Cecile Erwin Young, in Her Official Capacity as the Executive Commissioner of the Texas Health and Human Services Commission; Molina Healthcare of Texas, Inc.; And Aetna Better Health of Texas, Inc. v. Cook Children's Health Plan, Texas Children's Health Plan, Superior Health Plan, Inc., and Wellpoint Insurance Company

ACCEPTED
15-24-00114-CV
FIFTEENTH COURT OF APPEALS
AUSTIN, TEXAS
8/20/2025 3:12 PM
No. 15-24-00114-CV CHRISTOPHER A. PRINE
CLERK
__________________________________________________________________
FILED IN
15th COURT OF APPEALS
IN THE FIFTEENTH COURT OF APPEALS AUSTIN, TEXAS
A
USTIN, TEXAS 8/20/2025 3:12:23 PM

__________________________________________________________________
CHRISTOPHER A. PRINE
Clerk

Cecile E. Young, in her official capacity as Executive Commissioner of Texas
Health & Human Services Commission, Molina Healthcare of Texas, Inc., and
Aetna Better Health of Texas, Inc.

Appellants,
v.

Cook Children’s Health Plan, Texas Children’s Health Plan, Superior
HealthPlan, Inc., and Wellpoint Insurance Company,
Appellees.
__________________________________________________________________

Appeal from 455th Judicial District Court, Travis County, Texas,
Trial Court Cause No. D-1-GN-24-003839,
Hon. Laurie Eiserloh, Presiding
__________________________________________________________________

AETNA BETTER HEALTH OF TEXAS INC. AND MOLINA
HEALTHCARE OF TEXAS, INC.’S JOINT UNOPPOSED MOTION TO
EXTEND TIME TO FILE APPELLANT’S BRIEF
__________________________________________________________________

In accordance with Texas Rule of Appellate Procedure 10.5(b), Appellants

Aetna Better Health of Texas, Inc. (“Aetna”) and Molina Healthcare of Texas, Inc.

(“Molina”) file this motion for an extension of time to file their appellant’s briefs.

This is the first request for an extension of time for this filing, and it is unopposed.

The purpose of the request is to maintain a single deadline for all appellants’ briefs.
1. By order dated August 8, 2025, this Court ordered all appellants to file

their opening briefs by August 28, 2025.

2. Appellant Cecile Erwin Young, in her official capacity as the

Executive Commissioner of the Texas Health and Human Services Commission,

moved for an extension until September 29, 2025. Although Aetna and Molina

took no position on the Commissioner’s motion, Aetna and Molina suggested that

all appellants’ deadlines should remain aligned. The Commissioner noted Aetna

and Molina’s preference in the motion’s certificate of conference. See Young Mot.

5.

3. On August 19, 2025, the Court granted the Commissioner’s motion.

Accordingly, the Commissioner’s appellant’s brief is currently due on September

29, while Aetna and Molina’s appellant’s briefs remain due on August 28.

4. To keep the appellants’ deadlines and the appellees’ response

deadlines aligned, Aetna and Molina move the Court to extend the deadline for

their appellant’s briefs to September 29, 2025.

Prayer
Aetna and Molina respectfully urge the Court to extend the deadline for

filing their appellant’s briefs until September 29, 2025.

2
Respectfully submitted,

TAFT STETTINIUS & HOLLISTER LLP
/s/ Marc J. Kessler
Marc J. Kessler
Ohio Bar No. 0059263
41 South High Street, Suite 1800
Columbus, Ohio 43215-6106
(614) 220-0237

EWELL, BROWN, BLANKE & KNIGHT LLP
/s/ Joseph R. Knight
Joseph R. Knight
State Bar No. 11601275
111 Congress Avenue, 28th Floor
Austin, Texas 78701
512.770.4010
877.851.6384 (fax)
jknight@ebbklaw.com

Attorneys for Aetna Better Health of Texas, Inc.

SCOTT, DOUGLASS, & MCCONNICO LLP
/s/ Jason R. LaFond (with permission)
Jason R. LaFond
State Bar No. 24103136
jlafond@scottdoug.com
Cheryl Joseph LaFond
State Bar No. 24104015
clafond@scottdoug.com
303 Colorado Street, Suite 2400
Austin, Texas 78701
(512) 495-6300

Attorneys for Molina Healthcare of Texas, Inc.

3
Certificate of Conference
I certify that I consulted with counsel for all parties on August 20, 2025, and

all of them are unopposed to the relief sought in this motion.

/s/ Joseph R. Knight
Joseph R. Knight

Certificate of Service

I certify that a true and correct copy of the foregoing document has been

filed and served on all counsel of record on August 20, 2025, via the Court’s

electronic filing service.

/s/ Joseph R. Knight
Joseph R. Knight

4
Automated Certificate of eService
This automated certificate of service was created by the efiling system.
The filer served this document via email generated by the efiling system
on the date and to the persons listed below. The rules governing
certificates of service have not changed. Filers must still provide a
certificate of service that complies with all applicable rules.

