John Council

March 01, 2002 | Texas Lawyer

Plaintiffs lawyers socked the city of Harlingen with a $35 million jury verdict on Feb. 26 in federal court by arguing a legal theory that was only recently blessed by the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. The police misconduct case revolved around the deaths of two U.S. Border Patrol agents who were fatally shot by the son of a Harlingen Police Department detective. Ernest Moore used a police-issued assault rifle in the attack. A Cameron County sheriff`s deputy also was seriously injured in the July 1

By JOHN COUNCIL

3 minute read

July 10, 2000 | Law.com

The price of getting a law school named after you is apparently going up. The Texas Tech University Board of Regents balked at a deal in which tort king Wayne A. Reaud would give $12.5 million to the university's law school in exchange for naming the school after him. The board is now considering a $25 million donation price tag for any building name change.

By John Council

4 minute read

November 13, 2006 | Texas Lawyer

Former district attorney Louis W. "Bill" Conradt Jr. killed himself when officers tried to serve warrants on him in connection with an online-solicitation-of-a-minor case. He likely knew that the law that had brought the officers to his door was one of the strongest of its kind in the nation -- a statute that would eliminate any defense he could offer in a courtroom.

By John Council and Brenda Sapino Jeffreys

10 minute read

February 22, 2000 | Law.com

By John Council

5 minute read

October 06, 2003 | Law.com

New York-based Union Carbide on Sept. 29 became the first litigant in Texas to take advantage of an untested provision of the H.B. 4 tort reform law when it filed a motion seeking to refer five asbestos cases it is defending to a new statewide multidistrict litigation panel. The newly enacted rule allows litigants to request that a single judge hear all pretrial matters in cases filed in state courts across Texas that have common issues.

By John Council

5 minute read

February 15, 2010 | Texas Lawyer

A case pending before the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals is breaking new ground on a new action: child pornography victims who seek restitution from criminal defendants convicted of possessing illegal images of them. "The irony in these cases is that the victims would not even be aware of the conduct of these various defendants if their own lawyers weren't telling them," says attorney Buck Files (pictured).

By John Council

11 minute read

October 10, 2005 | Texas Lawyer

U.S. Sens. Kay Bailey Hutchison and John Cornyn, both Texas Republicans, and U.S. District Judge Ed Kinkeade of the Northern District of Texas � all of whom know U.S. Supreme Court nominee Harriet Miers � consulted with White House aides and launched a full-court press to back her nomination.

By Miriam Rozen and John Council

8 minute read

October 29, 2009 | Texas Lawyer

Police say O'Quinn (pictured) was driving the Chevrolet Suburban that crossed over the median, went across the eastbound lanes of traffic around 8 a.m. and crashed into a tree on the other side of the road.

By John Council and Brenda Sapino Jeffreys

11 minute read

September 05, 2005 | Texas Lawyer

As Hurricane Katrina and growing floodwaters turned the New Orleans business district into a legal ghost town last week, officials at the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals were making plans to relocate the court.

By John Council

7 minute read

September 19, 2007 | Law.com

As the Texas Supreme Court issued its final decision of the 2006-2007 term on Aug. 31, lawyers were discussing the length of time it takes the court to issue opinions after cases have been argued. Chief Justice Wallace Jefferson says the court is aware of the delay problem and is working on it, but also notes that the court is dealing with "difficult opinions." In the last term, the court dealt with Lamar Homes, a major insurance case, and Harmar, a case that changed Texas antitrust law.

By John Council

15 minute read