SHERMAN, Texas—Today, a federal jury ruled that Vicki Baker is entitled to $59,656.59 in damages after a SWAT team destroyed her McKinney, Texas, home while pursuing a fleeing fugitive in July 2020. The ruling is a victory for Vicki, who joined forces with the Institute for Justice (IJ) to file a lawsuit in March 2021, after the city refused to pay for the damage that had been caused.
SOUTH PADRE ISLAND – Today, the 13th Court of Appeals reversed a ruling denying the city of South Padre Island’s plea to the jurisdiction, dismissing a claim over food truck restrictions.
Nine months after the Great Freeze of 2021, after a full legislative session, three special sessions, resignations from the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) and a complete leadership turnover at the Texas Public Utility Commission (PUC), the powers that be in Austin have still not learned the right lessons or taken sufficient steps to prevent a repeat of that unnecessary disaster.
SOUTH PADRE ISLAND – The 13th Court of Appeals determined yesterday that a lawsuit accusing South Padre Island of keeping Food Trucks from setting up merits oral argument.
SOUTH PADRE ISLAND – If the plaintiffs are no longer in the food truck business, a lawsuit accusing South Padre Island of keeping them from setting up shop is moot, a court document states.
McKINNEY – Last summer, a fugitive took refuge in a McKinney home owned by Vicki Baker. When the city’s SWAT team arrived, they launched a “shock and awe” campaign, using gas grenades, explosives and an armored vehicle to utterly destroy the home.
SOUTH PADRE ISLAND – On appeal, food truck vendors wanting to set up shop in South Padre Island are arguing the city’s efforts to keep them out are unconstitutional.
A pair of bills making their way through the Texas Legislature will bring much-needed and sensible reforms to a litigation system run amuck. House Bill 19 and its companion in the Senate aim to rein in excessive lawsuits that deliver big paydays for lawyers while threatening jobs for one of the state’s most important industries, and driving up insurance rates for everyone else.
