HOUSTON – Once described as a “nightmare” for BP and Transocean, Tony Buzbee may be keeping someone new up at night now – disgruntled Houston Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson, who has already been hit with three sexual assault suits with Buzbee promising more to come.
Buzbee, a wealthy trial lawyer out of Houston, became somewhat of a household name in 2019 when he took on Mayor Sylvester Turner. And while most of the media attention centered on Buzbee’s failed campaign, The Record focused more on the attorney’s $5 million lawsuit against Turner.
During his mayoral bid, Buzbee unsuccessfully claimed Turner received campaign contributions that were being disguised as non-reported corporate donations, alleging Clear Channel needed the mayor’s help to amend a billboard ordinance and the two conspired to put billboards across the city with Turner’s picture prominently featured.
However, those in the law community knew of Buzbee long before he wanted to be mayor, as the attorney has been crushing the energy sector with multimillion-dollar torts for more than a decade.
Already boasting a lengthy record of success against oil companies, Buzbee jumped right in following the BP oil spill in 2010, representing dozens of plaintiffs.
In the years to follow, Buzbee continued to reap massive, and some not-so massive, verdicts.
In 2015, Buzbee hauled in a $159 million jury verdict against Valero over a refinery fire at one of the company’s refineries three years earlier.
But Buzbee does more than just sue oil companies.
When the two-year anniversary of Hurricane Harvey neared, Buzbee flooded the courts with hundreds of lawsuits against insurance companies, squeaking past the statute of limitations.
In 2011, Buzbee filed a $100 million suit on behalf of Vietnamese workers claiming indentured servitude.
That same year, Buzbee filed multiple lawsuits on behalf of dozens of individuals claiming they were exposed to elevated formaldehyde levels while living in trailers issued by FEMA following Hurricanes Katrina and Rita.
A year earlier, Buzbee filed numerous suits against BP, some of which sought billions in damages, over a chemical leak at the company’s Texas City refinery. As previously reported, Buzbee had a difficult time convincing jurors to award his clients any damages at all.
Buzbee first popped on The Record’s radar back in 2008 when the attorney whisked away a judge in his sports car for a seafood lunch following a favorable ruling.
In 2006, Buzbee became somewhat of a poster boy for tort reform when he was taped at a law seminar in Nevada about the courts in South Texas. He is recorded saying that because of the Hispanic juries and judges, a Starr County venue "adds about 75 percent to the value of the case."
Buzbee’s notoriety, however, extends past his exploits in the courtroom.
Four years ago, the attorney made headlines when his date for the evening ended up vandalizing artwork at his River Oaks residence.
On Jan. 1, 2018, TMZ posted a video of Buzbee sitting on a chair on stage while Snoop Dogg serenaded him. Throughout the performance, scantily clad women showered the Houston attorney with lap dances.
And last but not least, Texas A&M fans might remember this one: In 2014, Buzbee paid for a billboard encouraging the Texans to draft quarterback Johnny Manziel.
If the Texans move on from Watson, Buzbee may wish to consider not spending his money on another billboard, as Manziel is reportedly done with football and currently focused on becoming a pro golfer.