses had not changed after twenty-five treatment sessions and additional testing. Although she was aware
of Laura=s experiences in Africa and was of the opinion that Ahorrible experiences@ in a person=s childhood
could affect her later in life, Dr. Astin opined that the cause of Laura=s PTSD and depression was related to the
June 1996 incidents.
Dr. Astin testified that, in making her diagnoses, she had administered several standardized tests to Laura that
are generally accepted as valid in the field of psychology for determining whether a person is suffering from PTSD
and depression, and if so, with what intensity.
Further, Dr. Astin acknowledged that much of the information she used in making her PTSD diagnosis had been
provided by Laura herself. But Dr. Astin listed several methods that she used to ensure that LauraCor any other
patientCwas not Apulling the wool over her eyes.@ First, Dr. Astin relied on her clinical skills and experience.
She also asked Laura to give her detailed descriptions of each of the symptoms Laura claimed to be having
related to PTSD and depression (such as flashbacks, for example), so that she could determine whether Laura
was actually experiencing the symptoms.
Dr. Astin explained that she had done extensive PTSD research and knew from experience that a lot of people
wanted to participate in research studies for financial gain. According to Dr. Astin, these people would
Aoverendorse,@ or report very high PTSD symptom levels that were inconsistent with their behavior. Over time,
Dr. Astin examined these individuals= detailed, repeated self-reporting about their alleged symptoms and
behavior to see if they were consistent with PTSD. If, based on her extensive clinical training and experience, she
determined that a particular patient was overendorsing symptomology consistent with PTSD, but was not actually
suffering from it, she would reject the patient from her research studies. She followed the same process with
Laura during twenty-five visits and, as a result, Ahad no sense@ that Laura was trying to lie.
Finally, in addition to a regular clinical interview, Dr. Astin conducted a standardized clinical interview, known as
CAPS,[66] that, in a Avery structured way@ required her patients, including Laura, to provide specific, detailed
information regarding each of the seventeen possible criteria for PTSD listed in the DSM-IV.[67] She explained
that the standardization meant that every clinician who administered CAPS to a patient conducted it according to
the same format, thereby enabling clinicians to better determine the validity of the responses received and
lending greater credence to their resulting diagnoses. Dr. Astin stated that CAPS had been developed in the
1980s as a result of research on potential PTSD sufferers by nationally and internationally known experts and
peer-reviewed by experts in PTSD and trauma, some of whom had also written the DSM-IV. Dr. Astin stated that
trauma experts considered CAPS to be Astate-of-the art@ and the Agold standard@ for diagnosing PTSD or
eliminating it as a diagnosis.
Appellants assert that Dr. Astin=s methodology was not reliable because it was Aunusual@ and Aquite strange.
@ To support their position, appellants assert that Dr. Astin employed Aan unusual form of clinical practice@ that
most mental health professionals do not recognize: Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR).
Appellants also assert that Dr. Astin admitted she had treated so many traumatized women that she had been
Avicariously traumatized@ herself and experienced PTSD symptoms. Based on our review of the record, we
cannot agree with appellants= characterization of Dr. Astin=s methodology.
First, there is no evidence that Dr. Astin employed EMDR in diagnosing Laura=s condition; instead, Dr. Astin
testified that she had used this and other techniques in treating Laura. Dr. Astin testified that EMDR is a therapy
technique that involves asking a person to bring up some aspect of a traumatic memory, along with the negative
thoughts that have developed as a result of it, while watching the therapist=s fingers move back and forth in front
of the patient=s eyes. Dr. Astin=s personal opinion, however, was that the eye movements were just a way to
distract the person while thinking about the trauma, therefore making it less aversive to do so.
