| | eFiling Mandate Deadline | | In December 2012, the Texas Supreme Court mandated e-filing in civil matters. The first group of counties (Harris, Dallas, Tarrant, Bexar, Travis, Collin, Denton, El Paso, Hidalgo and Fort Bend), the Supreme Court, the Court of Criminal Appeals and the 14 Courts of Appeal become mandatory January 1, 2014. This means that attorneys will no longer be able to file paper documents at the clerk's counter. E-filing in all other counties will become mandatory on a graduated schedule through July 1, 2016. Click on the headline to learn more. | | Jury Awards $28.6 Million to Ex-Wife in Beating by Former Bush Aide | | | | The ex-wife of a former White House lawyer was awarded $28.6 million in damages this week by a Connecticut jury who found him liable for beating her nearly to death in 2010. he verdict on Tuesday came in Mary Margaret Farren's lawsuit against her ex-husband, John Michael Farren, who besides working as a lawyer under President George W. Bush. Mr. Farren was liable for assault and battery and intentional infliction of emotional distress, jurors in Stamford Superior Court found.
Associated Press, Yahoo News 12/19/2013    | | Read Article: Yahoo News | | Gulf spill: Ex-BP Worker Guilty of Obstruction | | | | A former BP drilling engineer has been convicted of one charge that he deleted text messages from his cellphone to obstruct a federal probe of the company's massive 2010 oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. A federal jury acquitted him of a second charge. The count of obstruction of justice carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. Kurt Mix was one of four current or former BP employees charged with crimes related to the spill.
Associated Press, USA Today 12/19/2013 | | Read Article: USA Today | | ACLU Lawsuit Targets Feds Over Search of Citizen | |  | | U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents subjected a U.S. citizen to unwarranted searches, including vaginal probes and a CT scan, according to a lawsuit filed Wednesday by the ACLU in a U.S. district court. The woman is a New Mexico resident and was stopped while entering the United States at the Cordova Bridge in El Paso on Dec. 12, 2012, according to court records.
Julián Aguilar, Texas Tribune 12/19/2013 | | Read Article: Texas Tribune | | Carnival Cruise Lines Knew of Fire Risk, Lawsuit Says | | | | A lawsuit has been filed against Carnival Cruise Lines alleging that they knew of fire risks well before one of their ships caught fire at sea in February. The lawsuit was filed by numerous passengers who claim the tow to Mobile, Alabama after the ship caught fire and was disabled was a nightmarish experience. Records show that the cruise line had received a report one month before the ship took off that the engine fuel hoses had leaks. The lawsuit alleges the company was negligent in allowing the ship to depart when they were aware of the risks.
Christopher Sherman, USA Today 12/19/2013 | | Read Article: USA Today | | Wrongful Death Suit Filed over Teen's Car Accident Death | | | | The parents of a Muncie, Indiana teenager who was killed when he was hit by a car have filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the driver. The teenager and a 14-year-old girl were walking partially in the road when they were struck by a 58-year-old man the lawsuit alleges "was being a distracted driver, diverting his eyes from the roadway." The teenager died in the hospital a day after the incident and the girl sustained minor injuries. The lawsuit seeks an unspecified amount of damages for the loss of their son's "love and companionship," as well as medical, funeral and burial expenses.
Douglas Walker, Muncie Star Press 12/17/2013 | | Read Article: Muncie Star Press | | |
