Tex. Labor Code § 52.051
This is the official text of Tex. Labor Code § 52.051, part of Texas’s Labor Code — governs wages, workplace safety, and workers' compensation.
Not legal advice. This page reproduces the official text of a government statute for reference only. Laws change, and how a statute applies depends on your specific facts. For advice about your situation, consult a licensed attorney in your state.
§ 52.051. PENALIZING EMPLOYEE FOR COMPLIANCE WITH SUBPOENA.
Official statutory text
(a) An employer may not discharge, discipline, or penalize in any manner an employee because the employee complies with a valid subpoena to appear in a civil, criminal, legislative, or administrative proceeding.
(b) If the subpoena to which a violation of Subsection (a) applies is issued by a court, the employer violating Subsection (a) may be found in contempt by the court issuing the subpoena.
(c) If the subpoena to which a violation of Subsection (a) applies is issued by a legislative committee or a state agency, the employer violating Subsection (a) is subject to the authority of the committee or agency to impose a monetary penalty, not to exceed $500, on a person who violates an order of the committee or agency.
(d) An employee discharged in violation of this section is entitled to return to the same employment that the employee had at the time the employee was subpoenaed if the employee, as soon as practical after release from compliance with the subpoena, gives the employer actual notice that the employee intends to return.
(e) An employee injured because of the violation of this section by an employer may recover:
(1) damages in an amount that does not exceed six months' compensation at the rate at which the employee was compensated when the subpoena was issued; and
(2) reasonable attorney's fees.
(f) It is a defense to an action by an employee under this section for reemployment that reemployment is impossible or unreasonable because of a change in the employer's circumstances while the employee complied with the subpoena.
(b) If the subpoena to which a violation of Subsection (a) applies is issued by a court, the employer violating Subsection (a) may be found in contempt by the court issuing the subpoena.
(c) If the subpoena to which a violation of Subsection (a) applies is issued by a legislative committee or a state agency, the employer violating Subsection (a) is subject to the authority of the committee or agency to impose a monetary penalty, not to exceed $500, on a person who violates an order of the committee or agency.
(d) An employee discharged in violation of this section is entitled to return to the same employment that the employee had at the time the employee was subpoenaed if the employee, as soon as practical after release from compliance with the subpoena, gives the employer actual notice that the employee intends to return.
(e) An employee injured because of the violation of this section by an employer may recover:
(1) damages in an amount that does not exceed six months' compensation at the rate at which the employee was compensated when the subpoena was issued; and
(2) reasonable attorney's fees.
(f) It is a defense to an action by an employee under this section for reemployment that reemployment is impossible or unreasonable because of a change in the employer's circumstances while the employee complied with the subpoena.
Status: in_force · Read it on the official government site
Need a lawyer in Texas?
Find a Texas lawyer
About this page: Statute text is reproduced from official government publishers via the
Open US Law dataset
(Vaquill AI, snapshot v2026.08, CC BY 4.0). Primary legislative text like this is public domain under the government-edicts doctrine
(Georgia v. Public.Resource.Org, 2020). We link every section back to its official source so you can verify it independently.