Dr. Astin further testified that EMDR was generally accepted in the scientific community, but remained
controversial because the inventor of the technique was a controversial person. She explained that there had
been little good research on EMDR at first, but that seven recent, Avery well controlled studies@ had shown
EMDR to be highly effective. As a result, this technique had been endorsed, although not promoted, by the
Society for Traumatic Stress Studies[68]Ca well-respected organization of mental health providers, including
psychologists and psychiatrists, and Avirtually all@ of the members of the national centers for PTSD established
by the federal government. Dr. Astin testified that large numbers of clinicians were now using it, and she provided
the trial court with two articles about EMDR that explained why it was valid. Regarding vicarious
traumatization, Dr. Astin acknowledged that, early in her career, she had experienced symptoms of this
phenomenon, which is well recognized in the field of psychology. Dr. Astin testified that, several years before
Laura became her patient, she had written an article about her experiences. She also testified that she had
recognized how to prevent these feelings and symptoms, no longer had them, and had never been treated for
them. Finally, Dr. Astin testified that vicarious traumatization had not affected her diagnosis of Laura in any way.
Despite all of this evidence of reliability, appellants assert that these experts= testimony concerning Laura=s
PTSD diagnosis is unreliable because the experts made the diagnosis without conducting any rate-of-incidence
studies or objective medical tests, such as imaging technology or blood work, or reviewing results of similar cases
of restraint. Appellants further assert that Laura=s MMPI-II score showed she was Afaking bad,@ that is,
exaggerating her symptoms.
Appellants do not direct us to any expert testimony that these tests should have been conducted or would have
assisted in a determination of the cause of Laura=s PTSD.[69] Further, regarding rate-of-incidence studies, Dr.
Helge testified that he did not know of any case studies examining the incidence of PTSD arising from Laura=s
type of situation.
Regarding medical tests, Dr. Pentzien testified that a blood test and neuroimaging technique were available to
serve as additional tools in diagnosing mental disorders. He further testified, however, that the tests had not
been conducted because they were not specific enough to distinguish between particular types of disorders. In
addition, Dr. Pentzien testified that the neuroimaging technique was not sufficiently standardized to be generally
accepted as reliable in the field of neuropsychiatry. Likewise, Dr. Astin testified that she knew of no literature in
the field of psychotherapy that suggested a blood test or brain scan could be specific enough to reveal PTSD.
Drs. Astin and Helge conceded that Laura=s MMPI-II score showed she was Afaking bad.@ But they interpreted
Laura=s particular score as consistent with a Acry for help,@ meaning that she was embellishing her symptoms
somewhat in order to be heard, not that she was claiming to have symptoms that did not exist. Dr. Pentzien
testified that, while he considered the MMPI-II helpful in making a diagnosis, he was not trained in the field of
psychometrics[70] and therefore was not qualified to interpret the MMPI-II test results.
Having conducted a careful review, we conclude that, although the record shows that the methods and analyses
that Drs. Helge, Astin, and Pentzien relied upon in formulating their diagnoses involved some subjective
interpretation, the record also shows that these methods and analyses had a rate of error generally accepted in
the scientific community as reliable, had been accepted as valid in the scientific community for decades, had been
subject to extensive peer review and publication, and had been widely used for nonjudicial purposes.[71]
Accordingly, we hold that the trial court did not abuse its discretion by concluding that these experts= opinion
testimony was reliable and therefore admissible.[72]
We overrule appellants= fifth and sixth issues.
First Amendment
In their seventh and eighth issues, appellants complain that the trial court erred by failing to give them the benefit
of certain protections against Laura=s claims under the First Amendment of the United States Constitution.[73]
Specifically, appellants contend that a clear and convincing proof of malice requirement similar to that which the
United States Supreme Court has applied to libel actions under the Free Speech Clause should be applied to
Laura=s claims[74] and that the judgment against them should be reversed because the evidence conclusively
establishes that they did not act with malice. In the alternative, appellants assert that the case should be
remanded for a new trial because the trial court erred in refusing to submit jury instructions on the issue of malice
and the clear and convincing evidentiary standard.
