Category Archives: Legal matters

Not so fast on moving the Paxton trial back to Collin County

Posted on June 11, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

The special prosecutors have requested an en banc review of the three-judge panel ruling. Prosecutors in the felony fraud case against Attorney General Ken Paxton are asking the full 1st Court of Appeals to review a decision by a three-justice … Continue reading →

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Will Methodist fire its unvaccinated workers?

Posted on June 10, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

In two weeks, if they haven’t gotten vaccinated, the answer is Yes. Dozens of cheering supporters gathered outside the Houston Methodist Baytown campus Monday evening as several medical workers who refused to get a COVID-19 vaccine ended their last shifts … Continue reading →

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How about we sue you for a change?

Posted on June 9, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

The state of Texas has sued the federal government more times than I can count in recent years. There may be examples of the reverse happening, but offhand I can’t think of any. As such, this may be a first. … Continue reading →

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Supreme Court upholds Houston historic preservation ordinance

Posted on June 8, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Blast from the past. The Texas Supreme Court has upheld Houston’s ordinance regulating the preservation of historic districts, after residents argued it was an illegal zoning measure. Two homeowners in the Heights challenged the law, arguing that it constituted zoning … Continue reading →

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Timeframe for Watson depositions

Posted on June 5, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

This is going to take awhile. Deshaun Watson’s attorneys in September can begin deposing plaintiffs in the 22 sexual assault and harassment cases against the Texans quarterback, according to court documents. State District Judge Rabeea Sultan Collier on May 10 … Continue reading →

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Lawsuit against Lubbock “abortion sanctuary city” ordinance dismissed

Posted on June 4, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

This is gonna get weird. A federal district judge dismissed on Tuesday a lawsuit to block a voter-approved abortion ban from taking effect in Lubbock, saying Planned Parenthood did not have standing to sue the city. The decision comes just … Continue reading →

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Paxton appeals to 3rd Court to dismiss whistleblower lawsuit

Posted on June 3, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Next stop on the train. In an 85-page brief filed Tuesday with the 3rd Court of Appeals, Paxton’s lawyers argue that under state law, a whistleblower must believe someone has broken the law, but the aides only reported that “they … Continue reading →

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Paxton trial to head back to Collin County

Posted on May 28, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

You can go home again, apparently. A panel of three justices ruled Thursday that Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton’s felony fraud charges should be held in Collin County — where he lives — instead of Harris County, after a yearslong … Continue reading →

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Time for a new Constable scandal

Posted on May 25, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

This is super duper ugly. Untrained deputies picked for “undercover” vice assignments — only to be molested and traumatized by superiors. Prostitution stings devolving into “booze-fueled playgrounds.” And a concerned Precinct 1 Constable Office’s employee, fired after she reported the … Continue reading →

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Lawsuit filed against Lubbock “abortion sanctuary city” ordinance

Posted on May 21, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Looks like this kind of tactic will finally be tested in court. Planned Parenthood and the American Civil Liberties Union of Texas sued the city of Lubbock on Monday over a voter-approved “sanctuary city for the unborn” ordinance that seeks … Continue reading →

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Former MLB pitcher re-files lawsuit against Astros

Posted on May 17, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

It’s the second attempt to sue them for damages over the sign stealing scheme from 2017. Continuing to maintain that the Astros’ 2017 sign stealing cost him a job in the major leagues, former Toronto Blue Jays pitcher Mike Bolsinger … Continue reading →

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Paxton sues over revocation of Medicaid 1115 waiver

Posted on May 15, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Someone please explain to me if this has any merit. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton sued the Biden administration Friday to reinstate an eight-year extension to a federal health care funding agreement, worth billions of dollars annually and set to … Continue reading →

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Twitter lawsuit against Paxton dismissed

Posted on May 14, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

That’s not quite the end of it, though. A federal judge in California on Tuesday dismissed a lawsuit brought by Twitter against Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, whose legal efforts to investigate the social media platform after it suspended President … Continue reading →

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Firefighters score a win in court

Posted on May 9, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

I confess, I had forgotten about this. A panel of appellate court judges on Thursday rejected the city’s attempt to strike down a key provision of state law that governs how police and firefighters negotiate their wages and benefits, dealing … Continue reading →

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Paxton unblocks Twitter users who sued him

Posted on May 8, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Blink. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has unblocked on Twitter the nine Texans who sued him after they say they were unconstitutionally blocked for criticizing him or his policies on the social media platform. In a lawsuit filed in April, … Continue reading →

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Dave Wilson censure lawsuit goes to SCOTUS

Posted on May 3, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

We live in strange times. The U.S. Supreme Court agreed to hear a case involving former Houston Community College trustee Dave Wilson who alleges in a lawsuit that the school violated his constitutional rights. Wilson, who served on HCC’s board … Continue reading →

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Zombie same sex employee lawsuit denied again

