February 2012

I live here and did not know we have an animal court.  According to an ABA Bar Journal report, we have an animal court to hear cases of pet owners acting irresponsibly.  See ABA Bar Journal report.  The court may be unique.  It targets cases involving animal bites, stray animals and animal vaccinations.  It…

Depositions are key events in any lawsuit.  The Opposing Counsel has the freedom to ask questions that lead to admissible evidence or questions which are reasonably calculated to lead to admissible evidence.  That standard allows a broad range of questions.  Most plaintiff employees are understandably nervous about being deposed regarding their case. 

Some plaintiffs, for…

 It is tempting, when unjustly charged with something at work, to refuse the employer’s instructions.  We need to resist such temptations.  The boss remains the boss until replaced by a bigger boss or by a judge.  An employee at San Antonio Independent School District may learn this lesson the hard way.  Leticia Rivera worked for…

The not so-Evil HR lady pens another helpful post.  This time she talks about when can an employee give immediate notice of resignation.  A day care director is asking the HR expert about her situation.  The day care director is being asked by member of the board who oversee the facility to violate laws regarding…

Hossein Bagheri, owner of two Salsalito Mexican food restaurants here in San Antonio, plead guilty to hiring illegal immigrants to work in his restaurants.  The owner was placed on probation for five years by U.S. District Judge Orlando Garcia.  The owner was also ordered to pay a fine of $250,000 and the restaurant corporation was…

Texas ethical rules require that lawyers not charge a client an "unconscionable" fee.  There is no precise definition of "unconscionable," but it does mean really, really high fees.  A lawyer in West Texas was paid millions of dollars by wrongly convicted inmates.  The wrongly convicted inmates receive $80,000 per year in state compensation for every…

In 2006, Mel Gibson ranted and raved when a Los Angeles County deputy stopped the actor for drunk driving.  Mr. Gibson infamously accused the deputy, James Mee, of being Jewish.  Turns out, the actor was correct.  Deputy Mee is Jewish.  The actor sputtered other anti-Jewish diatribes.  "The Jews are responsible for all the wars in…

You know, its almost like some employers want to be sued.  Or, they want strife of some sort.  I once had seven women come see me about their job.  As I listened to the ladies, I realized their claims were less about discrimination and more about horrible working conditions.  They worked in a small office.