Thompson Coe, Cousins & Irons, LLP — At our core we are litigators.

Catastrophic Injury

Thompson Coe And Team Successfully Defends $200 Million Wrongful Death Claim

After over two weeks of trial, Thompson Coe’s Partner and lead counsel, Jennifer Aufricht, with co-counsel Eddie Morales of Langley & Banack and Darrell Barger of Hartline, Dacus, received a defense verdict in a $200 million wrongful death lawsuit against highway construction client Anderson Columbia Co., Inc. Two of the three surviving families argued traffic control warning signs required by TXDOT were removed by workers. The jury found no liability on Anderson Columbia and found it in full compliance with TXDOT’s Traffic Control Plan.

Coverage

Unanimous Defense Verdict In Property Suit

Partners Roger Higgins and Mariah Quiroz obtained a unanimous defense verdict on behalf of Allstate in a bad faith and breach of contract lawsuit. Over the course of three days, Thompson Coe’s counsel successfully defended Allstate against Plaintiff who sought over $500,000 in overall damages and his experts who claimed that the roof suffered damage that could result in future leaks.

Firetruck on the street with caution tape

Appeals

New Fifth Circuit Decision On Appraisal Award

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit issued its decision in Mainali Corporation v. Covington Specialty Insurance Company, where the court held that the insured failed to meet its burden, in connection with its contract claim, of demonstrating that the appraisal award omitted any items covered under the policy; therefore, timely payment of the appraisal award barred the contract claim. As for the insured’s Prompt Payment claim, the court followed the Texas cases holding that full and timely payment of an appraisal award precludes liability under the Prompt Payment provisions of the Insurance Code. Partner Harrison Yoss represented Covington in the district court and he and Partner Wade Crosnoe represented Covington on appeal.

Oil rig in the ocean in front of a setting sun

Marine & Energy

New Rule Of Law For Offshore Oil & Gas Contracts

Mark Clark, Partner in Thompson Coe's Marine and Energy Practice Group, successfully argued a new rule of law to determine whether offshore oil and gas contracts are maritime in nature. In In Re Larry Doiron, Inc., the U.S. Fifth Circuit Court of Appeal issued a new test to be used, replacing the long-held Davis factors.

Product Liability

Defense Verdict After 3 Week, $10M Products Liability Trial

On December 19, 2018, after a three-week trial, Partner Zandra E. Foley won a defense verdict in Suffolk Superior Court, Boston, Massachusetts.

Products Liability / Catastrophic Injury

Defense Verdict In Highly Complex Products Case

Dallas partners Jennifer Aufricht and Sean Hicks obtained a defense verdict on behalf of our client, GRECON, in a hotly contested and complex products liability, wrongful death and personal injury action in the Eastern District of Texas. With seven Plaintiffs, three years of litigation and two and a half weeks of trial, Aufricht and Hicks secured a judgment as a matter of law on design, manufacturing and marketing claims and a defense verdict as to the remaining negligence claim.

Labor & Employment

Fifth Circuit Decision Secured In Civil Rights Case

Dallas partner John Ross, obtained a favorable decision from the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals on behalf of his clients, El Paso Hospital District and two of its nurses, on civil rights, constitutional, and Texas statutory tort claims. The Fifth Circuit affirmed that ‘medical staff do not have to establish their own, independent reasonable suspicion to justify a search requested by law enforcement’, and the court subsequently dismissed all claims.

Coverage

Insured Dodges $72m Judgment By Unanimous Jury Verdict In MDL

Thompson Coe represented North River Insurance Company in a jury trial in the Eastern District of Louisiana wherein a unanimous jury found that the distributor of several hundred thousand sheets of Chinese-manufactured drywall did not know and should not have known that the drywall contained a defect which causes the drywall to emit sulphur gases that can corrode appliances, jewelry and other metals in a home. Under a pending class action settlement, an adverse judgment in the case would have resulted in a potential judgment against the insured of up to $72 million.

