Keep Austin Weird, Not Dangerous!: Texas Dram Shop Law and Travis County
The city of Austin, Texas is host to a wide variety of interesting sights and activities. Considered by many as the state's major artistic hub, "ATX" is a cultural center famous for unique cuisine and live music concerts. The city actually ranks first in Texas for number of artists and musicians per capita, which likely...
Do Southlake and Grapevine, TX Have a Drunk Driving Problem?
A law-abiding bar won't serve a patron after a certain point, but it doesn't require stumbling and blackouts to reach the legal definition of impairment. After reaching .08 blood-alcohol content (BAC), Texans can't get behind the wheel without breaking the law, and yet the statistics gathered by the National Highway Traffic and Safety Administration (NHTSA)...
The First-Rate Intelligence of Truck Accident Defense Attorneys
"The test of a first-rate intelligence is the ability to hold two opposed ideas in mind at the same time and still retain the ability to function." -F. Scott Fitzgerald In this line, the renowned author makes a point that modern life requires us to keep contradictory ideas straight in our heads while at the...
Whodunnit: Evaluating An Accident With Several Possible Causes
There's a common misconception that accident attorneys will often sue anyone even tangentially related to a wreck—especially if those distantly-involved parties have deep pockets. The idea of course is that profit, not prudence, guides the attorneys' decision-making. It's a deeply cynical stance that is perpetuated by pop culture's insistence on portraying attorneys as vultures and...
“Blade” Crossbows with Faulty Safety Recalled by Carbon Express
A popular model of crossbow has recently been recalled by its manufacturer after a consumer experienced injury from a misfire. According to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), the manufacturer has issued a voluntary recall after receiving reports that a faulty safety still permits the crossbow to fire when engaged. Obviously this poses a...
Brawl in the Mall: An Outbreak of Holiday Violence
Let's get right into it: I want to look at at an interesting phenomenon that happened on the day after Christmas: On December 26, over a dozen shopping malls suffered large-scale melee brawls on their premises. Boxing Day Brawls December 26th is often a crowded day at the mall; shoppers have an extra day off...
Don’t Drink the Water: Corpus Christi Industries Leak Chemicals into Public Water System
Ah, Corpus Christi. The brackish water and scorching sands of this Gulf city are often a spot for frolic and tourism around Spring Break. All you need is a tequila-heavy margarita, 2 pints of sunscreen, and a hideously airbrushed tank-top commemorating your visit to "CCTX," and you can snatch all that up while heading out...
Inquiring Minds Want to Know: Is This a Frivolous Lawsuit?
Our firm was recently contacted by a college student who was hoping for a little help on a school project. This student (we'll call him Howie) sent the following email: My name is Howie, and I am currently working on an English project that revolves around frivolous lawsuits, and the lawsuit that I am working...
Loose Selection and Enforcement Standards Make Some Truckers Fear Their Own Industry.
Have you heard the expression "one bad apple spoils the bunch?" I know it's a little folksy, but most people recognize its meaning without too much strain: Take a generally-benign group and introduce an element that is decidedly less so. Over time, this foreign element will corrupt the larger group, and the more the corruption...
Playground Equipment Company Recalls 1,300 Units After Slide Defect Injures Children
While no one usually gives a second thought to playground slides, a recent recall thrust the issue of playground safety into the public conversation. Here's what we know so far and why 1,300 defective slides are subject to a manufacturer's recall. Who Makes The Affected Products? According to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, the...
Johnson & Johnson Seeks Change of Venue for Talcum Powder MDL
I wrote recently about the results of the third test case in the ongoing talcum powder lawsuit against Johnson & Johnson. For those emerging from an Internet-free cave for the first time in a few years, allow me to quickly recap: the allegations against the company involve the idea that talc, the primary ingredient in...
Gandy v Camp Thurman: Trespassing and Texas Premises Liability Law
In late 2011, 30-year-old Arlington man Jeremy Gandy broke into the premises of popular outdoor-adventure destination Camp Thurman after hours in Pantego. Arriving on the grounds between 3 and 4 a.m., Gandy had been drinking heavily before his decision to enter the camp; after climbing over a rear fence, he scaled a 30-foot zip line...
Jurisdiction Measuring: Denton City Council Will Vote on Banning Handheld Device Use in Vehicles
Thanks in large part to increased safety measures in modern vehicles, crash fatalities saw a gradual decline for most of the 2000's. Unfortunately, that positive streak was broken by the increased prevalence and functionality of smartphones, which have become harder and harder to resist for the majority of the populace. We fiddle with them in...
Viral Social Media Post Falsifies Crash Details, Blames Victims
You'd be hard-pressed to find anyone who believes auto accidents are an acceptable hazard of driving around. It may be a necessary evil to spend time behind the wheel, but the road holds many hazards. Some of them are environmental, certainly—weather conditions, poor road quality, low visibility—but drivers themselves are arguably the most dangerous part...
Lawyers Selling 4th Amendment Rights For $40? Game On.
You're breathing while you read this, right? Of course you are. Just the slow, unthinking respiration we do when at rest. No big deal. It's a natural function, and it happens whether you think about it or not. But how do you remember to breathe if no one reminds you to? Maybe it's asking a...
Workplace Accident Analysis: College Station, TX
I wish I couldn't say this, but there's never a shortage of accidents to report on: Car crashes, product malfunctions, commercial wrecks, and workplace injuries happen more or less constantly. Even though our attorneys generally keep the closest eye on our home state of Texas, that's still 268,581 square miles of space to watch. Through...
2 Keys for Personal Injury Lawyers: Restraint and Patience
There are two general schools of thought for personal injury attorneys when they're hired on in a case. The first school immediately files suit, regardless of the evidence they have at the time. These attorneys figure that they'll find something along the way that they can work with. Armed with subpoena power, they try to...
Beckman v Match.com: Are Dating Sites Liable When the Dates Take a Dark Turn?
Recent research indicates that an estimated 40 million people make use of dating websites in their search for a partner. OKCupid, Tinder, Bumble, and Plenty of Fish are some of the better-known dating sites (though of course we shouldn't rule out niche sites like Farmers Only and VeggieDate). Through it all, though, one of the...
I See Debris: Unsecured Belongings are Killing Motorists
Most motorists have cruised past some kind of abandoned flotsam on the shoulder of the highway. I've seen old mattresses, lost tires, televisions, vehicle pieces, suitcases with spilled clothes, and—just once—a destroyed photocopier. It's kind of sad to see what people left behind whether they knew it or not at the time, but sad or...
A Lawyer For GM is Trolling My Favorite Car Forum
A few days ago, I was on one of my favorite car forums when the topic of the GM ignition switch lawsuits came up. A user on the forum offered his two cents by expressing his "sincere" belief that the whole thing was illegitimate. He laid down some "knowledge" on the topic from the perspective...
