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The Stagnation Of Texas Ground Water Law: A Political V. Environmental Stalemate., Karen H. Norris

St. Mary's Law Journal

The rapidly increasing Texas population coupled with the scarcity of water resources has created an urgent need for regulation of ground water pumpage. The extraction of ground water in Texas remains largely unregulated. Texas landowners, by virtue of their surface ownership, have property rights in all underlying ground water. As such, Texas landowners have the right to unlimited pumpage of the ground water beneath their land. Texas landowners have jealously guarded this right at the expense of our environment and future water resources. The Texas legislature created conservative underground water districts to help preserve water resources. However, the limited scope …

A Reasonable Belief That A Third Party Had Authority To Consent To A Search Is An Exception To The Warrant Requirement., S. Jeffrey Gately

St. Mary's Law Journal

In Illinois v. Rodriguez, the Supreme Court granted certiorari to determine whether a warrantless search is valid when police rely on consent of a third party whom they reasonably believe had common authority over an area but does not. A reasonable belief that a third party had authority to consent to a search is an exception to the warrant requirement. The Fourth Amendment to the United States Constitution protects people and their possessions by prohibiting unreasonable searches by government authorities. Although this protection extends to any place where a person may claim a reasonable expectation of privacy, it especially protects …

Allowing A Child Abuse Victim To Testify Via One-Way Closed-Circuit Television Does Not Violate A Criminal Defendant's Sixth Amendment Confrontation Clause Right If The Trial Court Specifically Finds Such A Procedure Necessary To Protect The Child's Welfare., Lisa R. Miller

St. Mary's Law Journal

In Maryland v. Craig, the Supreme Court held allowing child abuse victims to testify via one-way closed-circuit television does not violate a criminal defendant’s Sixth Amendment Confrontation Clause right if the trial court finds the procedure necessary to protect the child’s welfare. Although “confront” has generally been interpreted to mean “face-to-face,” on occasion, it may yield to public policy considerations and the compelling necessities of particular cases. The original purpose of the confrontation right was to prevent the accusers in a criminal proceeding from using ex parte affidavits or depositions against a defendant, in lieu of personal testimony. The Craig …

Hazardous Chemicals In The Workplace: The Employer's Obligation To Inform Employees And The Community., Nelson A. Clare

St. Mary's Law Journal

Significant changes have recently occurred in reporting requirements for employers who have hazardous chemicals in their workplaces. The amended Federal Hazard Communication Standard requires private employers, engaged in a business using hazardous chemicals, to communicate to employees the potential hazards. The Standard requires employers to use: 1) a Hazard Communication Program, 2) labels and other forms of warning, 3) material safety data sheets, and 4) information and training about hazardous chemicals. Local and state governments must compare and reconcile the various and complex provisions relating to the Standard to ensure compliance with all requirements of the respective laws. The Texas …

Private Cause Of Action For Unfair Insurance Claim Settlement Practices Exists Under Texas Deceptive Trade Practices Act And Insurance Code., Gloria F. Christmas

St. Mary's Law Journal

In Vail v. Texas Farm Bureau Mutual Insurance Company, the Texas Supreme Court held a private cause of action for unfair insurance claim settlement practices exists under the Texas Deceptive Trade Practices Act and Insurance Code (DTPA). The DTPA and Insurance Code have repeatedly been used against the insurance industry in the areas of first and third-party claims, particularly in cases involving sales misrepresentations and post-loss claims misconduct. The goal of DTPA is to provide adequate safeguards to aggrieved consumers and, therefore, a broad interpretation of the act allows the courts to provide consumers a remedy and deter the continuance …

A Proposal To Protect Injured Workers From Employers' Shield Of Immunity., Catherine A. Hale

St. Mary's Law Journal

The current workers’ compensation system shields negligent employers from liability and fails to encourage compliance with safety standards. A practical solution is to broaden the judicial definition of intentional conduct and reinstate a common-law negligence action in workers’ compensation statutes. The Texas Workers’ Compensation Act awards compensation to employees for accidental injuries sustained in the course of employment. The Act bars an employee who accepts these benefits from bringing a common-law suit for damages against the employer. The exclusive nature of the workers’ compensation remedy thus leaves employers immune from common-law negligence actions by employees who accept the plan. An …