In a prior original proceeding, appellants sought, based on the First Amendment, a writ of mandamus ordering the
trial court to dismiss all of the Areligious@ claims that had been brought by Laura and her parents.[75] In the
same proceeding, appellants requested that we allow Laura=s claims for assault and battery and false
imprisonment Ato go forward@ because, in the words of appellants= attorney of record and Reverend McCutchen
stated under oath, these claims constitute Aa >secular controversy= and do[] not come within the protection of the
First Amendment.@ Appellants averred that Ano church or pastor can use the First Amendment as an excuse to
cause bodily injury to any person,@ and represented that Ano religious beliefs would be implicated@ if Laura=s
Apure >bodily injury=@ claims of assault and battery and false imprisonment were litigated.[76]
We granted the relief appellants requested and held that all of the challenged Areligious@ claims were barred by
the First Amendment.[77] Thereafter, trial proceeded on Laura=s assault and battery and false imprisonment
claims with all of the appellants= acquiescence.[78]
Having obtained, in the prior mandamus proceeding, the dismissal of all but Laura=s assault and false
imprisonment claims, which they swore under oath should Ago forward@ because they were purely secular and
entitled to no First Amendment protections, appellants cannot now Aplay fast and loose@ with the judicial system
by taking the opposite position in this appeal to suit their own purposes.[79] We therefore hold that the church
and pastors are estopped[80] from asserting in this appeal that they are entitled to First Amendment protections
with regard to Laura=s assault and false imprisonment claims. Accordingly, we overrule appellants= seventh and
eighth issues.[81]
Course and Scope of Employment
In their ninth and tenth issues, appellants contend that the trial court erred in concluding, as a matter of law, that
McCutchen and Rod Linzay were acting in the scope and course of their employment during the June 1996
incidents. Appellants assert that rendition of judgment against the church absent a jury finding on this issue was
improper.
Appellants have not briefed these issues.[82] Further, appellants admit that McCutchen and Linzay Awere in the
course and scope of their work for the Church during the times in question.@ Therefore, we overrule appellants=
ninth and tenth issues.
Conclusion
Having disposed of all of appellants= issues, we reverse the trial court=s judgment awarding Laura $122,000 in
damages for loss of earning capacity and render judgment that she take nothing on this damages claim. We
affirm the remainder of the trial court=s judgment.
JOHN CAYCE
CHIEF JUSTICE
PANEL A: CAYCE, C.J.; LIVINGSTON and WALKER, JJ.
LIVINGSTON, J. dissents in part without opinion as to issue three.
DELIVERED: September 15, 2005
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
[1]Appellants are Pleasant Glade Assembly of God church, Reverend Lloyd A. McCutchen, Rod Linzay, Holly
Linzay, Sandra Smith, Becky Bickel, and Paul Patterson.
[2]McCutchen had not been present during the Sunday evening episode, but had been told about it.
[3]Agoraphobia is the abnormal fear of being helpless in an embarrassing or inescapable situation that is
characterized by the avoidance of being in public places. Merriam Webster=s Collegiate Dictionary 24 (10th ed.
1994).
[4]Black=s Law Dictionary 803 (8th ed. 1999).
[5]See McGee v. McGee, 936 S.W.2d 360, 369-70 (Tex. App.CWaco 1996, writ denied) (op. on reh=g) (holding
that stepfather stood in loco parentis because he had cared for child from early childhood and was the only father
child had ever known); Goetz v. Lutheran Social Serv. of Tex., Inc., 579 S.W.2d 82, 83 (Tex. Civ. App.CAustin
1979, no writ) (holding that children=s home had in loco parentis status and appointing home as child=s
managing conservator after parental rights were terminated); Malone v. Dixon, 410 S.W.2d 278, 285 (Tex. Civ.
