Galveston attorney Tony Buzbee is notorious for treating a judge to lunch after a favorable ruling, touting Starr County as a choice venue thanks to generous juries and judges, suing FEMA on behalf of hurricane victims dissatisfied with the free housing provided to them, and swooning after the Gulf Oil Spill at the thought of what he predicted would be “the largest case in the history of the United States.”
When Buzbee filed suit against Bettison, Doyle, Apffel & Guarino in Galveston District Court six years ago, claiming Darrell Apffel and his firm used the Buzbee name and reputation to sign up Hurricane Ike clients and settle their cases, all we could say was, “Have at it, boys! And the worst of luck to both of you!”
Buzbee claimed that Apffel “went as far as to illegally list Buzbee as lead counsel on the proceedings for more than 20 cases filed in Galveston state court – again without Buzbee’s knowledge or permission or without compensating Buzbee a dime.”
We didn't know if the claim was true or not, and didn't care one way or the other. There’s something delightful about the prospect of predators preying on each other. We rooted for and against both parties, cheering them on with equal enthusiasm, with the fond hope that no one would win.
Now it's deja vu all over again.
Buzbee has filed suit in Harris County District Court against a Dallas man and three Louisiana attorneys he accuses of stealing a client from him. He claims to have filed a wrongful death suit on behalf of the family of a man killed in a recent Louisiana oil rig fire, only to lose a potential of millions in attorney fees he expected to make in court because the widow allegedly breached the contract and retained other attorneys.
We don't know if Buzbee's claim is true this time or not, and don't care.