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Full-Text Articles in Law
Recognizing An Implied Warranty That Professional Services Will Be Performed In A Good And Workmanlike Manner., Mark L. Kincaid
Recognizing An Implied Warranty That Professional Services Will Be Performed In A Good And Workmanlike Manner., Mark L. Kincaid
St. Mary's Law Journal
Although the Court received a deluge of amicus curiae briefs after its initial ruling in Melody Home ushering the Court to reevaluate the consequences of its decision, there is no sound basis for excluding professional services from the implied warranty recognized by the Texas Supreme Court that services will be performed in a good and workmanlike manner. The issue of what is properly considered a “professional” service or what definition is to be applied to distinguish “non-professional” and “professional” services if the latter were to be excluded from the implied warranty. Instead of differentiating between “non-professional” and “professional” services in …
Texas Disciplinary Rules Of Professional Conduct: Additional Liability For Texas Lawyers., Xavier G. Medina, Virginia Coyle
Texas Disciplinary Rules Of Professional Conduct: Additional Liability For Texas Lawyers., Xavier G. Medina, Virginia Coyle
St. Mary's Law Journal
As a result of the enactment of the Texas Disciplinary Rules of Professional Conduct (“Rules”), Texas lawyer no longer practice under guidelines which include aspirational goals and discretionary moral choices. The Rules are mandatory in nature and depict a minimum standard of professional conduct which, if violated, could subject the offending lawyer to disciplinary action. Although the Rules provide a disclaimer stating that they “do not undertake to define standards of civil liability of lawyers for professional conduct,” Texas lawyers fear the Rules will be utilized as an independent basis for liability, or a standard of care for malpractice. The …
Texas' New Trademark Antidilution Statute - Useful Or Useless New Protection For Texas Trademarks., Richard Taylor
Texas' New Trademark Antidilution Statute - Useful Or Useless New Protection For Texas Trademarks., Richard Taylor
St. Mary's Law Journal
Texas courts must set forth clear and concise guidelines for trademark antidilution enforcement. The adoption of a trademark antidilution statute substantially alters Texas trademark law. The statute allows a trademark owner to enjoin acts which dilute a registered or common law trademark’s distinctive quality. It applies whether competition exists between the parties or a likelihood of confusion exists as to the owner of the mark. The statute adds a new dimension to trademark protection in Texas because it creates a property interest in the trademark. As promising as these protections sound, the new antidilution statute may prove ineffective due to …
Nonparties To Employment Discrimination Consent Decrees May Attack, In A Collateral Lawsuit, Decisions Made Pursuant To The Decrees., Michael T. Larkin
Nonparties To Employment Discrimination Consent Decrees May Attack, In A Collateral Lawsuit, Decisions Made Pursuant To The Decrees., Michael T. Larkin
St. Mary's Law Journal
In Martin v. Wilks, the United States Supreme Court held nonparties to employment discrimination consent decrees may attack, in a collateral lawsuit, decisions made pursuant to the decrees. A consent decree is a voluntary judgment between parties which facilitates settlement of litigation by providing one party with equitable relief. Courts retain jurisdiction over parties to a consent decree, and they can issue contempt orders to parties violating the terms of the decree. Unlike judgments, the parties cannot challenge the consent decrees, except in limited circumstances. Recently, federal courts have widened the scope of preclusion law by defining the term “claim” …
Limitation Of Liability Of Limited Partners While Affording Control Of Partnership Affairs To Limited Partners., Kenneth L. Bennight Jr., Troy (Trey) S. Martin Iii
Limitation Of Liability Of Limited Partners While Affording Control Of Partnership Affairs To Limited Partners., Kenneth L. Bennight Jr., Troy (Trey) S. Martin Iii
St. Mary's Law Journal
This article examines the liability provisions of the Texas Revised Act Section 3.03 and compares it with other uniform limited partnership acts. It attempts to ascertain the amount of control a limited partner can exercise over the partnership without risking unlimited liability as a general partner. Limited partners invest capital and share in the profits of the business, but their liability is limited to the amount of capital they invest. If the limited partners exercise control over the business, however, the limited partners may forfeit their limited liability and become liable as general partners. In the last century, the law …
What Price Innocence - A Realistic View Of The Innocent Landowner Defense Under Cercla., Debra L. Baker, Theodore G. Baroody
What Price Innocence - A Realistic View Of The Innocent Landowner Defense Under Cercla., Debra L. Baker, Theodore G. Baroody
St. Mary's Law Journal