Texas Oil And Gas Leases Contain Separate And Distinct Implied Covenant To Further Explore After Lucrative Production., E. Joy Jackson Sparks

St. Mary's Law Journal

In Sun Exploration & Production Co. v. Jackson, the Texas Supreme Court held Texas oil and gas leases contain a separate and distinct implied covenant to further explore after lucrative production. A lease that grants an interest in oil and gas found beneath the ground surface holds several implied covenants. Once successful production begins on a leasehold, implied covenants arise to encourage cooperation between the lessor and the lessee. A covenant is a “promise” between two or more parties to perform or not to perform a specific act. A covenant may be expressly stated within a contract or implied by …

Military Contractors Who Comply With Elements Of Government Contractor Defense Are Immune From Products Liability Suits Stemming From Design Defects., Matthew J. Sullivan

St. Mary's Law Journal

In Boyle v. United Technologies Corp., the United States Supreme Court held military contractors who comply with the elements of the government contractor defense are immune from products liability suits stemming from design defects. Lower courts consider the government contractor defense to be a combination of two separate defenses. The first is the well-settled contract specification defense which eliminates liability for contractors who properly follow client supplied specifications. The second defense is the doctrine of shared sovereign immunity shielding the contractor from liability based on public policy concerns.

In Boyle, the Court held defective design of military equipment will not …

Interference With Prospective Civil Litigation By Spollation Of Evidence: Should Texas Adopt A New Tort., Philip A. Lionberger

St. Mary's Law Journal

Texas courts should adopt a tort for spoliation of evidence. Spoliation of evidence is the tampering with, interference with, loss of, or destruction of evidence. Spoliation of evidence is a serious legal problem because it increases a litigant’s difficulty in proving a cause of action or a defense. Evidence destruction may also increase litigation costs and cause the trial court to make factfinding errors. Texas courts should adopt the tort of spoliation of evidence because it compensates injured litigants and deters future acts of spoliation. Another reason for adopting the tort for spoliation of evidence is the inadequacy of alternative …

D.W.I. Suspects Do Not Have Right To Consult With Counsel Before Intoxilyzer Test Under Texas Constitution Because Test Is Not A Critical Stage In Proceedings., Clifford C. Herberg Jr.

St. Mary's Law Journal

Under the Texas Constitution, D.W.I. suspects do not have a right to consult with counsel before an intoxilyzer test because the test is not considered a “critical stage” in proceedings. In Forte v. State, the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals adopted the critical stage approach and held D.W.I. suspects do not have a right to counsel under the Texas Constitution until the filing of the complaint. The court reasoned because the statute implies consent to the test, and the suspect has no legal right to refuse the test, counsel’s presence would not serve to protect “any known right or safeguard,” …

Products Liability: An Argument For Product Line Liability In Texas Symposium - Business Tort Litigation., Charles E. Cantu, David S. Goldberg

St. Mary's Law Journal

In today’s fast-paced business world, buyouts, takeovers, mergers, and other acquisitions are common occurrences. As a consequence of this corporate turnover, the consumer plaintiff injured while using a defective product may find the search for the proper defendant is futile, simply because the product is now marketed by a different legal entity. Generally, the consumer has no recourse against the manufacturer of the particular product which caused the injury if that manufacturer has since dissolved. This apparent unfairness, coupled with an increase in litigation of this nature over the last decade, has led to the judicial recognition of an exception …

Scources Of Liberty In The Texas Bill Of Rights., Arvel (Rod) Ponton Iii

St. Mary's Law Journal

Many historical, economic, and philosophical forces have combined to create a uniquely “Texian” perspective on liberty that has heavily influenced the Texas Bill of Rights. The original Texas Bill of Rights was drafted in 1836, during the ascendancy of Jacksonian democracy, following the successful revolt from the military dictatorship of General Santa Anna. Texans had lived under Spanish civil law, Mexican constitutional law, a Mexican military dictatorship, English common law, and the Bill of Rights of the United States. The Texas Revolution, the fact that many Texans looked to American and English jurisprudence for guidance, the violation of many rights …

A New Tort For Texas: Breach Of The Duty Of Good Faith And Fair Dealing., Evelyn T. Ailts

