Texas

Attorney is convicted of conspiring to bilk criminal defense clients out of big bucks

A 56-year-old Texas criminal defense lawyer was convicted this week of conspiring to bilk clients out of big bucks, with the help of a former used-car financier. After a 15-day trial and 14 hours of deliberation, a federal jury in Houston found Abraham Moses Fisch guilty Wednesday on 18 counts…

May 29, 2015 2:20 PM CDT

After flooding sends a river through its historic law offices, Houston PI firm cleans up

For 65 years, a Texas personal injury firm that bills itself as the oldest such practice in the state has been housed in a historic building in downtown Houston. But the mahogany doors and impressive furnishings that distinguished Abraham Watkins Nichols Sorrels Agosto & Friend could soon be on the…

May 28, 2015 3:20 PM CDT

Family law attorney who shot estranged husband is cleared by grand jury

A Texas family law attorney initially charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon in the February shooting of her estranged husband has been cleared by a San Patricio County grand jury. It declined to indict Kimberly Frost-Salazar, 41. She and a male friend said in 911 calls that she…

May 27, 2015 12:00 PM CDT

Texas restaurant that was site of biker shootout faces lawsuit by neighboring eatery

The Texas restaurant where nine people were killed Sunday in a confrontation between motorcycle gangs is being sued by a neighboring restaurant for loss of business. The Don Carlos Mexican Restaurant on Thursday sued the corporate owner of the Waco Twin Peaks restaurant and its franchiser. The $1 million suit…

May 22, 2015 7:04 AM CDT

Convictions are tossed in satanic day-care case; concurrence decries ‘witch hunt’ prosecution

Austin day care providers who say a satanic panic put them in prison for more than 22 years won reversals of their convictions Wednesday in a decision that fell short of the full exoneration they were seeking. Texas’ top criminal court tossed the 1992 aggravated sexual assault convictions of Dan…

May 21, 2015 6:15 AM CDT

Local fracking bans are banned under a new Texas law

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott signed legislation Monday to prevent local communities from banning fracking, a process used to extract gas from shale. Abbott said the measure protects private property rights and regulatory burdens on property owners, report the Houston Chronicle, the Wall Street Journal (sub. req.), the Texas Tribune and…

May 19, 2015 1:22 PM CDT

Texas judge is admonished for ‘New York Jew’ and Muslim beard comments, marathon court session

A Texas judge who referred to a district attorney as a “New York Jew” has been publicly admonished. The Texas Commission on Judicial Conduct admonished Judge Carter Tinsley Schildknecht of Lamesa in a May 11 order (PDF) that was released on Monday, report Texas Lawyer, KCBD and Courthouse News Service.…

May 19, 2015 7:32 AM CDT

Nearly 200 charged after 9 die in Texas biker brawl; courthouse, other buildings under heavy guard

Nearly 200 people have been arrested and charged with engaging in organized crime after a fight between rival motorcycle gang members at a Texas restaurant on Sunday. At least nine people were killed, and as many as 18 more were hospitalized. The courthouse, jail, hospital and a shopping center near…

May 18, 2015 11:00 AM CDT

Law firms will pay $3.7M to help settle suits over Ponzi scheme run by Allen Stanford

Two Louisiana law firms have agreed to pay a total of $3.7 million to help settle litigation brought by a court-appointed receiver and an investors committee related to a massive Ponzi scheme operated by onetime billionaire R. Allen Stanford. Adams and Reese will pay $1 million and Breazeale Sachse &…

May 15, 2015 10:10 AM CDT

Nonlawyer accused of running law offices and $1.6M in thefts faces bankruptcy and tax charges

A Texas man who reportedly not only served as a law firm runner but allegedly was allowed by San Antonio attorneys, in exchange for a monthly flat fee, to settle cases on clients’ behalf was federally indicted Tuesday and is being held without bail. However, the claimed unauthorized practice of…

May 7, 2015 12:05 PM CDT

Texas judge reprimanded for Hannibal Lecter speech to Patriot PAC, impatient remarks

A Texas judge responsible for determining whether repeat sexual offenders are eligible for civil commitment has been reprimanded in part for a speech in which he held up a Hannibal Lecter photo while talking about the “psychopaths” who appeared before him. The April 24 reprimand (PDF) of Judge Michael Thomas…

May 5, 2015 8:08 AM CDT

Power outage closes Houston courthouses, but judge marries one young couple on the sidewalk

An electrical outage on Monday closed municipal courts in Houston, west of downtown. However, one couple who’d come to the courthouse to get married got lucky, reports KHOU: A judge performed the ceremony on the sidewalk. The courts are expected to reopen at 1 p.m.

May 4, 2015 11:35 AM CDT

Texas craft brewers sue the state over a law restricting their distribution rights

Michael Peticolas, a Texas trial lawyer-turned-craft brewer, is causing a real brewhaha for beer regulators in the state.

Two years ago, Peticolas was in negotiations with a major alcohol distributor to ship his Velvet Hammer beer to bars throughout Texas.

May 1, 2015 5:45 AM CDT

Rapped for photo taken with Snoop Dogg, state trooper files whistleblower suit against department

While working an off-duty security job last year at an Austin music festival, a Texas state trooper allowed rapper Snoop Dogg to be photographed standing next to him with his forearm resting on the lawman’s shoulder. The rapper, whose real name is Calvin Broaddus, posted the photo online over the…

Apr 30, 2015 9:30 AM CDT

Facebook posts get day care worker fired before job begins, add 12 days to paratrooper’s enlistment

Two recent stories illustrate yet again how social media posts can land employees in deep trouble with their employers. A single mom in Texas was happy to have a new job, but couldn’t resist posting on Facebook that “I absolutely hate working at day care.” That got Kaitlyn Walls fired…

Apr 29, 2015 3:14 PM CDT