§ 15.018.Federal Employers' Liability Act

FELA gives railroad workers a federal negligence remedy that can be brought in state court, and this section says where in Texas.

Subsection (a) limits the section to FELA suits — 45 U.S.C. Section 51 and following — and nothing else.

Three counties are allowed: where all or a substantial part of the events or omissions giving rise to the claim occurred; where the defendant's principal office in this state is located; or where the plaintiff resided when the cause of action accrued.

The options track the general venue rule closely, which is the point — the section makes FELA venue predictable rather than special, and forecloses arguments that a federal cause of action carries its own venue rules into state court.

Railroads operate across many counties, and without a fixed rule a FELA plaintiff could file almost anywhere track runs. This confines the choice to counties with a genuine connection to the claim, the employer, or the worker.

Note the word "shall". This is mandatory venue in Subchapter B, not a menu added to the general rule — a FELA suit filed outside the three counties is subject to transfer.

FELA matters to railroad workers because they have no workers' compensation. Railroad employees are outside the state system and must prove employer negligence instead, which makes the forum question a real one rather than an administrative detail.

The Jones Act provision immediately following is its maritime twin, with the same three counties.