Articles of Interest
CURNUTT & HAFER WELCOMES NEW ASSOCIATE
Curnutt & Hafer is pleased to welcome Jamie M. Lacy as our newest associate. Jamie received her J.D. from the University of Southern California Gould School of Law, graduating in the top 10% of her class. She also holds an M.B.A. from the University of California,...
Appeals Court Victory Affirms Judgment for Client
In a unanimous opinion, the Dallas Court of Appeals affirmed a summary judgment obtained by Curnutt & Hafer for a client involved in a construction accident lawsuit. Kelly Curnutt, who argued the case in both the trial court and the appellate court, summarized the...
ARBITRATION MAY NOT BE ALL IT’S CRACKED UP TO BE
In Hoskins v. Hoskins, the Texas Supreme Court strictly enforced the Texas Arbitration Act (“TAA”) by ruling that courts cannot vacate an award based on an arbitrator’s “manifest disregard” of the law. In this regard, the Texas high court held that the vacatur grounds...
TEXAS SUPREME COURT ISSUES TWO RULINGS ON ATTORNEYS’ FEE AWARDS
The Texas Supreme Court issued two rulings on April 15, 2016 that favored parties seeking attorney fees. In Sullivan v. Abraham, a First Amendment case, the Court examined the criteria for the award of attorneys’ fees under Texas’ anti-SLAPP law (“strategic lawsuit...
Kelly Curnutt appointed Interim President of the Arlington Chamber of Commerce
Last month, firm partner Kelly Curnutt was appointed Interim President and CEO of the Arlington Chamber of Commerce. While he reiterated the position is only temporary, and that he also continues to represent clients of the firm, Mr. Curnutt is motivated about the...
LOGAN SIMMONS HIRED BY FORT WORTH COURT OF APPEALS
Curnutt & Hafer, LLP is proud to announce that Senior Associate Attorney Logan Simmons was recently hired by the Second Court of Appeals in Fort Worth, Texas. He will work as Staff Attorney for Justice Sue Walker. The firm will miss Logan but knows that he will...
Curnutt & Hafer Wins Appeal for Oil and Gas Client
This week the 10th Court of Appeals issued a unanimous opinion for the firm’s client, Devon Energy, reversing a trial court order and rendering a take nothing judgment for the client. Kelly Curnutt and Adam Alexander successfully argued for the firm that the...
Obamacare: Did the Supreme Court get it wrong? You be the judge.
In King v. Burwell, the Supreme Court upheld a provision of the Affordable Care Act making subsidies available for all, whether they used a state or federal exchange. The ruling also affirms the mandate that employers may be subject to potential penalties with respect...
Bicycle safety laws may finally be taken up in Texas during the next legislative session
Millions of Texans are bicycle enthusiasts, and it is hard for them to find places to ride safely. Unfortunately every year, hundreds of bicyclists are injured or killed while riding on Texas’s streets and highways. Positive changes to the law may be on the way for...
The dangerous intersection of indemnity provisions and insurance requirements: Is your company at risk?
The Texas Supreme Court recently handed down a decision, In re Deepwater Horizon, which illustrated dangerous holes that companies should actively seek to avoid regarding indemnity and insurance provisions. In the Deepwater decision, BP was left with a lot of...
Local Fracking Bans Banned
On May 18, 2015, Governor Greg Abbott signed into law House Bill 40, which pre-empts regulation of oil and gas activity at the municipal and local levels, and places that duty and power with the State. In addition, the newly enacted law requires that any local...
Spoliation of Evidence: The Texas Supreme Court’s Recent Decision in Brookshire Brothers, LTD. v. Jerry Aldridge
The Texas Supreme Court recently handed down its long-awaited decision concerning the spoliation of evidence in Brookshire Brothers, Ltd. v. Jerry Aldridge, 2014 Tex. LEXIS 562 (Tex. 2014). Spoliation concerns the improper destruction of evidence, proof of which may...