News from 2007
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.
60th Court District, Judge Sanderson, Aug. 1-30
60th Court District
Shoe on the other foot for contractor
Contractors often find themselves on the wrong end of a lawsuit, facing allegations of incomplete or shoddy work or run-ups in construction costs. But in a recent Jefferson County suit it is the contractor that is crying foul.
No contortionist, seaman sues over valve placement
Mark Lanier Armed with the Jones Act, Alton Adams is suing his employer for "forcing him to place his body in an unsafe position" while operating a ship's valves.
Suit says insurance should have covered wind damage
Beaumont homeowner Wanda Lewis claims that the Capitol County Mutual Fire Insurance Co., along with three of its adjusters, wrongfully denied her Hurricane Rita damage claim, even though her policy covered windstorm damage.
Kelley, crowd turn Valero meeting into shouting match
Hilton Kelley, environmental activist, shouts at Valero Refinery officials at a public forum. PORT ARTHUR -- Earlier this year, self-appointed environmental activist Hilton Kelley tried to throw a kink in Motiva Enterprises' plans for a $5 billion expansion of its Port Arthur refinery.
Suit claims Wal-Mart employees allowed woman to fall
Dowlen Road Wal-Mart in Beaumont A pair of Wal-Mart employees allegedly stood idly by and watched a bargain shopper slip and fall as she walked through a puddle of water while attempting to leave the mega store.