Texas

Trial Lawyer Speeding Up to 79 mph in 40 mph Zone Before Deadly Crash

A celebrated Houston plaintiffs attorney was speeding at almost twice the legal limit on rain-slick pavement when he lost control of his SUV late last month, striking a tree and killing himself and a passenger who worked for him. Police say neither John O’Quinn nor his employee, Johnny Cutliff, was…

Nov 24, 2009 7:58 PM CST

Lawyer Sues Homeless Center, Says Disheveled People Scare Away His Tenants

A Houston lawyer has sued a homeless center and church, claiming “disheveled individuals” attracted by offers of free meals and services are scaring away his tenants and hurting the value of his building. Lawyer Harry Arthur claims The Beacon day center for homeless people is a public nuisance, and he’s…

Nov 24, 2009 6:50 PM CST

Are All Texas Marriages Void? Poorly Worded Amendment Raises the Question

A candidate for Texas attorney general says a state constitutional amendment is so poorly worded that it calls into question the legal status of all marriages in the state. The Democratic candidate, Houston lawyer Barbara Ann Radnofsky, calls the amendment a “massive mistake,” the Fort Worth Star-Telegram reports. Designed to…

Nov 19, 2009 7:42 PM CST

Criminal Judges Hire DA’s Wife as Consultant With State Agency’s OK

Although some see a problem with a decision by at least seven Texas judges to hire the wife of the local district attorney as a political consultant, the State Commission on Judicial Conduct has OK’d the arrangement. As long as there’s no quid pro quo, says commission director Seana Willing,…

Nov 18, 2009 6:14 PM CST

Baker Botts Associate & Spouse Die in Fire Trying to Save Their Son, 4

When a fire broke out in their Dallas home early yesterday, Romina Lorena Mulloy and Michael Levine rushed upstairs to save their 4-year-old son. But the couple was trapped by smoke and flames and all three died together in the fire, reports the Dallas Morning News. Mulloy, 35, had been…

Nov 13, 2009 11:12 PM CST

DA: Judge’s ‘Deep-Seated Bias’ Requires Recusal in 74 Domestic Violence Cases

Repeated “frivolous” comments by a Texas judge during domestic violence hearings “trivialize” the seriousness of the cases and demonstrate a “deep-seated bias” that requires the recusal of criminal Court-at-Law Judge Reagan Helm in 74 pending cases, the Harris County District Attorney’s Office argues in filings yesterday. The filings cite comments…

Nov 11, 2009 6:37 PM CST

Exploding Text-Harassment Cases Create Pitfalls for Defense Attorneys

As supervisors increasingly make objectionable comments to employees via text messages, resulting harassment cases over after-hours comments no longer are based simply on “he said, she said” evidence. But this seeming bonanza of proof for plaintiffs lawyers is surrounded by potential pitfalls for defense attorneys, according to a Texas Lawyer…

Nov 6, 2009 11:43 PM CST

Did Top Texas Judge’s Testimony Open Door to Wrongful Death Suit?

Contending that a top Texas appellate judge misled a federal appeals court that dismissed a wrongful death claim by the wife and daughter of an executed inmate, a civil rights group has asked a federal judge to reopen the case . It concerns a controversial refusal by Texas Court of…

Nov 6, 2009 6:10 PM CST

Lawsuits Claim Texas Dog Scent Lineups Identified the Wrong People

Three men identified as suspects in Texas dog-scent lineups have filed a lawsuit saying the technique sent them to jail for crimes they didn’t commit. The technique uses dogs to pick suspects out of a lineup based on a link between their smell and crime-scene evidence. Scent lineups have been…

Nov 5, 2009 12:53 PM CST

Texas Judge Is Too-Often Rude, Another Judge & Lawyer Complain

Another judge and a Texas lawyer have both complained to the State Commission on Judicial Conduct that 44th District Judge Carlos Cortez of Dallas is often rude to colleagues on the bench. Cortez “berates, belittles and ridicules his fellow judges both to the public and to other judges,” attorney Randy…

Oct 30, 2009 7:33 PM CDT

OSHA Hits BP Refinery With Monster $87.4M Fine; 15 Died in 2005 Explosion

The U.S. Department of Labor is seeking to impose a record-breaking $87.4 million in penalties on oil giant BP for safety violations at a refinery it operates in Texas. Of that amount, $56.7 million relates to a 2005 explosion at the Texas City refinery that killed 15 people and injured…

Oct 30, 2009 6:55 PM CDT

Defense Lawyer Says Executed Client Was Guilty in Texas Arson

Weighing in on the side of his client’s former wife and in-laws, a criminal defense lawyer who represented a man executed in a controversial Texas death-penalty case now says that defendant Cameron Todd Willingham set a 1991 fire that killed his children. “There was no question whatsoever that he was…

Oct 28, 2009 8:39 PM CDT

Lawyer Loses Appeal of 90-Day Sentence for Making Obscene Gesture in Court

A Texas lawyer sentenced to 90 days in jail for making an obscene gesture in court has lost an appeal. The Texas Court of Criminal Appeals denied the habeas appeal by Austin lawyer Adam Reposa, sentenced for making a gesture simulating masturbation, according to the Tex Parte Blog. Reposa had…

Oct 28, 2009 6:26 PM CDT

Texas Lawyer Sues Houston Over ‘Too Christian’ Prayers

A Texas lawyer who prevailed in an earlier federal lawsuit over a Harris County monument featuring a Bible is gearing up for her next constitutional battle. Saying that the prayers offered by city council member Anne Clutterbuck, in particular, are too Christian, attorney Kay Staley filed a federal lawsuit over…

Oct 26, 2009 9:17 PM CDT

Toyota Whistle-Blower Lawyer Is Dogged and ‘Heavily Medicated’

Dimitrios Biller describes himself as an emotional guy. He says he sometimes cried for the plaintiffs who lost lawsuits he defended as an in-house lawyer for Toyota. But plaintiffs lawyers who opposed him in court had another description for him. “People thought on the plaintiff side that he was a…

Oct 22, 2009 3:34 PM CDT