Texas jails are home to 32 other inmates doing time for having three or more DWI convictions. Martin’s record shows he has done prison time twice before for DWI convictions — one four-year sentence and one 15-year sentence.

Montgomery County has the dubious distinction of having the most DWI drivers behind bars (four) than compared to Harris County (one), whose population is larger. It actually has more DWI drivers behind bars than any other locale in Texas. While penalizing habitual DWI drivers might get them off the streets for the duration of their sentence, it appears the convictions alone do not stop them from drinking or re-offending once released.

Lee, Gober & Reyna represents victims of drunken drivers. We are plaintiff’s attorneys and have a great deal of experience dealing with cases involving DWI drivers. We know what is required to take a case to court and seek equitable and fair damages.

Lee, Gober and Reyna – If you need a personal injury lawyer or help with an auto accident, motorcycle accident, wrongful death, or burn injury case, contact Lee, Gober and Reyna by visiting http://www.lgrlawfirm.com or calling 512.800.8000

The accident occurred when Carmona, driving east in a westbound lane, entered an exit ramp at the Sam Houston Tollway near Humble. He collided head-on with the pick up truck driven by Valentin Garcia, father and husband of the vehicle’s occupants. The accident scene revealed that five of the six family members in the Ford pick up truck hit by Carmona were killed in the wreck. An adolescent girl, 15-years-old at the time, survived with serious injuries and remains in a wheelchair today.

Stories like this one are becoming far too common, and law enforcement officials in Harris County are pleading with all residents to take to social media to talk about the dangers of drinking and driving in order to prevent these accidents in the future.

Lee, Gober and Reyna – If you need a personal injury lawyer or help with an auto accident, motorcycle accident, wrongful death, or burn injury case, contact Lee, Gober and Reyna by visiting http://www.lgrlawfirm.com or calling 512.800.8000

When people hear about an accident involving a truck, most automatically think the collision involved two vehicles. That is not always the case. 

The Harris County Sheriff’s report indicated that the elderly bicycle rider was hit by a pickup truck and died at the scene. The accident happened in north Harris County between Hardy Toll Road Freeway and US 59 – Interstate 69. 

Seventy-nine-year-old Lorenzo Guerra had started to ride a bicycle after he was hit by a car in 2013.

Some cyclists are fortunate enough to survive their accidents, and are therefore able to file a lawsuit asking the courts for damages for their injuries. In this case, the Guerra family might consider filing a wrongful death lawsuit, seeking compensation for the loss of a father and grandfather.

Cases such as this one need to be discussed with a competent injury lawyer. Each case, and its possible resolution, depend solely on the facts presented. In this instance, there are a number of factors involved that an attorney would need to know, including whether or not the truck driver was inebriated, driving while distracted or speeding.
Never attempt to settle cases like this by dealing directly with insurance companies. Their main concern is diminishing or denying claims. An experienced attorney can hold them accountable and obtain fair compensation.

Lee, Gober and Reyna – If you need a personal injury lawyer or help with an auto accident, motorcycle accident, wrongful death, or burn injury case, contact Lee, Gober and Reyna by visiting http://www.lgrlawfirm.com or calling 512.800.8000

The multi-agency coverage for the long weekend ensured that many drunk drivers were taken off the roads, but it did not prevent intoxicated Texans from getting behind the wheel. Over the holiday, Harris County racked up a record, reporting 192 DUI arrests.

That number bears repeating – 192 arrests for driving while under the influence. One hundred and ninety-two individuals who made the negligent choice to drink too much and then climb behind the wheel of a vehicle. How many drove without being caught, injured or killed (this time)?

Texas has one of the worst records in the nation for DUI accidents. In 2012 alone, the state reported 89,256 DUI arrests, 1,296 deaths (up 7 percent from 2011 and rising each year), 16,882 alcohol-related crash injuries at 0.1 BAC or higher, and 25,761 alcohol-related crashes at 0.1 BAC or higher. Rates are climbing steadily.

If one crackdown in Harris County can net 192 drunk drivers, what would happen if all counties and police forces stepped up their enforcement of impaired driving laws?

Lee, Gober and Reyna – If you need a personal injury lawyer or help with an auto accident, motorcycle accident, wrongful death, or burn injury case, contact Lee, Gober and Reyna by visiting http://www.lgrlawfirm.com or calling 512.800.8000

The lawsuit claims that when a Fluor subsidiary agreed to help the oil giant clean up pollution in the Gulf of Mexico in 2010, BP agreed to protect it against legal expenses. Now, several lawsuits and claims related to the Deepwater Horizon spill have been filed against Plant Performance Services (at that time, Fluor’s logistics and personnel support subsidiary), but BP has refused to compensate the company for its legal expenses, according to the lawsuit.

Plant Performance Services was sold to Fuel Streamers Group in June 2011.

Many of the lawsuits against Plant Performance Services were filed by beach cleanup workers who said that they were exposed to hazardous materials and that the company misrepresented how long the work was expected to last. Fluor claims the contract with BP began on May 5, 2010, but beach cleanup work was canceled before workers expected to be let go.

In the lawsuit, Fluor claimed that it has already paid $2.1 million in claims and is seeking compensation from BP for past, present and future claims.

