Did they even bother to comment on "Ron Toye is an independent contractor of Funimation"
No
because it was slightly over deadline?
It really wasn't. Rule 11 agreement said nothing about Amended petitions, and in Texas, Rule 11 agreements are to be considered contracts, and should not be given greater effect than the parties intended. Similarly, all terms are read in its legal meanings. See, for example, Pathfinder Oil & Gas, Inc. v. Great W. Drilling
, Ltd., 574 S.W.3d 882 (Tex. 2019), Shamrock Psychiatric Clinic, P.A. v. Tex. Dep't of Health & Human Servs
., 540 S.W.3d 553 (Tex. 2018 ), both of which are Supreme Court of Texas cases. Nor was it in violation of
Tex. R. Civ. P. 63 which states "Parties may amend their pleadings, respond to pleadings on file of other parties, file suggestions of death and make representative parties, and file such other pleas as they may desire by filing such pleas with the clerk at such time as not to operate as a surprise to the opposite party; provided, that any pleadings, responses or pleas offered for filing within seven days of the date of trial or thereafter, or after such time as may be ordered by the judge under Rule 166, shall be filed only after leave of the judge is obtained, which leave shall be granted by the judge unless there is a showing that such filing will operate as a surprise to the opposite party." because TCPA hearing's are not considered trials on the merits and is not designed to replace one (see, for example, Davis v. Gulf Coast Auth
., No. 11-19-00309-CV (Tex. App. Sep. 11, 2020) ). Rule 63 talks about trials on the merits, see, for example, Suite 900, LLC v. Vega, No. 02-19-00271-CV (Tex. App. May. 21, 2020), Grand Prairie Hospital Authority v. Tarrant Appraisal District, 707 S.W.2d 281 (Tex. App. 1986) (case overruled "insofar as it requires that property be devoted exclusively to the use and benefit of the public to be tax exempt under tax code section 11.11(a)." by Tarrant Appraisal Dist. v. Tarrant Reg'l Water Dist., 547 S.W.3d 917 (Tex. App. 2018 ) ) )