Are Plaintiffs’ Lawyers and Prosecutors Best Friends?
You would think that plaintiffs' lawyers (read: the attorneys for victims) and prosecutors (read: the government attorneys who punish bad guys) would always be on the same side. After all, both seek to hold wrongdoers accountable for actions that harm people in the community. In an ideal world, when a drunk driver hits someone, the...
Myth: The Rear Driver is Always at Fault in a Texas Rear-End Crash
Of all the legal myths I've encountered over the years, the one that seems to gain the most public traction may be "The rearmost driver is always at fault in a rear-end collision." You may have heard that a few times yourself over the course of your life, and in most cases people say it...
Texas Texting Ban May Help Victims, But Not the Way You Think It Will
In September 2017, the Lone Star State implemented a new law that bans texting while driving. The number of people I've seen glancing down at their laps on the tollway suggests these new rules haven't soaked in just yet. Even if the fines don't persuade drivers to put down their phones, though, our lawyers argue...
What Does “Common Law” Mean?
The term common law is regularly used by members of the legal profession and lay persons alike. However, the fact that it's used so frequently belies the fact that few people truly understand the term in its many iterations and context-specific meanings. In this article, I'm going to explain what the term common law means,...
Do All Family Members Get Equal Compensation in a Texas Wrongful Death Case?
One question we're asked quite often is whether Texas law says that all family members get the same amount of compensation in a wrongful death case. The answer is no. The way wrongful death cases work under Texas law is that each of a decedent's close family members are seen as having their own individual...
Another Way to Think About Stowers Doctrine – The Bodyguard Analogy
We recently got an email from a law student named Mary R. who wanted to know more about Stowers Doctrine. She asked: My Bar Program did not mention the Stower's doctrine, but I remember my professor mentioning it a couple of semesters ago. I would like to know if this is only for third party...
How Do We Legally Express What Is Wrong?
I recently read a shocking news story about a lawsuit alleging that a Taco Bell employee poured boiling water on two customers. I suspect most people feel that a lawsuit under these circumstances is completely justified. If the allegations are true, then no person in their right mind doesn't want to see the wrongdoer punished....
Is Texas Common Law Marriage Actually “Common Law”?
You have probably heard the term "Common Law Marriage" and vaguely know that after living together for several years two people could be considered legally married. However, it is not that simple. A common law marriage is still a legal union and as such there are three requirements that must be met: However, despite its...
Q&A: Traumatic Brain Injury Truck Accident Case Resolution with Attorney Michael Grossman
Over the last 30 years, the science of brain injuries, particularly concussions, advanced tremendously. In prior generations, a person may have "had their bell rung" and been told to "tough it up," but now we know that even "minor" brain injuries have serious consequences. I sat down with award-winning truck accident injury attorney Michael Grossman...
What’s the Difference Between an Injury Attorney and a Truck Accident Injury Attorney?
An accident injured you or perhaps killed a loved one. Initially, your focus is on your recovery or remembering your loved one, as it should be. Then you have to manage the hospital expenses and piles of bills. If the accident involves a commercial vehicle, you're in for another shock; The insurance company for the...
What Reporters Are Missing About the 6 x Fatal 133-Car- Pile-Up in Fort Worth, TX
To say that the Thursday, February 11, 2021 133-car-pile-up on I-35W in Fort Worth, Texas received a lot of media coverage is an understatement. Hundreds of articles and dozens of videos of the incident litter the internet. We know that the following people died in the crash: Of course the focus should be on those...
A Quick Refresher on The Thin Skull Rule and Texas Law
I was out in Midland recently, meeting with a client whose case I was in the final stages of resolving, when I took a break to get lunch with an old friend. One of the things that goes along with being a commercial truck accident attorney is that your friends are always bringing up 18-wheeler...
Why Are There Lawsuits After the Jacksonville, FL Madden Shooting?
Very few people are likely surprised that news reports surfaced that one of the victims of Sunday's shooting at a Madden NFL 19 tournament retained an attorney who plans to file a lawsuit on their client's behalf. For those who didn't hear what happened, here's a quick recap. A 24-year-old competitor lost in a video...
Is Viva Tacoland Partly Liable for Its Employee’s Alleged Crime?
According to San Antonio news outlets, a bartender at the Viva Tacoland bar stands accused of "spiking" the drinks of two female patrons of the bar on March 25. 30-year-old Dillonger Hackett was arrested on Monday April 23 for allegedly drugging the shots and then accompanying the intoxicated women to their nearby hotel, where they...
Haeger Revisited: Faulty Goodyear Tires and the Statute of Repose
Recently the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) opened a preliminary investigation into the field performance of tire manufacturer Goodyear line of "G159" model tires. According to records that were ordered unsealed by a judge last year, the tires--often used on motor homes despite being unfit for the purpose--may have caused wrecks that injured or...
Nope, Attorneys Aren’t Out to Get You…Unless You Do Something Awful
There's a pervasive legal myth in a large portion of the American public, which leads people to believe that they're just one bad situation away from losing everything they own to an unscrupulous attorney's ridiculous lawsuit. This idea cuts across all levels of the income spectrum. People, regardless of their means, genuinely believe that a...
Why Are People Suing the Makers of Invokana?
I'm sure we've all seen or heard ads with a stern-voiced lawyerly looking actor telling us about the dangers of a particular drug. They're pretty standard fare on mid-afternoon and late-night television. In recent months, a slew of ads targeting the drug Invokana, a diabetes medication, aired on stations around the country. These commercials usually...
Florida Casino Boat Fire Presents A Tricky Legal Situation
It was all over the news recently when a casino boat in Florida caught fire, resulting in the death of Carrie Dempsey, 42, and leading to at least 8 other injuries. At first, I had no intention of writing about the accident, which seemed likely to be a straight-forward case of a negligent boat operator...
Do I Sue the Trucking Company or the Truck Driver?
Recently, I read about a truck accident that took place up in Hartley County, Texas. An 18-wheeler, driven by Keldrick Chappell of Dallas, 40, allegedly sideswiped a passenger car driven by Stanley Smith, 78. Mr. Smith reportedly died from injuries sustained in the accident. As much as the accident report, it caught my eye when...
How Does Suing Amtrak Work?
In the wake of the deadly Amtrak trail derailment Tuesday, December 19th, near Dupont, Washington, a lot of people are pretty ticked off with Amtrak. The accident left 3 people dead. They are Jim Hamre, 61, Zack Wilhoite, 35, and Benjamin Gran, 40. In addition, nearly 100 people suffered injuries, which varied greatly in their...