App.CEastland 1966, writ ref=d n.r.e.) (concluding that orphanage stood in loco parentis as to child after his aunt
placed him there following his parents= death); Trotter v. Pollan, 311 S.W.2d 723, 729 (Tex. Civ. App.CDallas)
(deeming couple in loco parentis to child who lived for years in their home with no financial assistance from
child=s father and whom they voluntarily cared for and treated as their own), writ ref=d n.r.e. per curiam, 158 Tex.
494, 313 S.W.2d 603 (1958); Cantu v. S. Pac. Ry. Co., 166 S.W.2d 963, 965 (Tex. Civ. App.CAmarillo 1942, writ
ref=d) (holding couple stood in loco parentis to child whose parents had committed to couple child=s care,
custody, and child-rearing responsibilities from age 15 months until child=s death ten years later).
[6]Trotter, 311 S.W.2d at 729; accord McGee, 936 S.W.2d at 369.
[7]Coons‑Andersen v. Andersen, 104 S.W.3d 630, 635-36 (Tex. App.CDallas 2003, no pet.).
[8]See In re Martin, 147 S.W.3d 453, 456 (Tex. App.CBeaumont 2004, orig. proceeding) (holding that child=s
uncle, who was temporarily responsible for babysitting child, was not entitled to in loco parentis status).
[9]See id. & supra n.5.
[10]See Coons‑Andersen, 104 S.W.3d at 635-36.
[11]See Spacek v. Charles, 928 S.W.2d 88, 95 (Tex. App.CHouston [14th Dist.] 1996, writ dism=d w.o.j.);
Hogenson v. Williams, 542 S.W.2d 456, 459-60 (Tex. Civ. App.CTexarkana 1976, no writ) (both involving athletic
coaches and students and citing Restatement (Second) of Torts '' 147, 150-51 (1965)).
[12]See Tex. Penal Code Ann. ' 9.61(b) (Vernon 2003) (providing that adult can stand in loco parentis as to child
by express or implied consent of child=s parents),' 9.62(1) (providing that use of nondeadly force against a
person is justified (1) if actor is entrusted with the care, supervision, or administration of the person for a special
purpose, (2) when and to the degree actor reasonably believes necessary to further special purpose or to
maintain discipline in a group); see also Snowden v. State, 12 Tex. Ct. App. 105, 105, 1882 WL 9200, at *2
(1882) (holding that brother who provided home and financial support to his 15-year-old sister could assert in
loco parentis defense to criminal prosecution for shoving her).
[13]See Tex. Educ. Code Ann. '' 22.051, .0511 (Vernon Supp. 2004-05).
[14]See Tex. Penal Code Ann. ' 9.06 (Vernon 2003); J. Hadley Edgar, Jr. & James B. Sales, 4 Texas Torts &
Remedies ' 50.04[1] (2005).
[15]See Act of May 22, 1993, 73rd Leg., R.S., ch. 960, ' 1, 1993 Tex. Gen. Laws 4194, 4194 (amended 1999,
2003) (current version at Tex. Civ. Prac. & Rem. Code Ann. ' 74.151(a) (Vernon 2005)).
[16]Rosell v. Cent. W. Motor Stages, Inc., 89 S.W.3d 643, 658 (Tex. App.CDallas 2002, pet. denied).
[17]Prudential Ins. Co. of Am. v. Fin. Review Servs., Inc., 29 S.W.3d 74, 77 (Tex. 2000); Ray v. McFarland, 97 S.
W.3d 728, 730 (Tex. App.CFort Worth 2003, no pet.); see also Tex. R. Civ. P. 268.
[18]Prudential Ins. Co. of Am., 29 S.W.3d at 77; Ray, 97 S.W.3d at 730.
[19]The jury awarded Laura actual damages for past physical pain and mental anguish, past and future loss of
earning capacity, and past and future medical care. The damages for past physical pain and mental anguish are
not segregated.
[20]5 Texas Torts & Remedies ' 80.01[2] (2005).