BP has spent over $14 billion on the Gulf Coast cleanup and is expected to face $18 billion in fines.

Gregory D. Jordan is an Austin Oil and Gas attorney. To learn more, visit http://www.theaustintriallawyer.com or call 512-419-0684.

The lawsuit was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas (Houston Division), claiming violation of the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA). In addition to Shell Oil Co., Shell Exploration & Production Co. was also named as a defendant.

According to the complaint, Ryder began working for Shell in June 2008. In August 2011, she signed a contract agreeing to remain employed with the company through July 31, 2013 in exchange for a retention payment of $60,300. Ryder learned she was pregnant in the spring of 2013.

Ryder claims she informed Shell of her pregnancy and stated that morning sickness had caused her to miss four days of work in May 2013. Ryder claims she was asked to submit leave paperwork under the FMLA and did so on June 27, 2013, but she inadvertently omitted the time period for which leave was requested. According to the lawsuit, her employment was terminated on July 8, 2013, and Shell declined to pay the retention bonus, asserting that Ryder did not remain employed until July 31.

Ryder is seeking the amount due under the retention agreement, back pay and front pay.

Gregory D. Jordan is an Oil and Gas lawyer in Austin. To learn more, visit http://www.theaustintriallawyer.com or call 512-419-0684.

The lawsuit, filed in Harris County, claims that a former Torchy’s employee stole the company’s “Taco Bible,” which contains detailed recipes. The grill cook now works for Texas Taco, where the menu items are allegedly duplicated. The lawsuit seeks unspecified damages and an injunction requiring Texas Taco to stop using confidential information gained from Torchy’s.

Although a taco recipe may seem like something that is generally known, and therefore not capable of being a trade secret, Torchy’s says that its Taco Bible and “Build Book” are different because they contain detailed start-to-finish processes of the way that food ingredients are combined, the order in which they are cooked and the manner in which they are assembled.

The lawsuit claims that Torchy’s Chef Michael Rypka — who started the company in Austin in 2006 with a motor scooter and food trailer — personally developed or approved all the menu items and “food concepts and food designs” served at the restaurants.

The lawsuit claims that a security camera at Torchy’s captured a then-employee putting a copy of the Taco Bible under his shirt and then exiting the restaurant. According to the lawsuit, a manager saw the security video and demanded that the employee return the book, which he did approximately six hours later. The employee was then fired.

The complaint alleges that approximately two months after the incident, Torchy’s discovered that the new Texas Taco restaurant in Baytown, approximately 30 miles outside Houston, had a similar menu. A Torchy’s manager visited the restaurant and claims he found the ex-employee working there and nearly-identical items on the menu.

According to a local news report, the descriptions of some items on Texas Taco’s menu are a word-for-word match to Torchy’s menu items, with only the name of the item changed. A taco that Texas Taco named the “William Travis” has the same 27-word description as the item that Torchy’s calls the “Republican.” The same is allegedly true for other items, including quirks such as the use of all-capitalized letters for some ingredients.

The lawsuit alleges that the ex-employee gave trade secrets to Texas Taco in violation of a nondisclosure agreement that he signed with Torchy’s.

Gregory D. Jordan is an Austin business attorney and business litigation lawyer. To learn more, visit http://www.theaustintriallawyer.com or call 512-419-0684.

Charles Hobson, of Harris County, Texas, worked for KRIV from 1990 to 2011 as a live truck operator, staff photographer and editor. He claims that KRIV and co-defendants Fox Television Stations, Inc., Fox Entertainment Group and News Corp. fired him because of his age. The lawsuit alleges that Fox had been engaged in layoffs that disproportionately affected older employees of the station. According to the complaint, employees of the station that were hired before 2004 are participants in pension and benefit plans that are more extensive than those offered to newer employees.

Hobson claims in the lawsuit that in 2009, he began receiving vague, negative comments about his work performance. According to Hobson, in the 19 years previous, there had been no negative comments about his work performance. The lawsuit claims that the station’s news director added negative remarks to the 2009 performance evaluation written by his immediate supervisor, and that his 2010 evaluation was simply written by the news director and given to his immediate supervisor to present to Hobson, again with negative comments.

The lawsuit claims that the station’s news director made comments to Hobson that he “could have been better” or “could have done something different,” and other vague remarks. Hobson also claims he was disciplined for broadcast mistakes that occurred due to inclement weather and computer malfunctions.

According to the complaint, there are approximately 18 employees of the station who have similar job titles to Hobson’s, and Hobson was the oldest or one of the two oldest. The lawsuit claims that younger employees performed similarly to Hobson but did not receive the same negative remarks. According to the complaint, Hobson’s employment was terminated in January of 2011 and a younger employee was hired as his replacement.

The lawsuit, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas in Houston, claims that the defendants violated the Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA). The ADEA protects workers over age 40 from age-based discrimination. The plaintiff is also suing under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA). Hobson previously filed a charge of age discrimination with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) and the Civil Rights Division of the Texas Workforce Commission, which are procedural steps before litigation.

The lawsuit seeks a jury trial and damages for loss of past and future wages, as well as emotional pain and suffering, inconvenience and loss of enjoyment of life.

Gregory D. Jordan is an employment lawyer. To learn more, visit http://www.theaustintriallawyer.com or call 512-419-0684.