Employees Retirement System of Texas v. Rizzo

**What Happened** An employee of the Texas Employees Retirement System sued their employer for breach of contract. However, the employee went straight to court without first going through the retirement system's internal complaint process that employees are required to use before filing a lawsuit. **What the Court Decided** The court dismissed the case entirely. The judges ruled that the employee had to complete the retirement system's administrative review process before being allowed to sue in court. Since the employee skipped this required step, the court said it didn't have the authority to hear the case. The court reversed an earlier decision that would have allowed the case to proceed. **Why This Matters for Workers** This ruling highlights an important requirement for government employees: you typically must exhaust all internal complaint procedures before you can take your employer to court. This means filing grievances, appeals, or other administrative processes your agency requires first. Skipping these steps can result in your entire case being thrown out, even if you have valid claims. Workers should carefully review their employee handbook or union contract to understand what internal processes they must complete before considering legal action. This rule helps ensure that workplace disputes are given a chance to be resolved internally before involving the courts.