News from February 2008
Suit against Wal-Mart for 2005 'Black Friday' pepper spray incident moved to federal court
Last November, the Record reported on a suit brought against Wal-Mart by shoppers involved in the 2005 "Black Friday" incident in which security had to pepper spray unruly bargain hunters.
Legends of Mississippi tort crumble, one-by-one
Dickie Scruggs JACKSON, Miss. - No one in Mississippi knows for sure where all the tobacco money went, except perhaps former attorney general Mike Moore and his friend Dickie Scruggs. But people are perched on the edges of their seats to see who the money destroyed.
Impatient customer tries to retrieve shoes, sues Academy after fall
During her lunch break, Katherine Ferguson went to the Beaumont Academy to exchange a pair of shoes. When she couldn't find anyone to help her, Ferguson, pressed for time, grabbed a footstool and attempted to snatch some sneakers off a high shelf.
Suit blames 52 companies for man's asbestos-related 'illness and/or death'
Bryan Blevins Failing to clarify if his client is suffering from an asbestos-induced illness or dead, Provost Umphrey attorney Bryan Blevins filed a suit on Robert T. Booker's behalf against the A.O. Smith Corp. and 51 other companies.
Entergy sues company for damage to transformer
Entergy Texas, Inc. has filed suit against Glen E. Trout Company Inc., claiming a Trout employee damaged Entergy cables and transformers while operating a backhoe.
Floyd grants emergency TRO against Coon in tobacco fee arbitration dispute with Umphrey
Brent Coon Attorney Brent Coon needs to stop trying to force his former employers at the Provost Umphrey Law Firm into arbitration over tobacco fees, a Jefferson County judge ruled recently.
Nurse claims she was fired for not allowing CEO's wife to change patient's meds
When an "overbearing" woman started demanding that a patient's medication be altered, Gwendolyn Marie Marks, a nurse at Renaissance Hospital, told her that she and her fellow nurses "could not alter medications without a doctor's order."
Legally Speaking: Deep pockets, shallow justice
If hell has a sneak preview, the world probably witnessed it on Feb. 20, 2003. On that night, rock band Great White, having fallen far from its '80s heyday, was playing a gig at The Station, a nightclub in West Warwick, R.I.
Beaumont justices grant Citgo writ forcing lower court to compel arbitration
An absent signature on a dispute resolution agreement failed to persuade justices on the Texas Ninth Court of Appeals to throw out Citgo's motion for a writ of mandamus. However, a second appellant was denied its writ and will head back to court.
Judge finds no violations of Victims' Rights Act in BP agreement
Victims of the deadly 2005 explosion at the BP refinery in Texas City are trying to convince a federal judge that she should reject the company's guilty plea to criminal violations, but so far all the judge has rejected is part of their argument.
Fall in IHOP restroom leads to personal injury suit
A slip in fall inside an IHOP ladies' room has led Delores Sonnier to sue the popular pancake restaurant. Sonnier, who slipped in a puddle, claims the water on the floor "was not reasonably apparent to her" and the International House of Pancakes and its managers should have warned her of "the dangerous condition."
Worker sues for negligence after being struck by pipe
Smacked in the face by a free-swinging pipe, Timothy Fregia, a pipe welder, claims Dependable Lease Services and Samson Lone Star LLC failed to control the job site and negligently caused him injury.
Recent real estate foreclosures
GRP Loan, LLC, has filed an application for foreclosure against the property of Mark and Belinda Stapleton, located at 3440 Evalon Avenue, Beaumont, Texas 77706.
Texas Times: G.T.T. � Gone to Texas
"Gone to Texas"-often written simply as the letters G.T.T.-was a shorthand forwarding address left by settlers hurriedly departing for Texas in the 19th century. There's now a "G.T.T." on the doors of Washington presidential campaign offices as they scour Texas for votes in our March 4 primary elections.
Lawyer: DuPont should be forced out of existence for its asbestos policies
When speaking about DuPont's asbestos policies during the 1960s, plaintiff's attorney Glen Morgan said in his opening remarks that the chemical company's "conduct was so bad that its right to exist should be taken away," as the trial of Willis Whisnat et al vs. DuPont De Nemours began Thursday, Feb. 21.
Congressman holds open house
U.S. Rep. Ted Poe, R-Texas 2nd, held an open house for constituents and community leaders Feb. 21 at his Orleans Street offices in Beaumont.
New business licenses/assumed names issued in Jefferson County
Orig. Filing Date: 02/15/2008 Certificate #: 72226