TexasTowelie
TexasTowelie's JournalGraham city attorney loses $60 million lawsuit; case involved two Abilene men
WICHITA FALLS — Graham city attorney Kerwin Stephens lost a $60 million civil suit this month that claimed he and two others defrauded their business partners in an oil investment scheme, an attorney in the case said Thursday.
Stephens, who also has a private law practice in Graham, was accused in the lawsuit of colluding with two Abilene men to exclude their other business partners and split the profits between themselves, said Michael Hurst, an attorney for plaintiffs in the case.
The verdict was decided by a West Texas jury on Aug. 19 in the 32nd District Court. Hurst said the $60 million decision is the largest verdict ever delivered in that court, which covers Fisher, Nolan and Mitchell counties.
Hurst represented investors Lowry Hunt and Richard Raughton, who were awarded $28 million in the case.
Read more: http://www.reporternews.com/news/local-news/graham-city-attorney-loses-60-million-lawsuit-case-involved-two-abilene-men_98102708
5 painful times male genitalia made the news
A University of Texas student filed a civil lawsuit against an Austin doctor and the Medspring Urgent Care clinic last week, accusing the doctor for wrongly diagnosing him with “blue balls” – a misdiagnosis which eventually led to the loss of the student’s testicle.
While the student’s attorney has stated that the man suffered “a loss that didn’t need to occur,” this unfortunate tale is only one of the latest in a long line of genitalia-related legal scuffles in the news. Here are five other cringe-worthy instances of note:
• Hazing ritual gone wrong. A fraternity at Wilmington College in Ohio came under fire last year when a brutal hazing ritual led to the loss of a testicle for one pledge.
Gamma Phi Gamma, the self-proclaimed “oldest local fraternity in the country,” forced several pledges to strip naked and endure a series of hazing rituals, including being whipped with towels that were “fashioned like a weapon,” according to University Herald.
Read more: http://austin.blog.statesman.com/2015/08/27/5-painful-times-male-genitalia-made-the-news/
Related thread:
UT student blames misdiagnosis for loss of testicle
Ken Paxton pleads ‘not guilty,’ objects to cameras in court
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, standing before a judge for the first time since he was charged last month with violating state securities laws, renewed his not guilty plea Thursday, objected to cameras in the courtroom and lost his lawyer during a fast-paced hearing in Fort Worth.
Paxton, whose earlier request to skip his initial court appearance was rejected by state District Judge George Gallagher, objected to the hearing being held in Gallagher’s Tarrant County courtroom, noting that he had been indicted in nearby Collin County.
And in Collin County, Paxton reminded Gallagher, judges don’t allow cameras in their courtrooms.
“We don’t want this case tried in the press; we want this case tried in the courtroom,” the Paxton-drafted objection said.
Read more: http://www.statesman.com/news/news/ken-paxton-to-enter-plea-this-morning/nnRy5/
[font color=330099]Arrogant son of a (word intentionally deleted).[/font]
Judge denies restraining order; UT free to move Jefferson Davis statue
A Travis County judge on Thursday denied a request for a restraining order filed by the Sons of Confederate Veterans, clearing the way for officials at the University of Texas to move a controversial statue of Jefferson Davis off the university’s Main Mall.
The three-hour hearing, in a small courtroom filled with reporters and onlookers, featured testimony from David Steven Littlefield, a relative of former UT regent George Littlefield, who donated the Jefferson Davis statue to UT and specified in his 1920 will that it remain in a prominent place on campus.
“I think it’s just absolutely silly for them to move those statues based on someone being offended,” David Steven Littlefield said on the witness stand, echoing concerns that have been raised across the country in recent months as public memorials of the Confederacy have been moved or replaced because of their ties to slavery.
Attorney Kirk Lyons, representing the Sons of Confederate Veterans, went a step further, calling it a “cultural atrocity.”
Read more: http://www.statesman.com/news/news/judge-denies-restraining-order-ut-free-to-move-jef/nnSNr/
Dispute over Gov. Jindal’s executive order on same-sex marriage is a ‘political disagreement,’
Attorneys for Gov. Bobby Jindal are asking a Baton Rouge state judge to throw out a legal challenge by the American Civil Liberties Union and other gay rights supporters to his May 19 executive order that carves out protections for those who oppose same-sex marriage.
Jindal has said the “Marriage and Conscience Order” applies only to the executive branch and will prevent the state from denying or revoking tax exemptions and deductions, contracts and other agreements on the basis of opposition of same-sex marriage.
A June 30 lawsuit by the ACLU and other gay rights proponents alleges the governor’s executive order creates a protected class of people who oppose same-sex marriage.
In court papers filed Tuesday, Jindal lawyers Thomas Enright and Kyle Duncan ask state District Judge Todd Hernandez to dismiss the suit, arguing there is no controversy that the court can resolve. They also contend the suit’s allegations are merely speculative, and that the taxpayer plaintiffs have no right to challenge the order.
Read more: http://theadvocate.com/news/13278985-123/dispute-over-gov-jindals-executive
Arizona severs ties with prison operator over July riots
PHOENIX — Arizona is severing ties with a private prison operator over what the state says was a string of security and training lapses that led to violent riots in July.
Gov. Doug Ducey announced the action against Management and Training Corp. on Wednesday after the state released a scathing report about numerous issues at the prison. Ducey says what happened at the prison was “frightening, disturbing and completely unacceptable.”
