Attorney General Ken Paxton said Friday that he appealed a Travis County temporary injunction that would have forced the Texas Workforce Commission to move forward on fair housing documents tied to the development formerly known as EPIC City. His office said that appeal suspended the order while the case continues.
Judge Ordered TWC To Move
A Travis County district court ruled Tuesday that the Texas Workforce Commission must comply with an agreement it made with Community Capital Partners, the developer behind The Meadow, formerly known as EPIC City.
Caroline Love reported that Community Capital Partners sued after it sent fair housing policies to the agency and received no review or response.
Texas Appeal Rule Gave Paxton An Opening
Texas law gave Paxton a powerful tool. Texas Rule of Appellate Procedure 29.1 says an interlocutory order does not stay in place when the appellant has the right to supersede it by filing a notice of appeal.
A 2021 Texas Supreme Court opinion also said a state agency’s notice of appeal automatically superseded a trial court’s temporary injunction under Rule 24.2(a)(3).
That means Paxton did not personally erase the trial court’s ruling. He used a Texas appeal mechanism that pauses enforcement while the appellate court reviews the dispute.
Paxton Turned The Fight Up Again
Paxton framed the ruling as part of his broader effort to stop EPIC City.
“Following my appeal of the flawed ruling that would have required the Texas Workforce Commission to unlawfully approve fair housing documents for EPIC, I am glad to see that the developers will not receive such services as this lawsuit is proceeding,” Paxton said. He added, “EPIC city developers have sought out any possible way to evade the law and further their development scheme. I will be relentless in ensuring that any attempt by EPIC City to move its development forward in violation of the law is stopped.”
Community Capital Partners plans to defend the trial court’s ruling on appeal and says it intends to honor fair housing requirements under state and federal law, Love reported Friday.
DX Has Tracked This Fight From The Start
As previously reported by The Dallas Express, Paxton has pushed on multiple fronts to stop EPIC City. He sued Double R MUD, pressed Collin County to block the project’s plat, won a temporary restraining order on March 20, and later secured a temporary injunction against the MUD. Friday’s appeal opens another front in that same fight.
What Happens Next
The appeal does not end the case. It freezes the injunction while the Fifteenth Court of Appeals decides whether the Workforce Commission must act on the fair housing documents.
