Tag Archive for "Appellate"

Posts Tagged ‘Appellate’

Prestigious Chambers USA Ranks AZA for 13th Year and Honors Eight Firm Lawyers

HOUSTON – Chambers USA, the gold standard of legal ratings, gave AZA top 2026 ratings in Texas for three practice areas and ranked eight firm lawyers; three of them in the top Band One level. This is the 13th year AZA was rated by Chambers. This year AZA is praised for its general commercial litigation, […]

AZA Makes New Missouri Sovereign Immunity Law in Case Over Selling Patient Information

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Making new law, the Missouri Court of Appeals today ruled that a government-run hospital cannot hide behind sovereign immunity to avoid a class action lawsuit over placing hidden trackers on patient portals to gather and sell protected patient information to third parties. The appellate court overturned a lower court ruling that […]

Texas Supreme Court Rules for AZA Client in Downtown Lease Case

HOUSTON – The Supreme Court of Texas ruled in favor of AZA’s client in a dispute over appraisals and the eventual rent for space at the Bank of America Center in downtown Houston. The high court reversed and remanded the case to the trial court. At issue was whether a third–party appraiser hired as a neutral had a duty to disclose that one of the parties had contacted him about […]

AZA Wins Appeal for Energy Giant

HOUSTON – The Supreme Court of Texas agreed with AZA’s appellate team when it found that a trial court abused its discretion when it failed to dismiss a case against energy giant Weatherford International. The justices found on April 26 that Weatherford could not be sued in a Texas court. The case was filed by […]

AZA Names Four New Partners

HOUSTON – Cameron Byrd, Nathan Campbell, Jordan Warshauer and Kelsi Stayart White have been named partners at the trial and appellate boutique AZA. “This class of new partners is wildly accomplished and deserving of their promotions,” said AZA co-founder John Zavitsanos. The lawyers will officially become partners on Jan. 1, 2024. Mr. Byrd is […]

Jury Finds for Female Firefighter in Revenge Porn Case

HOUSTON – In a case that has already changed Texas sexual harassment law, a jury awarded $250,000 to a female firefighter whose supervisor obtained an intimate video made for her husband and secretly watched it for years. The jury awarded $80,000 in actual damages for mental anguish, $50,000 in punitive damages and $120,166 in […]

Texas Lawyer Honors AZA on Watch List for Diversity and Appellate Practice

HOUSTON – Texas Lawyer recognizes AZA as a Texas firm that is thriving and “should be on everybody’s radar” both for its successful newly launched appellate practice and its diversity and inclusion. “Texas Lawyer has recognized AZA as a litigation department of the year three times in various categories. We are pleased to see the […]

AZA Wins Appeal for Energy Sector Company at U.S. Fifth Circuit

HOUSTON – The U.S. Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed a Fair Labor Standards Act case summary judgment win for AZA client FMC Technologies Inc., a global provider of technology services for the energy industry. An installation engineer at FMC made a Fair Labor Standards Act claim that he, and numerous other installation engineers like […]

AZA Wins Appeal to Keep Injured Client’s Case in Texas

HOUSTON – AZA won its appeal to keep a client’s personal injury claim in Houston, rejecting the defendant company’s effort to move the case out of state. The lawsuit involves a seaman who sued his employer over the unseaworthiness of the vessel he was working on and the lack of safety procedures and crew. AZA […]

AZA Beats Frivolous Anti-SLAPP Appeal in Construction Case

HOUSTON – With criticism growing for how lawyers are abusing mid-case appeals, the Texas Fourteenth Court of Appeals today found that a local court was correct to toss a contractor’s frivolous attempts to use Texas’ anti-SLAPP law to delay an impending trial setting. The case now headed back to the trial docket of the 113th […]

AZA Expands Sexual Harassment Protection in Major Appellate Win against City of Houston

NEW ORLEANS – The U.S. Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals, in reversing a hostile work environment summary judgment order in a Houston firefighter’s case, set two new precedents in hostile work environment cases. In Melinda Abbt v. City of Houston, the panel found the firefighter did not need to experience harassment in real time for […]

Daryl Moore and AZA Win Two SCOTX Victories in Cases Argued the Same Day

AUSTIN – The Supreme Court of Texas today handed AZA’s Daryl Moore two victories for client the City of San Antonio in immunity cases he argued back-to-back to the court in the fall of 2021. Both cases filed against San Antonio involved the immunity of law enforcement officers under the Texas Tort Claims Act and […]

AZA Newsletter Celebrates Trials, New Lawyers, National News and More

HOUSTON – In our January 2022 newsletter, AZA shares news of the grand finale to a 13-trial year, six new lawyers hired, two new partners named, national media attention on two occasions and more. In the January 2022 issue of Pro Se!, the AZA newsletter available here, AZA first discusses how a busy year of […]

Judge Daryl Moore Joins AZA’s Appellate Practice

HOUSTON – Accomplished appellate and trial lawyer and former Harris County Judge Daryl Moore joins AZA’s appellate practice in 2021. Judge Moore was called one of the best judges in Harris County when he served on the bench in the 333rd District Court. He has been lauded for his performance on the bench, for his service to the Houston Bar Association and as an advocate for law libraries. “Judge Moore has […]

AZA Wins Another Appellate Ruling for Businesswoman Defamed and Threatened by Facebook Posts

HOUSTON – In a significant ruling upholding the ability of courts to protect individuals from threatening online speech, the Texas First Court of Appeals affirmed an earlier decision by a Harris County judge ordering two defendants to delete social media posts that had encouraged violence against a Houston businesswoman and her family. The ruling stems from a temporary injunction obtained by AZA in August 2018 on behalf of a Vietnamese-American businesswoman who was […]