News from 2007
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.
Provost Umphrey accuses Dole of banana litigation conspiracy
Joe Fisher of the Provost Umphrey firm in Beaumont has accused Dole Food Company of negotiating directly with his clients in Nicaragua to settle pesticide exposure claims.
Widow blames Memorial Hermann for husband's death
Memorial Hermann Baptist Hospital in Beaumont Before he died of infection, an X-ray revealed a nasogastric tube lodged in the late Lester Thomas' right lung. Thomas' widow and daughter believe their benefactor "suffered gross abuse" while in the care of Memorial Hermann Baptist Beaumont Hospital medical personnel and now have their day in court to prove their case.
Recent real estate foreclosures
- The Citi Group has filed an application for foreclosure against the property of Matthew James Mendoza, located at 2226 Third Street, Port Neches, Texas 77651-3910.
Recent verdict second victory for Dillard's in Jefferson County
On Nov. 6, a Jefferson County jury found that Dillard's at Parkdale Mall had not been engaging in racial profiling. Three teens brought the department store to trial on claims that a security guard had falsely accused them of shoplifting and was acting in accordance with Dillard's practice of targeting black customers.
New business licenses/assumed names issued in Jefferson County
Orig. Filing Date: 11/01/2007 Certificate #: 71680
Appeals Court reasserts '100-mile threshold' in venue transfer
The John Minor Wisdom U.S. Court of Appeals Building in New Orleans MARSHALL � After weighing public and private interest factors regarding location of lawsuits, the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals reasserts that a proper venue should be within a "100-mile threshold" for the convenience of the parties.
136th COURT DISTRICT NOV. 1 - 31, 2007
136TH COURT DISTRICT
Microsoft files counter suit to Hill patent claim
The Microsoft Corp. has filed a counter suit against Charles E. Hill after the Marshall resident claimed the software giant infringed on his patents.
Recent patent/copyright infringement cases filed in U.S. District Courts
Marshall Division, Eastern District of Texas
Opposing inspectors leave home owners in the cold
Ken Lewis Hoping to avoid a full-blown lawsuit, a Hardin County couple and the company who built their new home agreed to allow a neutral inspector to examine the house for defects.
Beaumont firm represents breast cancer survivor in Arkansas HRT suit
TEXARKANA � Lawyers from Beaumont have filed suit in Arkansas on behalf of a woman who claims her hormone replacement therapy caused her breast cancer.
Ex-employee sues Medical Center for discrimination
Clay Dugas Sedonia Keal has filed suit against her former employer, The Medical Center of Southeast Texas, claiming she was fired because she made a workers' compensation claim.
Two slips equal one suit
A Kansas City Southern Railway employee is suing the railroad over two separate slip-and-fall incidents. Robert Vail twisted his leg once while exiting a locomotive, then again while setting a hand brake on a rail car.