Mary Alice Robbins

April 28, 2008 | National Law Journal

In a decision that could impact other kinds of cases involving a federal regulatory scheme, the Texas Supreme Court held that the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Act pre-empts a tort claim brought against a cigarette lighter manufacturer. The court's 8-0 decision in BIC Pen Corp. v. Carter leaves in limbo a more than $3.7 million judgment favoring the mother of a 6-year-old girl burned when another child accidentally set fire to her dress while playing with a BIC lighter.

By Mary Alice Robbins

9 minute read

October 30, 2008 | National Law Journal

A judge has signed off on a $2.1 million settlement that Texas A&M University reached with families of four students killed and three students injured in a bonfire accident. A lawyer in the case says the agreement settles all the claims the plaintiffs brought against the university and its employees. The settlement comes nine years after tragedy struck during the traditional construction of a bonfire on the eve of a football game with the University of Texas. The log tower's collapse killed 12 and injured 27.

By Mary Alice Robbins

4 minute read

September 30, 2013 | Texas Lawyer

In 2015, three new judges will take seats on the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals. It will be the first time since 1997 that the nine-member CCA has experienced that large of a turnover.

By Mary Alice Robbins

6 minute read

January 02, 2012 | Law.com

A review of federal judges' financial disclosure reports for 2010 shows that 18 of 58 active and senior U.S. district judges on federal benches in Texas held energy-related investments last year. U.S. District Judge Richard Schell says owning stocks is "a little bit of a hassle" for judges. "But we have to make investments like everyone else," he says.

By Mary Alice Robbins

6 minute read

June 11, 2002 | Law.com

The Texas Court of Criminal Appeals has held that the state must be diligent in its efforts to apprehend a defendant before his probationary period ends if a petition to revoke probation has been filed. The 6-3 decision, upholding a precedent set in 1963, rejects suggestions in prior CCA opinions that the due diligence defense should be eliminated because there is no statutory basis for it.

By Mary Alice Robbins

6 minute read

April 20, 2006 | National Law Journal

Overruling an appeal by Travis County District Attorney Ronnie Earle, the 3rd Court of Appeals has affirmed Senior District Judge Pat Priest's decision to dismiss two charges against U.S. Rep. Tom DeLay.

By Mary Alice Robbins

4 minute read

August 23, 2006 | National Law Journal

With threats against federal judges and other court employees on the rise, Congress is focusing on how to provide better protection for the judiciary.

By Mary Alice Robbins

8 minute read

June 04, 2002 | Law.com

Departing from 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals rulings, the Texas Supreme Court held on Thursday that an insurer has a duty to defend an insured sued after his employee allegedly assaulted a man on a construction site. The high court ruled 9-0 that the question of whether an "occurrence" that triggers an insurer's duty to defend must be answered from the insured's standpoint.

By Mary Alice Robbins

6 minute read

March 22, 2002 | Law.com

Horses are big business in Texas. And now, a one-of-a-kind equine law course has debuted at the University of Texas School of Law to instruct attorneys on various areas of law dealing with horse ownership: everything from tort law -- who's liable if a horse escapes from a pasture and collides with a car -- to issues involving property, contracts, government regulations, insurance, employment and even criminal law.

By Mary Alice Robbins

6 minute read

May 22, 2006 | Texas Lawyer

The passage of laws that curb abuses in Texas' civil justice system have made the state attractive to business, but the state should consider additional reforms, such as limiting attorneys' contingent fees, according to a report released this month.

By Mary Alice Robbins

5 minute read