In the News

Attorneys running for district judge in Texas would need double the years of experience under legislation that is advancing through the Texas Legislature.

Searching for the next big payday, personal injury trial lawyers are villainizing the vans and trucks we rely on every day to keep our homes and communities running. Small businesses, especially those owned and operated by women and people of color, are the main drivers of Texas’ spectacular job growth. It is those very job creators who are most at risk in the toxic litigation environment of today.

Living through a pandemic has made us keenly aware of how important delivery and service vehicles are to our daily lives. From groceries to vaccinations, commercial vehicles have been the integral piece to getting us what we need when we need it most. Unfortunately, some personal injury lawyers have set their sights on the very businesses that are getting us through this challenging time.

Texas lawmakers on Wednesday reviewed a bill that would provide expanded liability protection to health care facilities and workers, first responders, businesses and educational institutions in coronavirus-related lawsuits, a widely supported initiative that has already been approved by the state Senate.

On Friday, Democratic activists said they welcomed Houston GOP Sen. Joan Huffman’s decision not to press forward with her plan to consolidate the state’s 14 court of appeals districts into seven.

A bill making its way through the Texas Legislature could make it more difficult for victims to reap multimillion-dollar jury verdicts against truckers in lawsuits that result in serious injury or death following a crash. The bill, HB 19, has sparked a “spirited” fight between truckers and plaintiffs’ attorneys in a state that is among the leaders in the number of crashes involving trucks and the huge jury verdicts that result in civil lawsuits.

A number of tort reform measures were heard yesterday by Texas House members, including bills on public nuisance, loser pays and paid or incurred.

“The potential exists for the lawyer and the health care provider to make money (from the civil suit) and we find that distasteful,” Lee Parsley, general counsel for Texans for Lawsuit Reform, said. Senate Bill 207 will help put an end to “enterprising” trial lawyers who collude with “unscrupulous” medical providers to inflate medical bills in hopes of greater jury awards, says the bill’s author.

“If someone wins $20 million from the jury, my insurance companies only pay the first $5 [million]. I would have to pay the next $15 million. We couldn’t afford that. We’d have to shut our doors.” Card said.

For more than two decades, executives at large corporations in Texas have quietly discussed creating their own justice system – business courts staffed with seasoned judges who have deep experience handling complex commercial disputes.