[21]See Sitton v. Am. Title Co. of Dallas, 396 S.W.2d 899, 903-04 (Tex. Civ. App.CDallas 1965, writ ref=d n.r.e.),
cert. denied, 385 U.S. 975 (1966); Thompson v. Hodges, 237 S.W.2d 757, 759 (Tex. Civ. App.CSan Antonio
1951, writ ref=d n.r.e.).
[22]5 Texas Torts & Remedies ' 80.01[2][a].
[23]Id. ' 80.01[2][b].
[24]See Airborne Freight Corp., Inc. v. C.R. Lee Enters., Inc., 847 S.W.2d 289, 295 (Tex. App.CEl Paso 1992, writ
denied) (discussing consequential damages in context of common law fraud cause of action).
[25]Doe v. Boys Clubs of Greater Dallas, Inc., 907 S.W.2d 472, 477 (Tex. 1995); Travis v. City of Mesquite, 830 S.
W.2d 94, 98 (Tex. 1992); see also Clark v. Waggoner, 452 S.W.2d 437, 438 (Tex. 1970) (AIn our State the two
elements of proximate cause are cause in fact and foreseeablity.@).
[26]Boys Clubs of Greater Dallas, 907 S.W.2d at 478; Nixon v. Mr. Property Mgmt. Co., 690 S.W.2d 546, 551
(Tex. 1985).
[27]See Phillips v. Latham, 523 S.W.2d 19, 27 (Tex. Civ. App.CDallas 1975, writ ref=d n.r.e.) (holding mental
anguish damages too remote to recover on basis of intentional tort claim for civil conspiracy); Sitton, 396 S.W.2d
at 903-04 (same).
[28]See Fisher v. Carrousel Motor Hotel, Inc., 424 S.W.2d 627, 630 (Tex. 1967) (holding that A[p]ersonal indignity
is the essence of an action for battery@); Durban v. Guajardo, 79 S.W.3d 198, 206 (Tex. App.CDallas 2002, no
pet.) (holding that emotional distress is Athe essence@ of assault claim); see also Dillard Dep=t Stores, Inc. v.
Silva, 148 S.W.3d 370, 372 (Tex. 2004) (affirming award of actual mental anguish damages when there was
legally sufficient evidence of false imprisonment).
[29]City of Tyler v. Likes, 962 S.W.2d 489, 495 (Tex. 1997); see also Fitzpatrick v. Copeland, 80 S.W.3d 297, 302
& n.2 (Tex. App.CFort Worth 2002, pet. denied).
[30]See 5 Texas Torts & Remedies ' 80.01[2][a].
[31]See Sitton, 396 S.W.2d at 903-04; Thompson, 237 S.W.2d at 759.
[32]See Weingartens, Inc. v. Price, 461 S.W.2d 260, 264 (Tex. Civ. App.CHouston [14th Dist.] 1970, writ ref=d n.r.
e.) (ALoss of earnings and loss of earning capacity are items of >special damages.=@).
[33]Boys Clubs of Greater Dallas, 907 S.W.2d at 477; City of Mesquite, 830 S.W.2d at 98; Airborne Freight Corp.,
847 S.W.2d at 295.
[34]County of Cameron v. Brown, 80 S.W.3d 549, 556 (Tex. 2002). Foreseeablity does not require that the exact
sequence of events that produce an injury be foreseeable, but only that the general character of the damages be
foreseen. Id.; Boys Clubs of Greater Dallas, 907 S.W.2d at 478; Nixon, 690 S.W.2d at 551.
[35]Boys Clubs of Greater Dallas, 907 S.W.2d at 477; McClure v. Allied Stores of Tex., Inc., 608 S.W.2d 901, 903
(Tex. 1980).
[36]See Gulf, C. & S.F. Ry. Co. v. Bennett, 110 Tex. 262, 219 S.W. 197, 198 (1920).
[37]Restatement (Second) of Torts ' 435(2) (1965).
[38]See Boys Clubs of Greater Dallas, 907 S.W.2d at 478.
