Top Rated Personal Injury Attorney in Odessa, TX

Honors/Awards:

• Awarded for her contributions to the betterment of her colleagues through mentorship, knowledge sharing, and professionalism on the TTLA List Server., John Howie Spirit of Mentorship Award, Texas Trial Lawyers Association, 2018

Bar/Professional Activity:

• Admitted to Texas
• Admitted to New Mexico
• Admitted to Federal Courts of the Western District of Texas, Northern District of Texas, and New Mexico
• Member, Texas Trial Lawyers Association
• Member, New Mexico Trial Lawyers Association
• Member, Permian Basin Trial Association
• Member, Ector County Bar Association
• Member, Midland County Bar Association
• Member, College of the State Bar of Texas
• Member, Texas Bar Association
• Member, Federal Bar Association
• Member, American Bar Association

Scholarly Lectures/Writings:

• Texas Bar approved continuing legal education presentation and paper on Texas Civil Practice and Remedies Code Chapter 95, its application particularly in oil and gas-related personal injury cases, and a review of recent Texas appellate cases considering Chapter 95., Author and Presenter, Chapter 95 and Duties Owed to Contractors, Texas Trial Lawyers Association, Commercial Vehicle, 18-Wheeler & Oilfield CLE, Construction, Gas, Legal, Oil, 2019
• Presentation of paper to annual meeting of members of the Texas Trial Lawyers Association on the top thing plaintiffs' attorneys are doing to lose their cases or to leave money on the table.  Presentation approved for Texas Bar continuing legal education credit., Author and Presenter, 7 Ways Plaintiffs Can Destroy Their Own Cases & How to Avoid Those Pitfalls, Texas Trial Lawyers Association, 2019 Annual Meeting & CLE , Legal, 2019
• Law school casebook for the study of Community Property law in Texas, with Bernard Reams, ISBN: 9781454881445, 848 pages, published July 2016 by Aspen/Wolters Kluwer Law & Business., Co-author, Texas Community Property and Matrimonial Law: Cases, Statutes, and Commentary. Second Edition., Wolters Kluwer Law & Business Publishing, 2016
• Article on new Texas civil procedure rule governing discovery of a defendant's net worth.   Plaintiffs will no longer be able to obtain net worth information by making a discovery request; they instead have to file a motion for the information and show they have a “substantial likelihood” that their claim will be successful., Author, New net worth discovery law gives defendants more protection, Texas Bar Blog, 2015
• A survey and discussion of the Federal and Texas laws regulating background and driver's history checks of CDL and non-CDL drivers, specifically focused on the energy sector., Author, Criminal Hiring or Hiring Criminals: Legalities of background investigations for drivers in the energy sector, Well Servicing Magazine, Energy, Oil & Gas, Trucking, 2014
• Book review of the penultimate treatise on federal qui tam and false claims. Book covers case preparation for relators and defendants, procedural requirements, drafting, statutory provisions, legislative history, and trends., Author, Book Review: Civil False Claims and Qui Tam Actions, 4th ed., John T. Boese, ed, San Antonio Lawyer Magazine, 2014
• Featuring extensive original research, the Article explores Texas Republican Sen. Tower’s rejection of the Civil Rights Act through his own words and letters from his constituents. This is juxtaposed against the actions and words of Texan Lyndon Johnson, both as a Senator and as President., Author, Sen. John G. Tower: A Republican's Dissent to the Civil Rights Act of 1964, 21 J. S. LEGAL HIST. 109, 2013 (Journal of Southern Legal History, Mercer Law School, Macon, Georgia) (March 2014), 2014
• A study of 2013 antitrust decisions made in the United States Supreme Court, the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals, the Texas Supreme Court, and the Texas Courts of Appeals.  35 TEX. BUS. LITIG. J. 4, (Fall 2013), with Leslie S. Hyman., Co-author, Antitrust Review 2013, Texas Business Litigation Journal, 2013
• Book review of the multi-volume treatise on federal commercial litigation.  San Antonio Lawyer Magazine, 13 (Sept.–Oct. 2013)., Author, Book Review: Business and Commercial Litigation in Federal Courts, 3d ed., Robert L Haig, ed., San Antonio Lawyer Magazine, 2013
• Law school casebook for the study of Community Property law in Texas, with Bernard Reams, ISBN: 9781454839040, published July 2013 by Aspen/Wolters Kluwer Law & Business., Co-Author, Texas Community Property and Matrimonial Law: Cases, Statutes, and Commentary, Wolters Kluwer Law & Business Publishing, 2013
• Review of antitrust cases decided in 2012 in the Fifth Circuit and Texas state courts., Co-Author, Antitrust Review, Texas Business Litigation Journal (volume 34, issue 4), 2012
• Texas Department of Public Safety established its Tactical Marine Unit, outfitted the unit with armored gunboats, and tasked it to patrol the international lakes and the Rio Grande on the U.S.–Mexico border.  The Article discusses the unilateral action by Texas in light of almost two centuries of international treaties, state sovereignty over waterways, and the 2012 Supreme Court decision in Arizona v. United States., Co-Author, Border Wars and the New Texas Navy: International Treaties, Waterways, and State Sovereignty after Arizona v. U.S., The Scholar: St. Mary's Law Review on Minority Issues, , Academic, Legal, 2013
• A discussion of the highlights of the Federal Courts Jurisdiction and Venue Clarification Act of 2011 which went into effect in 2012., Co-Author, Recent Changes in Jurisdiction, Removal, and Venue, San Antonio Lawyer Magazine, 2012

