UP vs. City of Palestine TX

[matthewsaggie]

Anyone know the status of this case? The last reference I find on Google says that both parties had to agree on a mediator by August 2020 and try to reach a settlement before a Jan. 2021 trial date. The last Newswire reference was last December.

[Flintlock76]

I haven't heard either, but I wouldn't be suprised if the whole thing's been held up by the COVID pandemic.  A lot of civil cases have been "back-burner'd" by COVID.

[Overmod]

You can sign up for 'real-time updates' for Union Pacific Railroad Company v. City of Palestine Texas et al. -- see the link for more docket number information.

Go here: https://www.docketbird.com/court-cases/Union-Pacific-Railroad-Company-v-City-of-Palestine-Texas-et-al/txed-6:2019-cv-00574

[Fred M Cain]

WOW! There's a lot of legal jargon on that site!  What exactly happened here?  I quickly scanned both pages but didn't see a summary of the issue.

[Overmod]

Fred M Cain

What exactly happened here?

EDIT: this is what comes of reading news stories without full context.  I said "UP had an agreement from the Credit Mobilier days to keep a certain number of employees in and around the city of Palestine." but as Erik points out, that's likely a gross oversimplification -- and I think it does complicate things, perhaps substantially.

 UP is now saying they no longer wish to do so, and argue in part that Federal railroad employment law supersedes the old agreement.

https://www.news-journal.com/news/business/local/union-pacific-sues-to-nullify-old-jobs-pact-with-palestine/article_0ce26bea-12e4-11ea-9631-eb33e889ae57.html

[Erik_Mag]

To be precise, the agreement was between the city and what became the International Great Northern. The IGN then became part of MoPac, which then became part of UP. The original UP had nothing to do with it.