[39]See id. (holding that when there is no evidence raising a fact issue on foreseeablity, there is no evidence to
support a finding of proximate cause); Phillips, 523 S.W.2d at 26-27 (holding that because there was no
competent evidence that plaintiff=s illnesses could have been reasonably foreseen, there was no causal relation
between defendants= intentional acts and plaintiff=s injuries).
[40]Because there is no evidence to support a finding that Laura=s loss of earning capacity damages were
proximately caused by appellants= conduct, we do not reach appellants= alternative issue regarding whether the
trial court erred in failing to submit a separate damages question asking whether Laura=s loss of earning capacity
was proximately caused by appellants= conduct.
[41]962 S.W.2d at 489.
[42]Id. at 495 (emphasis supplied); accord Fitzpatrick, 80 S.W.3d at 302 & n.2 (noting that mental anguish
damages are recoverable for intentional tort of battery because legal concerns regarding foreseeability and
legitimacy of injury are satisfied).
[43]City of Tyler, 962 S.W.2d at 495.
[44]See Dan B. Dobbs, The Law of Torts ' 25, at 49-50 (2001).
[45]923 S.W.2d 549 (Tex. 1995).
[46]Appellants also complain in passing that this evidence was inadmissible because it was not based on a
reasonable medical probability. We do not address this complaint because it is not briefed. See Tex. R. App. P.
38.1(h).
[47]The record contains conflicting evidence concerning whether Laura=s experiences in Africa were traumatic.
Some of Laura=s medical records indicate that she had seen Atraumatic events@ such as Abeatings and
burnings@ while her family lived as missionaries in Africa. The record is unclear, however, whether these records
are based on Laura=s or Tom Schubert=s recounting of events. Also, Tom authored two letters in 1992 and
1996, respectively, regarding the family=s alleged experiences in Africa that indicated Laura had faced Afear and
danger in Africa@ that Awas more than any child should ever see or face.@ Tom testified at trial, however, that
he had exaggerated in the letters Aalmost to the point of lying@Conce to obtain leave from Africa from the
mission board due to his children=s difficulties in school and another to emphasize how the events of June 1996
had hurt Laura more deeply than her experiences in Africa. Laura denied having suffered any traumatic
experiences in Africa and testified instead that Africa was Aan amazing place@ where she would prefer to raise
her daughter.
[48]Tex. R. Evid. 702.
[49]Helena Chem. Co. v. Wilkins, 47 S.W.3d 486, 499 (Tex. 2001); Robinson, 923 S.W.2d at 556.
[50]Exxon Pipeline Co. v. Zwahr, 88 S.W.3d 623, 629 (Tex. 2002); Gammill v. Jack Williams Chev., Inc., 972 S.W.
2d 713, 725 (Tex. 1998).
[51]Helena Chem. Co., 47 S.W.3d at 499; Gammill, 972 S.W.2d at 725-26.
[52]Exxon Pipeline Co., 88 S.W.3d at 629; Gammill, 972 S.W.2d at 728.
[53]Merrell Dow Pharms., Inc. v. Havner, 953 S.W.2d 706, 714 (Tex. 1997).
[54]Id.
[55]Gammill, 972 S.W.2d at 720, 726.
[56]Robinson, 923 S.W.2d at 557.
[57]Id. n.2.
[58]Exxon Pipeline Co., 88 S.W.3d at 629; Helena Chem. Co., 47 S.W.3d at 499; Reed v. Granbury Hosp. Corp.,
117 S.W.3d 404, 410 (Tex. App.CFort Worth 2003, no pet.).
[59]See Carpenter v. Cimarron Hydrocarbons Corp., 98 S.W.3d 682, 687 (Tex. 2002); Downer v. Aquamarine
Operators, Inc., 701 S.W.2d 238, 241‑42 (Tex. 1985), cert. denied, 476 U.S. 1159 (1986).
[60]Downer, 701 S.W.2d at 242.
