News from August 2007
Everybody Pays--Judges' order closed filing fee loophole
Judge Milton Shuffield For years plaintiffs' lawyers exploited a loophole in the Jefferson County District Court civil system allowing them to avoid paying thousands of dollars in filing fees, which, in turn, created an "administrative nightmare" for the district's clerks and court coordinators.
Company sued Texas AG on probe, offspring faces similar charges
Greg Abbott AUSTIN -- A company whose predecessor is also the target of a probe by Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott shouldn't expect too many favors from the AG should it ever come under the microscope.
Incident involving meter reader, vicious dogs leads to jail time, lawsuit
A Beaumont resident says he was falsely accused and arrested for sicing his dogs on a CenterPoint Energy employee who hopped his fence to retrieve a gas meter.
Port worker sues over forklift flat
Timothy LeBlanc was injured while working on a forklift at the Port of Beaumont. He claims the machine's tire blew as a result of sloppy maintenance and is suing Wingfoot Commercial Tire Systems.
Orwig making transition to private practice
Matt Orwig After serving in public office for decades, former U.S. Attorney Matt Orwig is easily making the transition to private practice and diving into intellectual property litigation.
Woman claims she was fired from Wal-Mart for slip-and-fall testimony
A former Wal-Mart employee, Andi Bailey, believes her testimony in a slip-and-fall case led to her termination. She is now seeking $1 million in damages from her former employer.
Class action suit accuses law firm of swindling property owners
Gilbert Adams In the eyes of some home owners there seems to be a collection force worse than the IRS: lawyers hired by burdened cities to gather delinquent property taxes.
New business licenses/assumed names issued by the Jefferson County Clerk
Orig. Filing Date: 08/01/2007 Certificate #: 71121
VX waste shipments resume after judge's ruling
Veolia facility in Port Arthur Shipments of VX nerve gas wastewater arrived at the Veolia plant in Port Arthur on Aug. 8 with the approval of a federal judge.
Recent patent/copyright infringement cases filed in U.S. District Court
Eastern District of Texas, Marshall Division
Orange couple sues Allstate over Rita claim
Steve Mostyn Orange couple Patrick and Lesa Riley are the latest Hurricane Rita victims to sue Allstate for refusing to pay a portion of their policy damage claim.
Smoker dies from lung cancer, family sues for asbestos exposure
Bryan Blevins Provost Umphrey attorney Bryan Blevins, who on a monthly average files half-a-dozen asbestos lawsuits in Jefferson County, will from time to time branch out.
Wayward bull lands rancher in court
Animal-rights activists strongly advocate free-range livestock, but even they may have difficulty making a case for an Orange rancher who allowed a bull to roam an Interstate 10 service road, where a local police officer struck the animal with his cruiser.
Recent real estate foreclosures in Jefferson, Orange counties
Jefferson County
Legally Speaking: Perverted Journalism-Part Two
A controversial sting operation that ended with an assistant D.A.'s suicide, allegations of sexual solicitation, a high-profile lawsuit and a whistleblower's shocking revelations -- all the ingredients that one might expect of a Dateline NBC feature story.
Cornyn tours Port Arthur's Motiva Refinery, highlights significance of expansion for national security
PORT ARTHUR-U.S. Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, joined Port Arthur Mayor Deloris Prince and other local officials in touring the Motiva Refinery in Port Arthur on Aug. 7.
East Texas suit cites Ford for faulty seatbelts.
Ford F-150 interior MARSHALL -- When Billy and Cecelia Hall's 2006 Ford F-150 entered into a roll sequence, they were partially ejected which caused them many serious, permanent and disabling injuries.
In a class certification issue, Arkansas suit moved to Connecticut.
TEXARKANA, ARK. -- The Arkansas Supreme Court granted a defendants' motion to move jurisdiction from the Arkansas Miller County Circuit Court to Connecticut.
'Failure to communicate' could lead to $45 M in discovery costs
TEXARKANA, ARK. -- "What we have here is a failure to communicate," Richard Griffen a Houston attorney for Foremost Insurance Company argued in a recent hearing involving his client.