Introduction. In this rear-end 18 wheeler collision case, the trial court entered judgment in favor of injured motorist Patterson for over $30 million against FTS International Services, LLC and $26 million against FTS employee, Acker. The Appellate Court overturned the judgment because, amongst other reasons, the noneconomic damages awarded were excessive. The Appellate Courted
Introduction. In this tragic case involving interesting legal issues, a ranch hand was killed when he was trampled by cattle while working for a ranch. The ranch hand’s surviving parents and children sued the ranch for wrongful death and survival claims. The ranch was a nonsubscriber under the Texas Workers Compensation Act. However, the
Texas Court of Appeals Holds Workers Compensation Nonsubscribing Workers Compensation Employer Liable for Employees Injuries Sustained in Fall from Ladder
The benefit to Texas employers in maintaining workers compensation insurance is that they are shielded from liability to employees injured on the job. In exchange, employees are entitled to recover workers compensation benefits for injuries
The San Antonio Court of Appeals recently held that an automobile insurer can be held liable to its policyholder for attorney fees and extracontractual damages if it breaches its duty of good faith in failing to reasonably investigate or timely pay an uninsured motorist claim. State Farm Mut. Auto. Ass’n v. Cook, 04-18-00729-CV, 2019
Introduction. The San Antonio Court of Appeals has held that a property owner’s personal injury premises defect claim sounded in negligence rather than premises liability, even though the injuries were not caused by a contemporaneous activity of the contractor allegedly at fault. Arredondo v. Techserv Consulting & Training, Ltd., 567 S.W.3d 383 Tex. App.—San
“It is cheaper to kill a mare than it is to cripple her.” This was considered the law in Texas until the recent Texas Supreme Court decision of J & D Towing, LLC v. Am. Alternative Ins. Corp., 478 S.W.3d 649, 652 (Tex. 2016) involving the question of first impression before the Texas Supreme Court
The equitable constructive trust. In Texas, a court acting in equity may impose a constructive trust upon property held by a party to a transaction that belongs to another. The Austin Court of Appeals recently used this remedy to impose a constructive trust upon life insurance proceeds that, under a divorce decree, should have
If the Texas recreational-use statute applies, then a landowner’s liability is limited when a guest is injured on the owner’s property while engaged in recreation. (See Chapter 75 of the Texas Civil Practice & Remedies Code).
In the recent case of Meredith v. Chezem , 03-18-00256-CV, 2018 WL 6425017 (Tex. App.—Austin Dec. 7, 2018,
Introduction. In Lyda Swinerton Builders, Inc. v. Oklahoma Sur. Co., 16-20195, 2018 WL 4113795 (5th Cir. Aug. 29, 2018), the United States Firth Circuit Court of Appeals had to decide whether a subcontractor’s commercial general liability (“CGL”) insurance policy covered the defense of the general contractor named as an additional insured under the
On May 19, 2017, a bill was sent by the Texas legislature to the Governor for signature relating to claims for storm loss property damage. This bill was passed to curb alleged lawsuit abuses for property damages caused by severe storms. According to House Research Organization Bill Analysis,