Category: News & Blog
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German Pellets Fire: One Year Later and Still No Relief for Port Arthur Residents
One year after a massive silo fire at German Pellets’ facility in Port Arthur, Texas, caused local residents to suffer through months of heavy smoke, the facility is set to reopen, and local residents still have not gotten relief. Irvine & Conner has sued German Pellets and its disaster assistance company Cotton Commercial USA, Inc.…
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Charles Irvine Gives CLE to Environmental Justice Attorneys on Texas Contested Case Process
On February 12, 2018, Charles Irvine co-taught a five-hour CLE class to 40 legal aid attorneys from across the state who specialize in environmental justice issues. The CLE focused on the Texas contested case process for protesting permits on environmental grounds and explained how legal aid attorneys can assist people affected by potentially polluting facilities.…
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Update: Addicks Barker “Upstream” Flooding Lawsuit
In Irvine & Conner’s lawsuit on behalf of “upstream” property owners affected by flooding during Tropical Storm Harvey, the Court ruled that the “Master Amended Complaint for Upstream Cases” that Irvine & Conner’s team filed would be the Master Complaint for all upstream cases. All other complaints and cases have been put on hold (or…
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I&C Team Appointed to Lead Upstream Cases in Addicks/Barker Flooding Litigation
On November 20, 2017, Chief Judge Susan G. Braden of the U.S. Court of Federal Claims appointed Irvine & Conner and its co-counsel to serve as co-lead counsel for the upstream cases. Charles Irvine of Irvine & Conner PLLC and the firm’s co-counsel Daniel Charest and Larry Vincent of Burns Charest LLP have been appointed…
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Port Arthur Residents Sue Wood Pellets Manufacturer for Fire, Smoke
On October 25, 2017, Irvine & Conner filed a lawsuit against German Pellets of Texas, LLC and Texas Pellets, Inc. on behalf of residents of the West Side neighborhood of Port Arthur, Texas. The lawsuit alleges that an explosion at the companies’ facility in Port Arthur caused a fire to blanket the residents’ homes and…
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Charles Irvine Speaks at Federal Wildlife Law Conference in Austin, Texas
Charles Irvine spoke at the Federal Wildlife Law conference held in Austin Texas on October 16 & 17, 2017. As part of a panel focused on trends and complexities relating to coastal development, Mr. Irvine discussed the protection and management of federal wildlife in areas of coastal and offshore waters. Mr. Irvine focused his discussion…
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Charles Irvine Interviewed About Addicks-Barker Lawsuit
The Houston Chronicle profiled Irvine & Conner’s proposed class action on behalf of individuals living within the Addicks and Barker Reservoirs’ maximum design pools in an article titled “Army Corps should have brought easements to make room for flood pools, lawsuit says.” In the excerpt below, Charles Irvine discusses the Corps’ failure to buy necessary…
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Houston’s Downtown Aquarium Sued for Violations of the Endangered Species Act
Today, on behalf of their client Cheryl Conley, Irvine & Conner and the Animal Legal Defense Fund filed a federal lawsuit under the Endangered Species Act against Landry’s Downtown Aquarium, a restaurant and amusement park complex located on the edge of Downtown Houston. The lawsuit challenges the living conditions of four tigers who have been…
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Addicks-Barker Flooding Lawsuit
Starting on August 26-28, 2017, the federal government stored massive amounts of stormwater from Tropical Storm Harvey in Addicks and Barker Reservoirs. As a result, both reservoirs reached historically high levels and flooded many thousands of homes and businesses which were built within the reservoirs’ maximum “design pools.” Irvine & Conner has filed a class…
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Animal Welfare Advocates Strike Back with Texas’ Anti-SLAPP Statute
On July 26, a Harris County district judge ordered a farm animal sanctuary and its founders to pay roughly $159,000 in attorney’s fees and sanctions under Texas’ Anti-SLAPP statute for bringing a frivolous lawsuit. Two of the defendants in the defamation case were represented by Irvine & Conner attorney Kristen Schlemmer. One of the defendants,…