Citizens Against Lawsuit Abuse of Central Texas

May 28, 2008

The court on Tuesday also dismissed the lawsuit filed against Williamson County officials by Daniel Simon and Charles Edward Lincoln, a disbarred attorney who was representing Simon.

The two men also were sanctioned $150,000 and are prohibited from filing any other federal court pleadings or lawsuits until they either have paid their sanctions or get special permission from a judge.

The following statement can be attributed to Kirsten Voinis, spokesperson for CALA of Central Texas:

“Citizens Against Lawsuit Abuse of Central Texas applauds Judge Walter S. Smith Jr. for taking a zero tolerance approach to what he considers abusive lawsuits designed to harass, not right a legitimate wrong.  Unnecessary lawsuits clog our courts, delaying justice for true victims. While judges have the power to issue fines against lawyers who abuse our court system and to throw out frivolous cases, this power is rarely used.

“Abuse of the civil justice system is especially egregious when the defendant is an entity supported by taxpayer money.  In this case, the plaintiffs abused Williamson County taxpayers as much as they did the civil justice system by forcing Williamson County officials to spend time and resources to defend the county against what the judge determined to be baseless claims.”

Citizens Against Lawsuit Abuse of Central Texas is a nonprofit, grassroots coalition dedicated to making the public better aware of the cost and consequences of lawsuit abuse. For more information about CALA of Central Texas, visit www.calactx.com.