St. Mary's Law Journal

The concept of good faith and fair dealing as a general derivative contractual obligation remains unrecognized in Texas. However, in English v. Fischer the Texas Supreme Court recognized a duty of good faith and fair dealing exists in some contracts. Subsequent courts, including the Texas Supreme Court, have refused to apply a purely contractual obligation of good faith and fair dealing in every case. Instead, courts have recognized a good faith duty as arising out of “special” relationships of the contracting parties rather than being inherent in the contract itself. The courts focus on “special relationships” as a determinative of …

Shouting Incitement In The Courtroom: An Evolving Theory Of Civil Liability Comment., Michael P. Kopech

St. Mary's Law Journal

Civil incitement is an evolving theory, intended to ascribe liability to a publisher. Civil incitement charges that the contents of a publication proximately caused the plaintiff’s physical injury, thus holding publishers civilly liable for the physical consequences of their communications. However, the validity of civil incitement as an actionable tort clashes with the principles of freedom of speech and press embodied within the First Amendment. Incitement, as a successful cause of action, demands following the standards set out in Brandenburg v. Ohio. Prior attempts to hold publishers civilly liable for the physical consequences of their communications have rarely survived motions …

Cancellation Of Water Rights In Texas: Use It Or Lose It., R. Lambeth Townsend

St. Mary's Law Journal

It is the constitutional duty of the State of Texas to conserve and develop the state’s water resources. Texas effectuates water conservation and utilization through its system of granting and administering rights for the beneficial use of the state’s water. The Supreme Court of Texas concluded the state can further conserve water by cancelling appropriations not beneficially used to the limit provided in the permit, certified filing, or certificate of adjudication. Cancellation of unused water rights enables the Water Commission to make water available for beneficial use by others. Only by the beneficial use of water can the state obtain …

Take-Or-Pay Provisions: Major Problems For The Natural Gas Industry Comment., David L. Roland

St. Mary's Law Journal

A prompt solution to the take-or-pay problem is vital to the survival of the natural gas industry. Due to the increasingly turbulent and unpredictable natural gas market, most natural gas producers include a take-or-pay provision in their gas purchase contracts. Take-or-pay provisions require a pipeline company to either take an amount of natural gas from the producer or the company must pay for the specified amount. The market, however, has changed and the demand for natural gas declined. The demand can be partly attributed to the energy crisis of a decade ago. As a result of the crisis, consumers are …

The Vestiges Of The Texas Employment At-Will Doctrine In The Wake Of Progressive Law: The Employment Handbook Exception Comment., Brian Kennington Lowry

St. Mary's Law Journal

Under a traditional approach of the at-will rule, if an employer hires an employee for an indefinite term then the employer may terminate the employee at will. Modification of the at-will rule has gained widespread support throughout the country. A majority of states now follow the progressive view, which allows the employment manual to become part of the labor contract, thereby obligating employers to abide by manual provisions. The progressive view maintains that an employee’s continued service after an employer issues a manual, constitutes ample consideration to make the document binding. Once a court recognizes the existence of independent consideration, …

Court-Sponsored Custody Mediation To Prevent Parental Kidnapping: A Disarmament Proposal Comment., Sue T. Bentch

St. Mary's Law Journal

Texas should implement a court-sponsored custody mediation plan to prevent parental kidnapping. Each day, hundreds of parents kidnap their own children. These kidnapped children are often the innocent victims of an escalating custody battle between parents. The magnitude of the parental kidnapping problem has forced Congress and the legislatures of the various states to address its possible solution. Congress and state legislatures implemented the Uniform Child Custody Jurisdiction Act, the Parental Kidnapping Prevention Act of 1980, state criminal laws, civil laws, and tort suits to address the problem. Unfortunately, these remedies only address the problem after the abduction has occurred. …

Yellow Pages Legal Ads In Texas: The Complexities Of Dr 2-101(B) & (And) (C)., Vincent Robert Johnson

