WASHINGTON – Judicial Watch Inc. filed a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit March 23 in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia alleging that some Environmental Protection Agency officials “may have used the cellphone encryption application ‘Signal’ to thwart government oversight and transparency,” according to a Judicial Watch news release.
HOUSTON – A Fort Bend County couple has filed a lawsuit in U.S. District Court alleging negligence and civil rights violations in connection with the death of their son, who was an inmate in the Harris County Jail.
AUSTIN – New American Economy (NAE) has released a Map the Impact report, which highlights the economic, voting and other impacts immigrants have on their respective states, cities, congressional districts and industries and uses that data as a basis for its call for immigration reform efforts across the country.
DEL RIO – A federal judge has ordered The Voss Law Firm in Houston to show cause on why its attorneys “should not be held in contempt, fined, imprisoned” and “reported to the State Bar of Texas” for seemingly keeping a pair of hailstorm clients “in the dark” for their own “benefit.” On Jan. 20, U.S.
HIDALGO COUNTY – Hailstorm attorney Kent Livesay has agreed to a one-year suspension for demanding damages from an insurance company on behalf of a client he did not represent – the latest enforcement effort that doesn’t seem to be slowing down the “bad actors” soliciting storm cases, says one industry expert.
HOUSTON - The U.S. District Court for the Central District of California Western Division has issued a ruling in favor of Segler Holdings LLC in its case against supermodel Marisa Miller and Cartel Management, her management company.
RIO HONDO – Mostyn Law and Gilberto Hinojosa will reap 40 percent of the $1.5 million settlement Rio Hondo ISD obtained from its Hurricane Dolly suit – a percentage five points higher than what Brownsville ISD had to pay, even though Hinojosa, the area attorney who pitched the suit to the school board, said the district was getting the “exact same contract” as Brownsville ISD.
BROWNSVILLE – The troubles surrounding Kent Livesay seemingly continue to mount, as an insurer recently filed a motion requesting the Texas hail attorney show his authority to represent a man who died six years prior to the filing date of litigation brought on his behalf.
RIO HONDO – Believing Rio Hondo ISD suffered the same inadequate insurance adjustment as a neighboring district following Hurricane Dolly, Gilberto Hinojosa, on behalf of Mostyn Law, “approached” school officials and “brought” to their attention the notion of filing a lawsuit, according to an audio recording.
ANDERSON – Frustration over the Texas Department of Transportation’s (TxDOT) plans to potentially build a toll road through the rural Grimes County could lead to lawsuits being filed by fed-up property owners, although none have been filed to date.
HOUSTON – Earlier this month, a Harris County jury ordered Service Employees International Union to pay Professional Janitorial Services - Houston $5.3 million in damages, finding the Chicago-based labor union made false claims about the company’s business practices and treatment of employees.
LITTLE RIVER — Perry Don Cortese seeks his own day in court, apart from his alleged co-conspirators in a case involving $8.8 million in fake settlements.
HOUSTON – It’s not often that a defendant in a civil suit fights a plaintiff’s motion to dismiss, but that’s exactly the case in a storm suit against State Farm – a lawsuit that the insurer suspects may have been brought on the plaintiff’s behalf without her knowledge.
HOUSTON - When Enron filed for bankruptcy, the troubled energy firm, like many major Texas companies before and after, opted for an east coast venue, rather than litigate in a Houston federal courtroom only a few blocks away.
Bexar County - Prostitution charges have been filed against a San Antonia attorney by several women claiming he coerced them into having sex with him in exchange for legal representation. Mark Benavides, who was running for judge in the 175th District Court at the time of his arrest, was arrested on Nov. 17 and charged with compelling prostitution, a second-degree felony.
BATON ROUGE – A bill that would limit where lawsuits involving latent diseases can be brought narrowly passed a Louisiana State House of Representatives committee earlier this week.
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (Legal Newsline) – A mass tort attorney and blogger says a federal judge’s ruling in favor of Legal Newsline should help bring much-needed transparency to asbestos and other mass tort bankruptcy cases.
NEW ORLEANS – An editorial in the Wall Street Journal on Oct. 24 lambasted trial lawyers for their apparent greed in pushing claims through the Deepwater Horizon oil spill settlement agreement that may not be related to the oil spill itself and serve as the basis for a challenge to the U.S. Supreme Court.
NEW ORLEANS – The numbers are in and the number of claimants paid under the Deepwater Horizon oil spill settlement totals 883 for the entire month of September – leaving more than 131,000 people still awaiting resolution, according to records submitted by the settlement administrator.