Envelope ID: 104630700
Filing Code Description: Motion
Filing Description: Joint Unopposed Motion to Extend Time to file
Appellants' Briefs
Status as of 8/20/2025 3:23 PM CST

Case Contacts

Name BarNumber Email TimestampSubmitted Status

Michaelle Peters mpeters@scottdoug.com 8/20/2025 3:12:23 PM SENT

Julie Wright julie.wright@nortonrosefulbright.com 8/20/2025 3:12:23 PM SENT

Amanda DoddsPrice amanda.price@squirepb.com 8/20/2025 3:12:23 PM SENT

Karen Burgess 796276 kburgess@burgesslawpc.com 8/20/2025 3:12:23 PM SENT

Mark Emery 24050564 mark.emery@nortonrosefulbright.com 8/20/2025 3:12:23 PM SENT

Robert Johnson 10786400 rjohnson@foley.com 8/20/2025 3:12:23 PM SENT

Richard Phillips 24032833 Rich.Phillips@hklaw.com 8/20/2025 3:12:23 PM SENT

J McCaig 24070083 meghan.mccaig@outlook.com 8/20/2025 3:12:23 PM SENT

Michelle Ku 24071452 mku@foley.com 8/20/2025 3:12:23 PM SENT

Joseph Knight 11601275 jknight@ebbklaw.com 8/20/2025 3:12:23 PM SENT

Amy Warr 795708 awarr@adjtlaw.com 8/20/2025 3:12:23 PM SENT

Warren Huang 796788 warren.huang@nortonrosefulbright.com 8/20/2025 3:12:23 PM SENT

Paul Trahan 24003075 paul.trahan@nortonrosefulbright.com 8/20/2025 3:12:23 PM SENT

Susan Harris 6876980 susan.harris@nortonrosefulbright.com 8/20/2025 3:12:23 PM SENT

Anna Baker 791362 abaker@adjtlaw.com 8/20/2025 3:12:23 PM SENT

Maria Williamson maria.williamson@oag.texas.gov 8/20/2025 3:12:23 PM SENT

Cory Scanlon 24104599 cory.scanlon@oag.texas.gov 8/20/2025 3:12:23 PM SENT

Mandy Patterson mpatterson@adjtlaw.com 8/20/2025 3:12:23 PM SENT

Michelle Joyner mjoyner@scottdoug.com 8/20/2025 3:12:23 PM SENT

William FCole William.Cole@oag.texas.gov 8/20/2025 3:12:23 PM SENT

Abril Rivera arivera@scottdoug.com 8/20/2025 3:12:23 PM SENT

Nancy Villarreal nancy.villarreal@oag.texas.gov 8/20/2025 3:12:23 PM SENT
Automated Certificate of eService
This automated certificate of service was created by the efiling system.
The filer served this document via email generated by the efiling system
on the date and to the persons listed below. The rules governing
certificates of service have not changed. Filers must still provide a
certificate of service that complies with all applicable rules.

Envelope ID: 104630700
Filing Code Description: Motion
Filing Description: Joint Unopposed Motion to Extend Time to file
Appellants' Briefs
Status as of 8/20/2025 3:23 PM CST

Case Contacts

Nancy Villarreal nancy.villarreal@oag.texas.gov 8/20/2025 3:12:23 PM SENT

Kayla Ahmed kayla.ahmed@nortonrosefulbright.com 8/20/2025 3:12:23 PM SENT

Kristin Hernandez kristin.hernandez@foley.com 8/20/2025 3:12:23 PM SENT

Thomas Coulter 4885500 tom.coulter@nortonrosefulbright.com 8/20/2025 3:12:23 PM SENT

Victoria Gomez victoria.gomez@oag.texas.gov 8/20/2025 3:12:23 PM SENT

Cheryl LaFond 24104015 clafond@scottdoug.com 8/20/2025 3:12:23 PM SENT

Jessie Johnson jessie.johnson@nortonrosefulbright.com 8/20/2025 3:12:23 PM SENT

Benjamin Grossman bjgrossman@foley.com 8/20/2025 3:12:23 PM SENT

David Johns david@cobbjohns.com 8/20/2025 3:12:23 PM SENT

Jennifer Cook Jennifer.Cook@oag.texas.gov 8/20/2025 3:12:23 PM SENT

Juliana Bennington jbennington@perkinscoie.com 8/20/2025 3:12:23 PM SENT

Jonathan Hawley jhawley@perkinscoie.com 8/20/2025 3:12:23 PM ERROR

Reina A.Almon-Griffin ralmon-Griffin@perkinscoie.com 8/20/2025 3:12:23 PM SENT

Trisha Marino tmarino@perkinscoie.com 8/20/2025 3:12:23 PM SENT

Katie Dolan-Galaviz kgalaviz@burgesslawpc.com 8/20/2025 3:12:23 PM SENT

Karen Walker karen.walker@hklaw.com 8/20/2025 3:12:23 PM SENT

Tiffany Roddenberry tiffany.roddenberry@hklaw.com 8/20/2025 3:12:23 PM SENT

Stacey Obenhaus sobenhaus@foley.com 8/20/2025 3:12:23 PM SENT

Jason R.LaFond jlafond@scottdoug.com 8/20/2025 3:12:23 PM SENT

Matthew Gordon mgordon@perkinscoie.com 8/20/2025 3:12:23 PM SENT

Stacey Jett sjett@adjltaw.com 8/20/2025 3:12:23 PM SENT

Cory Scanlon cory.scanlon@oag.texas.gov 8/20/2025 3:12:23 PM SENT

Perkins Docketing Team DocketSEA@perkinscoie.com 8/20/2025 3:12:23 PM SENT