St. Mary's Law Journal

This Article explains how attorneys can avoid private reprimands for advertisements in the Yellow Pages pursuant to subsection (B) and (C) of the Texas Code of Professional Responsibility Disciplinary Rule 2-101, given there is no scholarship or precedent. Subsection (B) requires an advertisement to include the name of a lawyer who is licensed to practice law in Texas, who will be responsible for performing the legal service, and the areas of law in which they practice. Subsection (C) requires detailed statements be included concerning whether the individuals named in compliance with subsection (B) are certified with the Texas Board of …

A New Twist For Texas Lemon Owners., Ayala Alexopoulos

St. Mary's Law Journal

Twenty-five percent of the consumers with car warranty problems are dissatisfied with the complaint-handling process in the automobile industry and the result of their grievances. In response to the frustrations of defective car owners, Texas, along with many other states, passed a “lemon law” providing more definitive relief for consumer. Lemon laws provide a clearly defined cause of action against the manufacturer and provide the consumer with a low-cost, readily available mechanism for resolving their disputes. Most states’ lemon laws require the consumer to resort to arbitration provisions before initiating a court action if a manufacturer sets up a dispute …

Determining Mineral Ownership In Texas After Moser V. United States Steel Corp. - The Surface Destruction Nightmare Continues., David A. Scott

St. Mary's Law Journal

Total abandonment of the surface destruction test is essential for achieving mineral title certainty in Texas. Many instruments which grant or reserve mineral rights in Texas contain the words “other minerals.” When the instrument does not specifically list which substances the contracting parties include as minerals, a dispute often arises as to ownership of the unspecified substances. To resolve ownership disputes, Texas courts adopted the surface destruction test. This test focuses on the destructive effects removal of a particular substance would have on the surface of the land. Unfortunately, the surface destruction test yielded unpredictable results, causing uncertainty in mineral …

Lawyers' Negligence Liability To Non-Clients: A Texas Viewpoint., Brian J. Davis

St. Mary's Law Journal

Courts should examine the relationship of a non-client to a negligent lawyer to determine whether a lawyer is liable to a non-client despite lack of privity. In most jurisdictions, attorneys enjoy the privity of contract requirement which limits their duty to exercise reasonable care. As a result, lawyers are normally immune to negligent malpractice actions brought by non-clients. Courts should examine the relationship between the attorney and the non-client to determine whether the requirement of privity is an overly restrictive limit on the lawyer’s scope of duty. These relationships can be classified into three categories. The first category involves plaintiffs …

An At-Will Employee May Be Fired Despite Motives Which Violate State Public Policy., Kelsey Menzel

St. Mary's Law Journal

Scholars generally agree children possess fewer rights than adults under the Constitution. Moreover, the school, as a restricted environment, places additional constraints on the constitutional rights of minors. In recent years, however, the Supreme Court extended to minor students the rights of equal protection and civil due process. In Tinker v. Des Moines Independent Community School District, the Court acknowledged children have First Amendment rights of self-expression in a school environment. This marked a significant change from the judiciary’s traditional reluctance to interfere in school matters. Subsequent First Amendment challenges to school board decisions have focused on library book removal. …

Electronic Piracy: Can The Cable Television Industry Prevent Unauthorized Interception., Kevin W. Grillo

St. Mary's Law Journal

The FCC and Congress have failed to enact specific regulations regarding unauthorized interception of cable television. This lack of regulation concerning electronic piracy has allowed entrepreneurs to develop means of intercepting cable television signals without compensation to the transmitting companies. The cable television industry has lost a significant portion of income through unauthorized interception of cable television. As the cable television industry continues to expand, the problem of electronic piracy of cable television signals will intensify. This has forced the cable television industry to seek varied legal solutions to resolve the problem. Although the cable television industry has found effective …

Parental Child-Snatching: Out Of A No-Man's-Land Of Law., Wayne Young

St. Mary's Law Journal

Approximately 100,000 parental child-snatchings occur annually. When a parent takes a kidnapped child to another jurisdiction, the injured parent must convince the court to recognize a foreign custody decree and persuade the same court to enforce that decree. Congress enacted the Uniform Child Custody Jurisdiction Act (UCCJA) to eliminate relitigation of custody decrees in other states and end court practices which protect the kidnapping parent. However, the UCCJA does not resolve parental child-snatching because the Act is ineffective in non-adopting states and the Act fails to aid a state in locating the abducting parent. Non-UCCJA states such as Texas have …