[61]Appellants do not challenge the qualifications Drs. Helge and Pentzie. Instead, appellants acknowledged that
these doctors were qualified as experts and also designated them as their own experts regarding certain of their
diagnoses concerning Laura.
[62]According to Dr. Helge, a dependent personality is one that trusts another person=s judgment, rather than
her own, particularly when under stress.
[63]These tests are the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory-2, Millon Clinical Multiaxial Inventory-III,
Thematic Apperception Test, and Traumatic Symptom Inventory, respectively.
[64]Dr. Pentzien believed Tom Schubert had embellished the family=s situation in Africa because he was
concerned about Laura=s lack of adjustment. Dr. Pentzien also discounted Laura=s Africa experiences as a
source of her PTSD because she had adjusted well academically, socially, and physically and had behaved
Atotally independently@ after the family=s return to the United States in late 1992, about three-and-a-half years
before the June 1996 incidents.
[65]Although they did not object to Dr. Astin=s qualifications at trial, appellants assert that her testimony is not
reliable because her credentials are suspect. Appellants= attacks on Dr. Astin=s credentials are not supported
by the record.
[66]CAPS stands for Clinician Administered PTSD Scale.
[67]The DSM-IV is the Diagnostic Statistical Manual, 4th Revision.
[68]Dr. Astin explained that Aendorsing@ meant STSS had concluded there was good evidence EMDR was
effective, while Apromoting@ would have including prompting from STSS to use the treatment.
[69]See Tex. R. App. P. 38.1(h); Hall v. Stephenson, 919 S.W.2d 454, 466 (Tex. App.CFort Worth 1996, writ
denied) (both providing that appellant has duty to provide appellate court appropriate citations to record).
[70]Psychometrics is the testing and interpretation of psychological tests.
[71]See Robinson, 923 S.W.2d at 557.
[72]See Carpenter, 98 S.W.3d at 687; Exxon Pipeline Co., 88 S.W.3d at 629; Helena Chem. Co., 47 S.W.3d at
499; Downer, 701 S.W.2d at 241‑42. In light of this holding, we need not consider appellants= complaint that the
trial court summarily overruled their objection to the admission of Laura=s medical records from nontestifying
experts regarding their PTSD diagnoses. Such evidence, even if improperly admitted, would have been
cumulative and would not have caused the rendition of an improper judgment. See Tex. R. App. P. 44.1(a).
[73]The Free Exercise Clause to the First Amendment provides, ACongress shall make no law . . . prohibiting the
free exercise@ of religion. U.S. Const. amend. I. Appellants also assert a claim under the Free Worship Clause,
article I, section 6 of the Texas Constitution, but they do not argue that the Texas Constitution affords them
different or greater protection than the First Amendment.
[74]See Dun & Bradstreet, Inc. v. Greenmoss Builders, Inc., 472 U.S. 749, 763, 105 S. Ct. 2939, 2947 (1985)
(indicating that damages in defamation cases involving matters of public concern are not presumed absent
showing of actual malice); N.Y. Times Co. v. Sullivan, 376 U.S. 254, 279-80, 285-86, 84 S. Ct. 710, 726, 729
(1964) (applying actual malice and heightened evidentiary standard to free speech cases involving governmental
officials); see also Turner v. KTRK Television, Inc., 38 S.W.3d 103, 120 (Tex. 2000) (applying same to public
figures). Malice is not an element of the intentional torts of assault and battery or false imprisonment under
current Texas law. See Wal-Mart Stores v. Rodriguez, 92 S.W.3d 502, 506 (Tex. 2002); Baribeau v. Gustafson,
107 S.W.3d 52, 60 (Tex. App.CSan Antonio 2003), cert. denied, 125 S. Ct. 272 (2004); Green v. Indus. Specialty
Contractors, Inc., 1 S.W.3d 126, 134 (Tex. App.CHouston [1st Dist.] 1999, no pet.).
