Stephen T. Dennis

EXPERIENCE

TRANSPORTATION & LOGISTICS

• Obtained summary judgment in defense of a personal injury claim involving a tractor-trailer backing into a household goods mover in Travis County, Texas.
• Obtained a defense verdict in a personal injury matter involving an accident with a pallet jack and truck lift for a household goods mover in Bexar County, Texas.
• Represented and negotiated favorable settlements for motor carriers, transportation brokers, and shippers in defense of personal injury and property damage claims
• Represented and negotiated favorable settlements for transportation brokers, motor carriers, and shippers in freight damage and stolen freight cases
• Counseled and advised motor carriers, transportation brokers, and shippers on various types of transportation contracts and agreements
• Counseled and advised motor carriers, transportation brokers, and shippers on best practices for enforcing and collecting judgments
• Counseled and advised motor carriers on best practices related to installing dash-cam videos into their tractor-trailers
• Obtained a defense verdict for a household goods mover in a personal injury matter related to a pallet jack and truck lift accident
• Obtained defense verdict in defense of a drayage service and its driver involving a motor carrier safety citation
• Obtained summary judgment in defense of a personal injury claim related to a tractor-trailer backing into a household goods mover
• Obtained summary judgment in defense of a personal injury claim due to plaintiff’s failure to diligently serve defendant
• Obtained summary judgment in support of a shipper’s claim that it had no duty to comply with the FMCSA’s Hours of Service Rules. See Caballero v. Archer, No. SA-04-CA-561-OG, 2007 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 12271 (W.D. Tex. 2007)
• Obtained dismissals of freight damage claims based on the Carmack Amendment in federal court
• Removed auto accident personal injury claims to federal court using alienage jurisdiction and then obtained dismissals based on plaintiff’s failure to comply with Federal Rules of Civil Procedure
• Transferred case in federal court for a motor carrier seeking to defend a breach of contract claim which led to a favorable settlement

BUSINESS, COMMERCIAL & ENERGY

• Obtained a favorable bench trial verdict in a commercial debt collection action
• Represented and obtained death penalty sanctions in an e-discovery dispute related to an insurance fraud claim in the United States Bankruptcy Court – Western District of Texas – El Paso Division
• Represented and negotiated favorable settlements in business divorce matters
• Represented and negotiated favorable settlements on behalf of various nursing homes in commercial debt collection actions
• Represented and negotiated favorable settlements for a large industrial construction company involving subcontractor and owner disputes as well as vendor disputes
• Represented and negotiated favorable settlement on behalf of an oil and gas producer in a frac sand purchase dispute
• Represented and negotiated favorable settlement between a motor carrier, a factoring company, and an oil services company in a significant dispute related to the payment of frac sand hauling services
• Represented and negotiated a favorable settlement on behalf of an investor seeking the return of his investment in an oil and gas venture
• Represented and negotiated a favorable settlement on behalf of an oil gathering company related to downstream condensate allegedly smuggled into Texas from Mexico
• Represented and negotiated favorable settlement on behalf of a landowner’s Association regarding a dispute over an easement, large boulder and fines issued against a landowner
• Represented and negotiated a favorable settlement on behalf of an oil services company in a worker’s compensation retaliation claim
• Represented and negotiated a favorable settlement on behalf of a geologist seeking to receive his interest in a royalty partnership agreement
• Represented and negotiated a favorable settlement on behalf of a flooring subcontractor in a dispute involving wood flooring installed in a San Antonio residential high rise
• Represented and negotiated a favorable multi-million-dollar settlement on behalf of a Housing Authority based on an alleged breach of a Moving to Work agreement

PREMISES LIABILITY

• Represented and negotiated favorable settlements for various Housing Authorities in defense of slip/trip and falls, dog bites, and negligent security cases
• Represented and negotiated favorable settlements for a large pharmacy chain in defense of slip/trip and falls
• Represented and negotiated favorable settlements for restaurants in defense of slip/trip and falls and negligent security cases
• Obtained summary judgment on behalf of a restaurant related to a defamation claim. See Lopez v. Sonic Restaurants, Inc., No. 04-10-00318-CV, 2010 Tex. App. LEXIS 8235 (Tex. App. – San Antonio October 13, 2010, pet. denied)
• Obtained dismissals on behalf of Housing Authorities based on Pleas to the Jurisdiction in slip/trip and fall claims