Professional Liability

Defense Verdict After 4 Week Malpractice Trial

California partners Frances O’Meara, Holly Teel, and Steve Caine obtained a defense verdict on behalf of their broker-client after spending more than four weeks in trial. The lessee of a commercial property brought an action against its real estate broker for negligence, breach of fiduciary duty and constructive fraud, alleging that the broker had a duty to investigate whether the leased premises could be built out according to the lessee’s specifications, and whether the build-out could be completed for $30/sq.ft.

Catastrophic Injury

Unanimous Jury Verdict Obtained Against “Reptile Tactics”

Houston Partners Will Moye and Andy McCluggage obtained a favorable jury verdict for their clients and their clients’ insurer in a catastrophic injury suit in Midland County, Texas. Plaintiff asked the jury for $1.3M in damages which included: $600,000 in noneconomic damages for pain and suffering and impairment, as well as over $500,000 in future loss of earning capacity. The jury returned a total verdict of $130,000, which included a mere $60,000 in noneconomic damages and $0 for past impairment, $0 for past loss of earning capacity and $0 for future loss of earning capacity. The win is a noteworthy example of addressing “Reptile Theory” at trial.

Coverage/Appeals

Win For Allstate In Complex Rico Case Involving 700 Claims

Thompson Coe was lead appellate counsel for Allstate in defendants’ appeal from a $6 million judgment in a RICO case against various chiropractic, telemarketing, and law office management defendants. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit affirmed the judgment and the U.S. Supreme Court denied defendants’ petition for writ of certiorari. This case is significant because of the amount recovered in a complex RICO case involving numerous defendants and over 700 underlying insurance claims, and also because of the victory against insurance fraud it represents.

Auto Products Liability

Defense Verdict On Behalf Of Ford After 26 Day Trial

Austin attorney Bill Mennucci represented Ford Motor Company as lead trial appellate counsel in a products liability/personal injury lawsuit. This case involved a rear end collision in which the driver's seat collapsed rearward and the driver suffered a traumatic brain injury and severe orthopedic injuries. Plaintiffs alleged that the seat of the vehicle was defectively designed. After a 26 day trial, the jury returned a defense verdict for Ford, and the court entered a take-nothing judgment.

Catastrophic Injury

Coverage

Appeals

Marine & Energy

Product Liability

Products Liability / Catastrophic Injury

Labor & Employment

Coverage

Professional Liability

Catastrophic Injury

Coverage/Appeals

Auto Products Liability

Firm Highlights

DOL Moves to Raise Salary Level Test to $35,308

Fifteenth Year Thompson Coe Ranked as “Band 1” by Chambers

Matthew Kolodoski Speaking at 13th Annual Bill of Rights Course

Unanimous Jury Verdict Obtained Against “Reptile Tactics”

The Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act: Effects on the Victims and Families of 9/11

Property Insurers: Beware Getting Stuck In Texas State Court

PC Webinar: Technological Advancements and Their Impact on Property Claims

Defense Verdict After 3 Week, $10M Products Liability Trial

Unanimous Defense Verdict In Property Suit

Thompson Coe Facilitates High School Street Law Program

Thompson Coe And Team Successfully Defends $200 Million Wrongful Death Claim

Unanimous Defense Verdict In Property Suit

New Fifth Circuit Decision On Appraisal Award

New Rule Of Law For Offshore Oil & Gas Contracts

Defense Verdict After 3 Week, $10M Products Liability Trial

Defense Verdict In Highly Complex Products Case

Fifth Circuit Decision Secured In Civil Rights Case

Insured Dodges $72m Judgment By Unanimous Jury Verdict In MDL

Defense Verdict After 4 Week Malpractice Trial

Unanimous Jury Verdict Obtained Against “Reptile Tactics”

Win For Allstate In Complex Rico Case Involving 700 Claims

Defense Verdict On Behalf Of Ford After 26 Day Trial