[75]See In re Pleasant Glade Assembly of God, 991 S.W.2d 85, 87-88 (Tex. App.CFort Worth 1998, orig.
proceeding).
[76]Appellants have asked us to take judicial notice of our records in the original proceeding. A court may take
judicial notice of its own records, see Brown v. Brown, 145 S.W.3d 745, 750 (Tex. App.CDallas 2004, pet. denied),
and such notice is mandatory if a party requests it and supplies the necessary information. See Tex. R. Evid. 201
(d).
[77]Pleasant Glade Assembly of God, 991 S.W.2d at 87, 90.
[78]For example, before trial began, appellants= counsel responded AOkay@ to the trial court=s ruling that
neither side would be allowed to put on evidence about appellants= religious practices as a reason for Laura=s
restraint. The trial court also instructed the jury at the beginning of trial that, because the suit involved a church,
the First Amendment would bar the parties from explaining why certain things were said and done during the June
1996 incidents. Appellants did not object to this instruction. Likewise, when the trial court instructed various
witnesses not to mention religious matters, such as prayer, or instructed the jury to disregard testimony
concerning religious matters, appellants did not object to these rulings. In addition, at appellants= request, the
trial court instructed one of Laura=s expert witnesses to refrain from referring to all issues of faith or religious
activity that may have been connected with the June 1996 incidents.
[79]Andrews v. Diamond, Rash, Leslie & Smith, 959 S.W.2d 646, 649 (Tex. App.CEl Paso 1997, pet. denied); see
also Long v. Knox, 155 Tex. 581, 291 S.W.2d 292, 295 (1956).
[80]Whether appellants= actions are labeled as waiver or judicial estoppel is immaterial. See Jernigan v. Langley,
111 S.W.3d 153, 156-57 (Tex. 2003) (noting that waiver is defined as Aan intentional relinquishment of a known
right or intentional conduct inconsistent with claiming that right@); Long, 291 S.W. at 295 (AUnder the doctrine of
judicial estoppel . . . a party is estopped merely by the fact of having alleged or admitted in his pleadings in a
former proceeding under oath the contrary to the assertion sought to be made.@). What is clear is that courts,
faced with burgeoning dockets, are entitled to rely on prior sworn statements of parties and counsel such as
those in this case. See Ergo Sci. Inc. v. Martin, 73 F.3d 595, 599-600 (5th Cir. 1996); see also Cleaver v.
Cleaver, 140 S.W.3d 771, 774-75 (Tex. App.CTyler 2004, no pet.) (stating that, under federal law, judicial
estoppel does not require a prior sworn statement, but only that party successfully maintained an affirmative
position in a prior proceeding that is contrary to the position it now seeks to invoke).
[81]On rehearing, Smith, Bickel, and Patterson (collectively, the church members) argue that they are entitled to
First Amendment protection because they did not participate in the prior mandamus proceeding. The church
members have, however, waived their right to assert this affirmative defense because they did not establish in the
trial court that their assault and imprisonment of Laura was based on their sincerely held religious beliefs. See
Tilton v. Marshall, 925 S.W.2d 672, 677-78 (Tex. 1996) (orig. proceeding) (ABefore a court can determine
whether a law . . . substantially burdens one=s free exercise rights [and entitles the person to First Amendment
protection], the individual must establish by a preponderance of the evidence that the beliefs avowed are not only
religious in nature, but sincerely held.@). To the contrary, the church members each testified that their conduct
arose from their belief that Laura=s actions were a ploy for attention from other members of the youth group. The
church members= reliance on McCutchen=s pretrial affidavit concerning some of their denomination=s religious
beliefs is misplaced. The affidavit does not establish by a preponderance of the evidence that the church
members themselves sincerely held those beliefs or that their conduct in this case was based on those beliefs.
See id.
[82]See Fredonia State Bank v. Gen. Am. Life Ins. Co., 881 S.W.2d 279, 284 (Tex. 1994) (noting long-standing
rule that point may be waived due to inadequate briefing).