Texans for Lawsuit Reform

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In the News

Buzbee Law Firm files hundreds of Hurricane Harvey suits, slips cases in under 2-year deadline

Southeast Texas record, August 29, 2019

By David Yates

HOUSTON – In a span of only a few days, The Buzbee Law Firm filed hundreds of lawsuits against insurers on behalf of clients impacted by Hurricane Harvey.

The flood of litigation was filed in Harris County District Court and came in the wake of the storm’s two-year anniversary.

From Aug. 21 to Aug. 26, Buzbee Law filed nearly 400 suits, court records show.

Firm founder Tony Buzbee, who hopes to become Houston’s next mayor, told The Record he and his team had hoped to settle the Harvey suits before the two-year statute of limitations ran out.

“We attempted to settle these cases, but were unable to and due to deadlines had to file,” Buzbee said. “We also requested an agreement to continue to try to resolve these, but couldn’t get an agreement with the defendants.”

Around half of the suits were brought against The Texas FAIR Plan Association, which was created by law to provide residential property insurance to persons who are unable to obtain coverage through the voluntary market.

Court records show the vast majority of the cases appear to be filed on behalf of plaintiffs with Hispanic surnames.

Furthermore, there are several attorneys not from Buzbee’s firm listed as co-counsel on the Harvey suits, attorneys who work for the Law Offices of Manuel Solis – a law firm that markets itself to Spanish-speaking individuals and is known for setting up booths at flea markets across Texas in search of clients impacted by severe weather events.

When asked if Solis referred the cases to him, Buzbee declined to name names.

“We have handled these cases from the beginning,” Buzbee said. “They came to us directly, but also many were referred to us.”

While the question of who exactly referred the cases to Buzbee remains unclear, another query, one being posed by a defendant insurer, has come to light – does the attorney actually represent all the plaintiffs in his lawsuits?

On Aug. 16, Homeowners of America Insurance Company (HOAIC) filed a motion to show authority in a lawsuit Buzbee Law brought on behalf of Jose Ceballos, court records show.

The suit asserts Ceballos’ Houston home was damaged by Harvey and HOAIC “wrongfully refused” his claim for full repairs to the property.

In its motion, HOAIC says Buzbee Law notified them that the firm represents Ceballos. HOAIC attempted to resolve the matter “amicably” but the firm went ahead and filed suit anyways.

HOAIC believes Buzbee’s firm may be prosecuting the suit without authority.

“During the course of this litigation, the Buzbee Law Firm has continued to maintain that it represents Ceballos,” the motion states. “However, despite requests by HOAIC, the firm has failed to produce a copy of its representation agreement with Ceballos.”

In February 2019, HOAIC learned Buzbee Law claimed to represent Patricia Bolli in a separate lawsuit against them, when in fact she had no knowledge of the firm.

“Following service of HOAIC’s petition for Declaratory Judgment, David Watermeier, counsel for Ms. Bolli, contacted HOAIC and advised that Ms. Bolli categorically denied retaining anyone to represent her with claims against HOAIC,” the motion states.

“Recently, Ms. Bolli submitted to an examination under oath in which she re-iterated her position.”

Under oath, Bolli stated that she never spoke with anyone from Buzbee Law and that she never signed an agreement for representation with the firm, according to the motion.

According to Buzbee, however, the motion to show authority is simply a procedural issue that “will be resolved shortly.”

“We have contracts with every client that we filed suit on,” Buzbee said.

A hearing on the issue has been slated for October.

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Texans for Lawsuit Reform

7 hours ago

Texans for Lawsuit Reform

When 30-year-old Quinnton Allen violated his parole for possession of a firearm, a Houston judge not only allowed him to stay on parole but granted him a PR bond for a felony. Unfortunately, the decision to release him on bond may have cost a man’s life. Read and share: bit.ly/3OvDU5z ... See MoreSee Less

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29-year-old man murdered after judge grants felony PR bond to armed robber recently paroled from prison

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HOUSTON – “I’ve never had any of these defendants we’ve profiled on Breaking Bond on parole and on a felony PR bond charged with murder,” said Andy Kahan with Crime Stoppers. “This is a fi...
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That judge should be held accountable

His family should get a good lawyer & sue the city & the judge…

The judge should be held as an accomplice to the murder before the fact and sued in civil court for his contribution to the death of the citizen.

Texans for Lawsuit Reform

1 day ago

Texans for Lawsuit Reform

Texas ports are thriving today, but in the early 2000s, abusive personal injury lawsuits threatened to shut them down. As the Port of Houston begins a long-awaited expansion, read more about the common-sense lawsuit reform in 2007 that saved our state’s shipping industry in this week’s TLR blog, For the Record: bit.ly/3aeTy6n ... See MoreSee Less

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Texans for Lawsuit Reform

2 days ago

Texans for Lawsuit Reform

Wishing everyone a very happy Fourth of July! ... See MoreSee Less

Wishing everyone a very happy Fourth of July!
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Happy Independence Day America Today we celebrate our Republic 🇺🇸


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lawsuitreform avatarTLR@lawsuitreform·
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When 30-year-old Quinnton Allen violated his parole for possession of a firearm, a Houston judge not only allowed him to stay on parole but granted him a PR bond for a felony. The decision to release him on bond may have cost a man’s life. Read & RT:

29-year-old man murdered after judge grants felony PR bond to armed robber recently paroled from prison

HOUSTON – “I’ve never had any of these defendants we’ve profiled on Breaking Bond on parole and on a felony PR bond charged with m...

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