The unrest began July 1 in a minimum-security unit when private corrections officers tried to stop an inmate-on-inmate assault. A full-blown riot broke out the next day in another unit.
The riot left some housing units so badly damaged that more than 1,100 prisoners had to be moved to other facilities. Nine corrections officers suffered minor injuries.
http://www.abqjournal.com/634709/news-around-the-region/arizona-severs-ties-with-prison-operator-over-july-riots.html
Blue Cross of New Mexico pulls out of exchange
Thousands of New Mexicans will need to shop for new health insurance plans later this year after a decision by Blue Cross Blue Shield to stop offering individual insurance plans through the state health exchange beginning Jan. 1.
Company President Kurt Shipley announced the move Wednesday in a letter to individual customers that was also posted on the insurer’s website, www.bcbsnm.com.
The letter said Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Mexico lost $19.2 million in 2015 on the 35,000 individuals covered by plans they purchased on and off the exchange.
“We were unable to reach an agreement with the Office of Superintendent of Insurance … that would allow us to continue to offer coverage on the state’s health insurance exchange with rates that would be adequate to cover the anticipated needs of our members for the coming year,” Shipley wrote.
Read more: http://www.abqjournal.com/634713/abqnewsseeker/blue-cross-blue-shield-of-new-mexico-pulls-out-of-the-health-exchange.html
Jailed ex-Dallas neurosurgeon Christopher Duntsch sued over botched procedure, sponge in body
Legal troubles continue to mount for jailed former Dallas neurosurgeon Christopher Duntsch, who once wrote of becoming a “cold blooded killer” and is accused of knowingly botching at least five surgeries.
Jeffrey Glidewell and his wife are suing Duntsch over a June 10, 2013, surgery, in which medical staff, horrified by Duntsch’s errors, forced him to stop operating, according to a police affidavit. Duntsch left a surgical sponge in Glidewell’s body, which got infected, according to the lawsuit, which was filed in Dallas on Aug. 21.
Duntsch used an “unacceptable surgical technique” that resulted in damage to Glidewell’s artery that supplies blood to the brain, police said. The doctor also “dissected a piece” of Glidewell’s esophagus, causing him severe trouble breathing, eating and swallowing, according to police.
Prior to the surgery, Duntsch “bragged” to Glidewell about being “the best minimally invasive spine doctor in the state of Texas,” the lawsuit says. When Glidewell awoke, the suit says, he felt “significant pain,” and his “left arm was paralyzed and he could not speak.”
Read more: http://crimeblog.dallasnews.com/2015/08/ex-dallas-neurosurgeon-christopher-duntsch-sued-for-leaving-sponge-in-patients-body.html/
Related threads:
Surgeon who wrote of becoming killer is denied bail reduction (Duntsch case) August 2015
Update: Jailed Plano neurosurgeon’s father testifies for prosecution (Duntsch case) August 2015
Update: ‘Sociopath’ Surgeon Duntsch Facing Criminal Charges for Botched Surgeries July 2015
Update: Cocaine-using ‘Sociopath’ Neurosurgeon Duntsch Arrested for Shoplifting Pants May 2015
Greg Abbott Defends Sociopathic Surgeon Over Victims of Botched Spinal Surgeries Aug 2014
Greg Abbott Intervenes In Suit Involving "Sociopathic Neurosurgeon" Mar 2014
Plano’s Baylor hospital faces hard questions after claims against former neurosurgeon Mar 2014
Federal suit: Baylor failed to stop cocaine-using surgeon from harming patients Jan 2014
Dr. Christopher Duntsch, Plano Surgeon Suspended for Killing Patients, Gets Sued for Malpractice Jun 2013
Feds approve Texas high-speed rail corridor
The Federal Railroad Administration approved the rail corridor preferred by the developers of a Dallas-Houston bullet train. Now a final route must be plotted within the chosen corridor.
In a 16-page report, the administration gave its blessing to the so-called "utility corridor," which follows high-voltage power lines for 70 percent of its length. That will give the rail line easy access to electrical power and reduce issues of right-of-way.
It's another big step for Dallas-based Texas Central Partners, which last month announced raising the first $75 million of the $10 billion project from private investors. Now that the 240-mile corridor is selected, the company will be able to host meetings with communities along the line as it seeks to finalize a route.
"As we identify that final alignment, we will know which parcels are effective and which landowners we will engage with," TCO CEO Tim Keith told the Dallas Morning News.
Read more: http://www.chron.com/news/houston-texas/texas/article/Feds-approve-Texas-high-speed-rail-corridor-6467544.php#item-38488
Gunman in custody after shooting at Texas Southern University
HOUSTON -- Police are investigating a shooting on the campus at Texas Southern University.
At least one person was shot at about 9 p.m. Wednesday on the campus along Blodgett near Burkett, officials said.
The shooting victim was taken to an area hospital in critical condition. The suspected gunman was taken into custody, a TSU official said.
The identifies of the gunman and the victim, both males, have not been released. It wasn't clear whether either is a TSU student, officials said.
Read more: http://www.chron.com/news/houston-texas/houston/article/Police-probe-shooting-at-TSU-6468099.php
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Gender: MaleHometown: South Texas. most of my life I lived in Austin and Dallas
Home country: United States
Current location: Bryan, Texas
Member since: Sun Aug 14, 2011, 03:57 AM
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