News from November 2007
Man trips over Time Warner's cable, sues for lack of barricade
A Louisiana resident is suing Time Warner Cable for injures he suffered when he tripped over an uncovered cable while visiting a friend at the Creekwood Village Apartments in Beaumont.
Alltec files suit over $100 K unpaid bill
Alltec Lifting Systems has filed suit against Lonestar Rigging seeking to collect $126,891.04 for an unpaid invoice.
Litigation strategy leads Merck to $4.85 billion Vioxx settlement
Merck & Company has agreed to pay a $4.85 billion settlement for claims its arthritis drug Vioxx caused heart attacks or strokes. The agreement does not admit causation or fault.
Pastor files suit against GM after 3 church members die in rollover
MARSHALL -- Kelly Gray, pastor of the Apostolic Lighthouse Church in Whitesboro, filed suit against General Motors after his wife and two church members died during a rollover accident.
Mostyn trying for class action on Rita lawsuits
Local attorney Steve Mostyn, who flooded the Jefferson County District Clerk's Office with hundreds of Hurricane Rita lawsuits in recent months, is now spearheading a class-action suit against Allstate. Mostyn is claiming the insurance company disseminated misleading statements to the public regarding the statute of limitations for filing Rita cases.
172nd COURT DISTRICT 2007
172ND COURT DISTRICT
Baby falls to floor during home delivery, mom sues hospital for too-early discharge
Memorial Hermann Baptist Beaumont Hospital Sherri Bates gave birth at home and says the baby fell to the floor during delivery. She is blaming Memorial Hermann Baptist Beaumont Hospital for allowing her to go home earlier that day.
Beaned by beams, worker sues Bo-Mac
Caj Boatright Bradley Mitchell was working at the local Motiva Enterprises refinery when a Bo-Mac Contractors crane operator smacked his truck with a load of beams.
Couple seeks $2.75 M after tire falls off
MARSHALL �Driving only a few minutes and a short distance from the Wal-Mart where Jerry and Maxine Freudiger had two new tires installed, the couple says the right front wheel came off their truck. Jerry Freudiger claims he was seriously injured in the incident, and they are seeking $2.75 million from the retailer.
Legally Speaking: Weird laws and lawsuits are universal
This Thanksgiving, I will offer thanks for many blessings: good health, a loving family, and a successful career. But most of all, I am thankful to live in the United States, where there are enough wacky laws and weird lawsuits to keep lawyers busy and to provide a never-ending supply of material for columns like this.
Ruling sends Ill. med-mal damages cap straight to SC
Illinois Supreme Court SPRINGFIELD, Ill. -- A contentious ruling against the state's medical-malpractice caps on punitive damages will automatically be reviewed by the Illinois Supreme Court.
Office manager says termination result of questioning dentist's prescriptions
A local woman is claiming she was fired from a local dentist's office after raising concerns about the doctor allegedly filling prescriptions for non-patients.
Brent Coon seeks to collect half million debt from fellow attorneys
Brent Coon Tread lightly when doing business with a plaintiff's lawyer, because if you end up owing money, it's a safe bet you'll end up in court. Two out-of-town attorneys learned that the hard way when they somehow got involved with Beaumont's own Brent Coon and now he claims they owe him $500,000.
Prisoner's 'frivolous' appeal denied by justices
An inmate's appeal to reinstate a "frivolous" lawsuit against the Texas Department of Criminal Justice was denied by justices on the Ninth Court of Appeals on Thursday, Nov. 8. Prisoner Cedric Nickerson claims 34 TDCJ employees were bullying him and other inmates.
Hawthorn defends request for one-third fee from whistleblower clients
Federal prosecutors in Massachusetts have claimed that a Beaumont attorney is seeking a "manifestly unreasonable" cut of damages awarded to his clients in a whistleblower case.
Dishwasher blames skin problems on inadequate training, sues employer
Dowlen Oaks Retirement Center A dishwasher with sensitive hands is suing the Dowlen Oaks Retirement Center "for failing to provide proper training." Gary Stallworth is claiming his skin problem is due to washing dishes at the retirement center.
Fall through glass at washeteria leads to lawsuit
Shenequia Jackson's boyfriend was holding her minor son while she washed clothes at the Wizard Quick Stop when the boyfriend slipped in a puddle of water and fell through a plate glass window, "causing the minor plaintiff to have his stomach gashed open."
Jurors award plaintiffs $11 M in Union Pacific wrongful death trial
After two days of deliberations, jurors found Union Pacific Railroad Company negligent for failing to install safety devices at a crossing where a woman was killed.
Judge Criss, meet the First Amendment
The people have a right to know what happens in their courts.
Merck settles Vioxx claims for $4.85 billion
Facing more than 25,000 individual Vioxx lawsuits and several hundred class action cases, drugmaker Merck has agreed to settle out of court for $4.85 billion.