Congress enacted the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act of 1980 (CERCLA) to provide the federal government and the states with authority to clean up hazardous waste sites. This article discusses the significance of the so-called “innocent landowner defense” under CERCLA. This Act imposed liability on landowners regardless of the landowner’s contribution to, or awareness of, the presence of hazardous substances on their acquired property. The exceedingly, and apparently unintentionally, harsh impact of CERCLA liability soon became apparent. This article addresses a brief summary of the statute and the manner in which the innocent landowner defense came into existence. …
Digital Audio Recording Technology: Challenges To American Copyright Law., Douglas Reid Weimer
Digital Audio Recording Technology: Challenges To American Copyright Law., Douglas Reid Weimer
St. Mary's Law Journal
This Article discusses the objectives of American copyright law, its development and its current day codification. The inception of digital audio recording technology (“DAT”) raises new challenges for American copyright law. American copyright is a constitutionally sanctioned and legislatively accorded form of protection for authors against the unauthorized copyright of their “original works of authorship.” A significant copyright issue is the ability of DAT to reproduce nearly perfect copies of copyrighted musical works. This Article further discusses certain aspects of copyright law, such as the fair use defense and the concept of “home” for the purposes of copyright protection. The …
The Stagnation Of Texas Ground Water Law: A Political V. Environmental Stalemate., Karen H. Norris
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
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 …
Benign Classification Based On Race Must Be Narrowly Tailored To Achieve A Compelling Governmental Interest., Martha J. Hess
Benign Classification Based On Race Must Be Narrowly Tailored To Achieve A Compelling Governmental Interest., Martha J. Hess
St. Mary's Law Journal
In City of Richmond v. J.A. Croson Co., the Supreme Court held a minority business utilization plan (Richmond Plan) was violative of the Fourteenth Amendment’s Equal Protection Clause. The Richmond Plan required all builders awarded city construction contracts to subcontract, at minimum, 30% of the contract value to Minority Business Enterprises. A state government enacting legislation that burdens one class of persons and benefits a similarly-situated class must provide sufficient justification for its action to survive equal protection analysis. When distinction is based on race or national origin—classes considered inherently suspect—a reviewing court subjects the governmental legislation to strict scrutiny, …
42 U.S.C. 1981 Does Not Provide A Remedy For Racial Harassment During Employment., Jeffrey A. Lacy
42 U.S.C. 1981 Does Not Provide A Remedy For Racial Harassment During Employment., Jeffrey A. Lacy
St. Mary's Law Journal
In Patterson v. McLean Credit Union, the United States Supreme Court held 42 U.S.C. § 1981 does not provide a remedy for racial harassment during employment. In 1976, in Runyon v. McCrary, the Court expanded the scope of § 1981 to cover private discrimination in contractual settings, including racial discrimination in private schools, when previously unavailable. More than a decade after the Runyon decision, the Supreme Court in Patterson, established that there were limits to § 1981’s applicability in private racial discrimination claims. Specifically, the Court held while § 1981 prohibits discriminatory conduct while entering into or enforcing a contract, …
The Whole Truth Or Nothing But The Truth - Should Attorneys Who Advertise Be Required To Disclose Prior Disciplinary Actions Taken Against Them., Sara Murray
St. Mary's Law Journal
A state should not require attorneys who advertise to disclose all prior disciplinary actions in their advertisements. Attorney advertising, like other forms of commercial speech, is not immune to state regulation. The American public deserves access to accurate information about legal services, and lawyers have a duty to provide such information. However, attorneys and all other citizens have a constitutional right not to speak. A state must balance the competing interests carefully when the public’s right to know clashes with an individual’s right not to speak. There are several arguments against requiring attorneys to disclose all prior disciplinary actions in …
An Employer Cannot Avoid Its Obligation To Contribute To An Employee-At-Will's Pension Plan By Terminating The Employee., Carol Jendrzey
An Employer Cannot Avoid Its Obligation To Contribute To An Employee-At-Will's Pension Plan By Terminating The Employee., Carol Jendrzey
St. Mary's Law Journal
In McClendon v. Ingersoll-Rand Co., the Texas Supreme Court held an employer cannot avoid its obligation to contribute to an employee-at-will’s pension plan by terminating the employee. A minority of jurisdictions recognize an implied contract exception to the employment-at-will doctrine allowing termination only with cause. In these jurisdictions, employers who raise the defense of statute of frauds because there is no written employment contract may be defeated by the terms of employment articulated in employee handbooks and manuals. Though both the legislatures and the courts recognize a public policy interest in protecting employee pension plans, the United States Supreme Court …
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 …