In February, a federal judge ordered the Air Force to pay $230 million to shooting survivors, families of victims. But feds are appealing the case.
Courts
Stay up to date on Texas courts with in-depth coverage of major rulings, judicial elections, criminal justice, and the judges shaping state law from The Texas Tribune.
Posted in
Criminal Justice
Vanessa Guillen’s family seeks $35 million in the Army specialist’s 2020 wrongful death at Fort Hood
Armed with a new federal court ruling that allows a former Army colonel to pursue a sexual assault lawsuit, the family of Vanessa Guillén has filed a wrongful death and assault case against the federal government.
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Public Education
Four years after the Santa Fe school shooting, “There is still a lot of pain”
Some residents still struggling with grief, trauma as government mental health funding recedes.
Posted in
Uvalde school shooting
Texas state police can keep Uvalde records secret for now, judge rules
The ruling sidestepped the question of whether the state police can withhold records concerning their response to the May 24 massacre at Robb Elementary School. The judge concluded that state Sen. Roland Gutierrez had not properly filed his request under Texas’ public records law.
Posted in
Politics
This 1995 Texas law could shield Alex Jones from paying the vast majority of the $50 million defamation case judgment
Democrats in 1995 enacted lawsuit reforms that limit the amount of damages plaintiffs collect.
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Courts
Jury awards parents of Sandy Hook victim more than $45 million in punitive damages in Alex Jones defamation case
Lawyers for the parents asked the jury to end Jones’ “gold rush of fear and misinformation.” He’ll owe a total of nearly $50 million to the parents.
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Courts
Jury awards parents of Sandy Hook shooting victim $4.1 million in defamation case against Alex Jones
The parents sought $150 million in their defamation lawsuit against the conspiracy theorist. The jury could still issue more damages in an upcoming phase of the trial.
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Courts
Texas cities say streaming giants Disney, Hulu and Netflix owe them millions of dollars in unpaid fees
As people have cut cable subscriptions in favor of streaming services over the years, Texas cities say they have lost out on revenue from franchise fees they claim are owed by streaming giants like Disney, Hulu and Netflix.
Posted in
Politics
Lawyers for Alex Jones turned over evidence that contradicted his testimony
After years of telling his followers the Sandy Hook school shooting was staged, Jones admitted on the stand that the massacre was real. He is being sued in Austin by parents of one of the shooting’s victims.
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Courts
Parents of Sandy Hook shooting victim call for accountability in Alex Jones’ defamation trial
The parents of 6-year-old Jesse Lewis are suing Jones for falsely claiming that the 2012 mass school shooting was a hoax meant to take away Americans’ guns. The trial is the first of three to determine monetary penalties against the Texas-based conspiracy theorist for his lies about the tragedy.
