SOUTHEAST TEXAS RECORD

HOUSTON – Over the last four weeks, Elizabeth Markowitz, the sole Democrat running in the Nov. 5 special election for House District 28, raised more than $294,000 in contributions – a good portion of which was supplied by groups in Washington D.C.

BEAUMONT – Before a trial could get underway, a settlement was reached in a lawsuit brought over underinsured motorist benefits.

Richard and Catherine Taylor’s son, Chase, died two years ago, early on October 10, 2017, in a one-vehicle accident on U.S. 90 in Beaumont that remains a mystery. A passenger in a pickup truck driven by a friend, he died of a gunshot wound to the head.

BEAUMONT – The Reaud Morgan & Quinn recently secured a final judgment of nearly $200,000 for their client, who sued over a post-surgical infection.

HOUSTON – Democrats believe they finally have a shot at reclaiming the Texas House in 2020, a bid for dominance that may start with a win in the rapidly approaching special election for HD 28 – a race that has apparently drawn the attention of influential people living outside of the state.

BEAUMONT – More than two dozen companies have been named in an asbestos lawsuit being handled by the Provost Umphrey Law Firm.

BEAUMONT – A benzene suit has been filed against several companies, including Chevron, ExxonMobil, Texaco and Total Petrochemical.

BEAUMONT – Two years ago, the son of Richard and Catherine Taylor went to multiple bars, drinking until the “early morning hours.” Around 3:00 a.m., he died from a gunshot wound to the head while inside of a vehicle.

BEAUMONT – A 17-year old lawsuit against Farmers Insurance has tumbled back down to the trial court where it originated, landing in the lap of a new district judge who must now decide what remedy, if any, is appropriate to address the insurer’s “improper non-renewal” of HO-B policies.

HOUSTON - Harris County Attorney Vince Ryan won a permanent injunction last week to stop the sale of illegal synthetic marijuana by a smoke shop located in east Harris County. The shop also agreed to pay one million dollars in penalties to Harris County, the City of Houston, and the State of Texas.

BEAUMONT – A recently filed benzene suit has named two dozen companies as defendants, a list that includes BP, Chevron, ExxonMobil and Texaco.

BEAUMONT - TWFG Insurance Services and one of its agents are seeking to dismiss a Hurricane Harvey lawsuit, arguing that the agent’s opinion about possible flood damage is not actionable.

AUSTIN – Attorney General Ken Paxton today applauded the United States District Court for declaring unlawful a U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) regulation that redefined discrimination on the basis of “sex” to include “gender identity” and “termination of pregnancy.” The federal rule intruded into the doctor-patient relationship, and would have forced doctors to perform controversial operations and abortions, even if they believed the procedures were not in the best interests of their patients, or violated their deeply held religious or conscientious beliefs.

HOUSTON – Despite receiving a slap on the wrist last year, local storm attorney Eric Dick continues to file lawsuits seeking to compel appraisal against insurance companies in Harris County.

BEAUMONT – Mark C. Sparks, a partner in Beaumont’s The Ferguson Law Firm, has assumed the presidency of the Jefferson County Bar Association following his election earlier this year.

HOUSTON – At least 103 out of the 254 counties in the state of Texas have retained counsel to represent them in opioid litigation, according to records obtained by The Record.

HOUSTON - County Attorney Vince Ryan welcomes back environmental law specialist Clarissa Bauer to the County as he strengthens his team to combat the rising number of environmental enforcement cases.

McALLEN – A settlement agreement obtained by The Record reveals that Hidalgo County was issued a check for more than $668,000 for a construction defect lawsuit – a case that entitles a sitting member of Congress to a cut of the action.

HOUSTON – Denis Calabrese, a convicted felon, has been hit with a lawsuit alleging he received millions of dollars in kickbacks while in a position of power with the Laura and John Arnold Foundation.

WASHINGTON - It took barely a couple of hours after oral argument on the motion in New Orleans, for a panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit to issue an order staying the SEC’s enforcement proceedings against NCLA client Michelle Cochran, according to a press release.