Posted on May 2, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Shuffling along like the undead flesh eater that it is. A Texas appellate court struck a challenge Thursday to Houston’s policy giving same-sex spouses of city employees the same benefits as different-sex spouses, saying that the city was immune from … Continue reading →

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First Watson defense briefs filed

Posted on April 20, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Just keeping an eye on developments. Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson’s legal team on Monday filed a general denial of the 22 allegations of sexual assault and harassment, including their own claims that some of the massage therapists asked the football player … Continue reading →

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Watson cases consolidated

Posted on April 14, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

All in one court now, for your convenience. All 22 sexual assault and harassment lawsuits against Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson have been consolidated to one Harris County court. Both legal parties agreed on Friday that State District Judge Rabeea Sultan … Continue reading →

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Watson seeks names of accusers

Posted on April 10, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

This was going to happen sooner or later. Attorneys for Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson on Thursday urged several state courts to require the disclosure of the names of the women accusing him of sexual assault and harassment — a move … Continue reading →

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Paxton sued by Twitter users

Posted on April 9, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Maybe he should just get offline. A group of Texans and a free speech advocacy group are suing Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton in federal court, accusing him of unconstitutionally blocking nine people on Twitter for criticizing him or his … Continue reading →

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Harris County Attorney sues Juul

Posted on April 8, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

From the inbox: Harris County Attorney Christian D. Menefee filed a lawsuit Thursday in California state court against e-cigarette company JUUL and several of its executives. Harris County is the first governmental entity in Texas to join the nationwide fight … Continue reading →

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A Watson accuser has come forward

Posted on April 8, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Listen to what she says. The first of 22 women to file a sexual assault and harassment lawsuit against Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson spoke out on Tuesday, coming forward publicly in response to the defense team’s questions over the accusers’ … Continue reading →

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Why lawsuits?

Posted on April 7, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

If you’ve wondered why the women who have accused Deshaun Watson of sexual harassment and assault have filed lawsuits against him instead of police reports, this Chron story offers some reasons. The 22 women suing Deshaun Watson for allegedly sexually … Continue reading →

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Parents sue Katy ISD over its mask mandate

Posted on April 6, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Someday, these dumb stories will stop happening. Others will replace them, to be sure, but this type of dumb story will eventually fade away. A group of parents are suing the Katy Independent School District, calling its continued requirement for … Continue reading →

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Sery Kim

Posted on April 6, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Poor baby. A Texas congressional candidate on Monday sued The Texas Tribune for defamation, claiming that the newspaper wrongly identified her as a “racist.” In an article, Texas Tribune political reporter Patrick Svitek reported on comments made by Sery Kim, … Continue reading →

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HPD now investigating Deshaun Watson

Posted on April 4, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Someone filed a report. Already facing a rash of civil lawsuits, Houston Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson now has been named in a criminal complaint, according to the Houston Police Department. HPD confirmed it “is now conducting an investigation and will … Continue reading →

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Is it time to pay jurors more?

Posted on April 1, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Not yet, but maybe soon. Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo and her colleagues on Commissioners Court declined to support a proposal to increase pay for jurors and instead referred the idea for more study. District Clerk Marilyn Burgess, a Democrat, … Continue reading →

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Will there be any criminal complaints filed against Deshaun Watson?

Posted on April 1, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Maybe? It all depends on what Tony Buzbee means, and Lord only knows about that. In his latest Instagram post about the sexual assault allegations against Deshaun Watson, Houston attorney Tony Buzbee said Tuesday that he plans to take evidence … Continue reading →

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Freeze-related lawsuit filed against CenterPoint

Posted on March 31, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Of interest. Several more Houston families of victims of the February freeze are among the latest to sue CenterPoint Energy for allowing vulnerable people to languish without power during what were supposed to be brief blackouts. Travis Flowers, 66, and … Continue reading →

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AC repairman sues Hotze

Posted on March 31, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Hell yeah. An air conditioning repairman who was held at gunpoint last October as part of a right-wing group’s voter fraud investigation has sued the group and its CEO, Houston conservative activist Steven Hotze. David Lopez, the repairman, filed a … Continue reading →

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Austin mask mandate somehow still in effect

Posted on March 30, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

I admit, I did not expect this. Austin and Travis County can keep requiring masks for at least a bit longer after a district judge denied Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton’s request for a temporary block of the local mandate. … Continue reading →

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Another Watson lawsuit update

Posted on March 30, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

The count is now nineteen. Nineteen women have now accused Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson of sexual assault after three massage therapists filed separate lawsuits Sunday night. The latest accusations involve women who said Watson assaulted and harassed them during massage … Continue reading →

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The Buzbee blitz

Posted on March 25, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

It’s been working. On a Tuesday night, Tony Buzbee announced on Instagram that his client was suing Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson. With a handful of social media posts, the crackerjack trial lawyer teased more sexual assault allegations to come. By … Continue reading →

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