Texans for Lawsuit Reform

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In the News

New Orleans man shot to death ahead of arraignment on staged car accident charges, lawyer says

The New Orleans Advocate, September 24, 2020

By Ramon Antonio Vargas

Cornelius Garrison grew increasingly concerned for his safety as federal authorities zeroed in on him for allegedly having a hand in a sprawling scam involving staged car accidents, according to his attorney.

Four days after the U.S. Attorney’s Office in New Orleans filed charges accusing Garrison of staging over 50 wrecks in exchange for $150,000, he was shot to death Tuesday inside an apartment in the St. Bernard neighborhood of Gentilly, his lawyer, federal public defender Claude Kelly, said late Wednesday.

“I’ve represented him for months — I got to know him well, and I was devastated to hear it,” Kelly said. “All he talked about were his kids — his son the basketball player, and he had a young daughter. It’s tragic.”

Kelly said he was suspicious about the timing of Garrison’s death, but he stopped short of pinning his death on news of the indictment, saying a joint investigation by the New Orleans Police Department and the FBI was in its nascent phases.

“I hope the NOPD and the FBI find whoever did this,” Kelly said. “I understand it’s a top priority with law enforcement, and I’m glad to hear it.”

Garrison, 54, was among nine people charged Friday in an expanding probe into a purported scheme involving staged traffic accidents that cost drivers hundreds of thousands of dollars in insurance payments.

The indictment, which brought the total number of defendants in the case to 28, alleged that Garrison alone was responsible for more than 50 staged wrecks. He would be the driver, other defendants were passengers, and they would intentionally cause accidents with big trucks who were changing lanes.

Garrison is described as a “slammer” who would then abandon the car, and one of his passengers would pretend to be the driver, call 911 and report the crash. The aim was to get money from the big trucks’ commercial carriers and insurance companies.

The indictment highlighted one collision in October 2015 where Garrison drove a Dodge Avenger belonging to another defendant into a bus. That wreck resulted in a $677,500 settlement, and Garrison took a cut of more than $80,000, the indictment alleges.

A second accident mentioned occurred in September 2017, when Garrison crashed a Toyota RAV4 into a tractor-trailer. The wreck resulted in a $30,000 settlement.

Garrison’s arraignment had been set for Oct. 5. About 8:40 p.m. Tuesday in the 1500 block of Foy Street, police investigating gunfire in the area found Garrison shot to death inside an apartment.

Kelly declined to say whether Garrison intended to stand trial or eventually plead guilty and cooperate with authorities as they built their case against other defendants.

He faced one count of conspiracy to commit mail fraud and six counts of mail fraud. If convicted, he could have faced a maximum of five years on the first count and up to 20 years on the remaining six counts.

But Kelly said Garrison was worried about his safety throughout the time he was a target of the investigation, something a relatively wide circle of people knew about.

“I enjoyed talking to and meeting with him — he was a client who was easy to deal with, which isn’t always the case,” Kelly said. “Everybody was pretty shaken.”

Authorities haven’t publicly named any suspects in Garrison’s case or discussed details about a possible motive.

Garrison was the second defendant under investigation by federal authorities in New Orleans to be murdered in the city in the last month.

Romero Butler, 33, who was facing federal charges that he allegedly formed part of an identity theft ring, was fatally shot outside of an apartment building in the 200 block of Baronne Street in the Central Business District on Aug. 22.

Police haven’t publicly named any suspects or discussed a possible motive in that slaying either.

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Texans for Lawsuit Reform

17 minutes ago

Texans for Lawsuit Reform

Abusive commercial vehicle lawsuits are jeopardizing small businesses and the essential services Texas families rely on. As our state works to recover from the pandemic and from the recent devastating winter storm, we can’t let lawsuit abuse kill these critical jobs and endanger our supply chain. Read the Keep Texas Trucking Coalition’s statement regarding Senate Bills 17 and 207 and House Bills 19 and 1617 here: bit.ly/3b5m5ZN ... See MoreSee Less

Statement by the Keep Texas Trucking Coalition on SB 17, SB 207, HB 19 and HB 1617 – Keep Texas Trucking Coalition

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AUSTIN—The Keep Texas Trucking Coalition (KTTC) today released the following statement regarding Senate Bills 17 and 207 and House Bills 19 and 1617, which address abusive lawsuits against owners an...
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Texans for Lawsuit Reform

31 minutes ago

Texans for Lawsuit Reform

Abusive commercial vehicle lawsuits are built on presenting misleading evidence to the jury—whether inflated medical bills or prejudicial evidence about a commercial vehicle operator’s conduct. We cannot expect juries to arrive at a fair decision when given misleading, extraneous and purposely prejudicial information. Read TLR’s statement regarding our efforts to end abusive lawsuits against commercial vehicle owners here: bit.ly/3q1OzaZ ... See MoreSee Less

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TLR Statement on SB 17, SB 207, HB 19 and HB 1617

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Texans for Lawsuit Reform (TLR) today issued the following statement regarding its efforts to end abusive lawsuits against commercial vehicle owners.
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Texans for Lawsuit Reform

3 days ago

Texans for Lawsuit Reform

Facing tough questions from state senators, embattled Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton defended his office’s failed effort to overturn presidential election results in key battleground states and its decision to spend millions of dollars on a lawsuit against Google. Read and share: bit.ly/3k1cO7S ... See MoreSee Less

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Texas senators grill embattled Attorney General Ken Paxton over election lawsuit, Google case

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Facing tough questions from state senators, embattled Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton defended his office’s failed effort to overturn presidential election results in key battleground states and i...
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lawsuitreform avatarTLR@lawsuitreform·
31m 1366508585111482371

Read TLR's statement regarding our efforts to end abusive lawsuits against commercial vehicle owners here: https://bit.ly/3q1OzaZ #txlege #lawsuitreform #tortreform

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Sign up for the TLR Weekly News Roundup to receive a daily digest of headlines & news stories about lawsuit reform from Texas & around the country!

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lawsuitreform avatarTLR@lawsuitreform·
26 Feb 1365346286115958793

Embattled Texas AG Ken Paxton defended his office’s failed effort to overturn presidential election results in key battleground states & its decision to spend millions of dollars on a lawsuit against Google. Read & RT: #lawsuitreform #tortreform

Texas senators grill embattled Attorney General Ken Paxton over election lawsuit, Google case

Facing tough questions from state senators, embattled Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton defended his office’s failed effort to overturn presiden...

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