Verdicts/Settlements:

• Susie R. Maldonado v. Blaine R. Chavez, Cause 20,480, in the 109th District Court of Andrews County ~ Jury verdict:  100% liability on Defendant, awarded Susie $6,780 (with costs and interest = $10,769.79) ~ On December 11, 2014, Susie was driving a FedEx van, waiting to turn left on FM 1212 in Martin County.  Just as she began to make her turn, Chavez attempted to pass her, causing Chavez to crash into her.  Susie was taken to the hospital by ambulance, but, luckily, did not suffer any life-threatening injuries., 2018
• Lara, Thompson v. Texas Dep't of Transportation, Cause 17-02-21857-CVR, in the 143d District Court of Reeves County ~ Jury verdict:  Carlos $175,000, Ansel $50,000 ~ On March 10, 2015, Carlos was driving on FM 652 in Loving County, Texas, when he encountered large pot holes in the roadway that caused him to go off the road, travel through the ditch, and hit a barb wire fence.  Minutes later, a septic truck driven by Ansel hit the same pot holes.  The pot holes caused Ansel to lose control of his truck, sent him into a side skid, and then his truck rolled over.  Ansel’s  truck slammed into Carlos's truck. Carlos broke his ankle and had to undergo surgery to repair it.  Ansel suffered bruises and soft injuries., 2017
• Joseph Knighten v. Gardendale Volunteer Fire Department, Cause D-16-04-0382-CV, in the 358tht District Court of Ector County ~ Jury verdict:  75% liability on Defendant, 25% liability on Plaintiff: Awarded Plaintiff $40,500.00 (including costs) ~ On June 28, 2014, Joseph was heading East on Yukon Drive in Odessa.  He had a green light as he went through the intersection at US-385/Andrews Highway.  Clifford Morgan, a Gardendale volunteer firefighter, driving his personal vehicle, ran a red light and t-boned Joseph.  Both pick-up trucks were totaled.  Witnesses testified Morgan did not stop or even slow down.  Joseph had $4,141.76 in medical bills., 2018
• Petra Parras and Cindy Gutierrez v. Ellis B. Norwood, Cause D-16-06-0615-CV, in the 358th District Court of Ector County ~ Jury verdict:  100% liability on Defendant: Awarded Petra $11,989 (with costs & interest = $13,994.63); Cindy $8,508 (with costs & interest = $10,200.45) ~ On August 14, 2014, Petra and Cindy were driving from one office cleaning job to the next.  As the headed north on Grandview Avenue, Norwood suddenly made a left turn right in front of them.  In rush hour traffic, Petra had no escape.  Her Tundra pickup was totaled.  Petra and Cindy went through months of physical therapy.  They continue to feel the affects of the wreck when the weather changes, and still have nightmares and panic attacks when they see car wrecks. ** New trial granted due to no damage award for pain & suffering.  New trial set for January, 2019., 2018
• $1,125,750 - personal injury settlement, wrongful death, 2017
• Yolanda Howington, et al. v. We-Haul Transport, LLC, Cause No. B-135,412, in the 161st Judicial District Court of Ector County, Texas ~ $650,000.00 - settlement gross negligence wrongful death under Workers' Compensation part B ~ Richard was driving a tractor-trailer that had been poorly maintained by his employer.  He had never driven that particular tractor-trailer before that fateful day.  8 of the 10 sets of brakes were not working properly.  As Richard took a curve, he was unable to maintain control and the rig went off the road and overturned.  Richard was horribly injured with many broken bones and a massive brain injury.  Richard underwent many surgeries.  But, finally, after suffering for months, he died from his injuries.  To make matters worse, his employer went out of business while his case went on.  Richard's family sued his employer for gross negligence and wrongful death under Texas Workers' Compensation statutes., 2017
• Rosalia Lopez Mendoza v. Jerrett Russell Clemence, Cause CV54085, in the 441st District Court of Midland County ~ Bench verdict:  100% liability on Defendant: Awarded Rosalia $230,473 ~ On April 12, 2017, as Rosalia slowed to make a turn from Highway 349, Clemence hit her from behind.  Clemence was arrested for DWI at the scene., 2018
• $890,000.00 - personal injury settlement, second chair, 2016
• $3,524,500.00 - personal injury settlement, car wreck, 2017
• Maria D. Soto v. Allstate Fire and Casualty Insurance Company, Cause CC18679, in the County Court at Law #2 of Midland County ~ ​ Jury verdict:  Maria $108,088.21, but this was reduced to $50,000 which was Maria's UIM policy limit (offer pre-trial $15,000) ~  At 4 am on August 10, 2014, a drunk driver crashed into Maria's bedroom.  She was pinned between the bumper of the drunk's pickup truck and her own bedroom wall.  EMS as to crawl over the pickup truck, break through her wall, and lift her up and over to rescue her.  She had two broken ribs, a broken ankle, and herniated disks in her back.  The drunk driver's insurance paid his policy limits within 2 months.  However, Maria's medical bills were substantially higher.  Maria had almost $40,000 in past medical bills and a $59,000 surgical estimate.  Maria had purchased Underinsured Motorist Insurance (UIM) through Allstate, so she filed a claim.  For almost 4 years, we fought with Allstate., 2018

Representative Clients:

• Laredo Petroleum, Inc. Superior Energy, Inc. SC Fuels

Educational Background:

• The University of Texas of the Permian Basin, Bachelor’s Degree in History, summa cum laude