PRODUCT LIABILITY

• Represented and negotiated favorable settlement on behalf of an owner of a fresh and frozen seafood distributor whose water-cooling system was damaged due to an allegedly defective specialized water treatment system
• Represented and negotiated favorable settlement on behalf of a carpet manufacturer in defense of a fiberglass exposure claim
• Obtained the voluntary dismissal of a lift kit manufacturer in a products liability claim
• Obtained the voluntary dismissal of a company who reconditions automatic shrink wrap machines in a products liability claim
• Represented and obtained favorable settlement on behalf of a thermostat manufacturer in defense of a fire damage claim

CONSTRUCTON AND PROFESSIONAL LIABILITY LITIGATION

• Represented and negotiated favorable settlements on behalf of owners, contractors, and sub-contractors in the defense of personal injury claims at construction sites
• Represented and negotiated favorable settlement in defense of a roofing subcontractor in a suit brought by a local school district for alleged design and construction defects
• Represented and negotiated favorable settlement on behalf of a large industrial contractor involving a dispute over engineering services provided by a professional engineering subcontractor

PRESENTATIONS

Moderator. We Hold These Truths to be Self-Evident: George Washington Didn’t Have a Plane but We Bet He Would Want One, Transportation Lawyer’s Association Annual Meeting (May 2022)

Panelist. Impact of Social Inflation and Political Climate on Excess Verdicts, Housing Authority Defense Association Annual Meeting (September 2021)

Panelist. Perfect 10: A Discussion on How to Manage Cargo Claims Under the Food Safety Modernization Act, Transportation Lawyer’s Association Annual Meeting (June 2021)

Panelist. F4 What? FAAAA Preemption as it Relates to Casualty Claims, Transportation Lawyers Association’s Chicago Regional Seminar (January 2021)

Panelist. Broker Involvement in a Cargo Claim: Deal Maker, Deal Breaker, or No Deal, Transportation Lawyer’s Association Annual Meeting (May, 2019)

Co-presenter. Alright, You’ve Got the Goods – Now What? When the Music Stops: What To Do When the Cargo and/or Tractor Trailer Stops, Transportation Lawyers Association’s Webinar Series (February 2018)

Co-presenter. PR: Moving It from Perfunctory to Priority, Annual Texas NAHRO Conference (June 2017)

Presenter. Email Etiquette & Errors, Housing Authorities of Texas Symposium (November 2016)

Presenter. Challenges for Housing Authorities, Housing Authorities of Texas Symposium (November 2015)

Co-presenter. Ouch That Hurt! Shipper/Carrier Liability to Drivers and Third Parties for Improperly Loaded Freight (at the Liability Interstices Where Casualty and Cargo Collide), Transportation Lawyers Association (March 2015)

Presenter. The Dos & Don’ts: The RFP/RFQ Process for Legal Counsel, Housing Authorities of Texas Symposium (November 2014)

Presenter. Board Liability: Fiduciary Duties & Best Practices, Texas Housing Authority Conference (August 2014)

Panelist. Employment Law Q&A, Housing Authorities of Texas Symposium (November 2013)

Panelist. Ask the Lawyer, Housing Authority of Texas Symposium (November 2012)

Presenter. Basic Litigation Primer for Housing Authority Executives, Annual Texas NAHRO Conference (April 2012)

PUBLICATIONS

Browning Oil Co. v. Luecke: Has Texas Illuminated a Dark Distinction Between Vertical and Horizontal Drilling?, St. Mary’s Law Journal 215 (2002)

MEDIA

Local Attorneys Weigh In On the Hot Topics for 2015, San Antonio Business Journal (January 2015)

Full Speed Ahead?, San Antonio Business Journal (May 2014)

Pig or Prince? Cleaning Up Your CSA Scores May Call for an Extreme Makeover, Big Rig Owner (March 2013)