Check out our August newsletter!
Civtrial.com (512) 476-4944
August 2026
The Other Side of the Leash
As a personal injury lawyer, I handle my share of dog bite cases. I’ve represented kids who were attacked at a neighbor’s house, joggers and bikers who were chased down, and folks who were just trying to deliver a package when someone’s “friendly” dog decided otherwise. I’ve even tried a dog bite case against a former NFL player, a trial the Austin American-Statesman covered daily for the better part of a week. Dog bite cases are serious. The injuries can be devastating, especially for children. The Dog Bite Lawyer’s Dog
So, you might assume I’m not a dog person.
You’d be wrong. I’m writing this with my dog Hadley curled up in her bed about 4 feet from my workspace.
Hadley came into our lives during COVID, which feels like a hundred years ago and also like yesterday. Our daughter had come home from college, and, like many people stuck at home in the spring of 2020, she decided fostering a dog would be a great idea. The problem was that everyone else in Austin had the same idea at the same time. Available foster dogs were in short supply.
too long. She is, without question, the best argument for taking a break. When my brain is fried from reading depositions or drafting a brief, she’s a 10-minute walk around the neighborhood waiting to happen. I always come back sharper than I left. I’m not going to pretend Hadley has made me rethink my dog bite cases. The fact that I love my dog doesn’t change the fact that other people’s dogs sometimes cause real harm, and the people they hurt deserve a lawyer who’ll fight for them. Both things are true. Most dogs are great. Some aren’t. And owners are responsible for knowing the difference. But on National Dog Day this Aug. 26, I’ll be giving Hadley an extra treat and probably a longer walk than usual. She’s earned it. She’s been a steady, sweet presence through some weird years. Through all of it, she’s just been happy to see us walk in the door. Although, if I’m being completely honest, she’s also been happy to see the UPS driver walk up the driveway, the neighbor across the street, anyone walking a dog on the street, or a squirrel she’s (hopefully) never going to catch. Loyalty is a beautiful thing. So, it is a very low bar.
After some looking, my daughter came to me and asked if we could foster a mother dog with two puppies. I said no.
Instead, we fostered a mother dog with eight puppies.
I’m still not entirely sure how that happened. I’m a lawyer. I’m good at negotiating. But somehow “no, not two puppies” turned into “yes, eight puppies” before I knew what hit me. What followed was about as chaotic as you’d imagine. We had dogs everywhere. The puppies were into everything. The mother dog, who we were told was an Alaskan malamute, had heartworms, which meant treatments and vet visits on top of the eight tiny tornadoes destroying our house. The puppies eventually went to good homes. The mother dog stayed. She was just too sweet to let go. We named her Hadley, and she’s been with us ever since. These days, Hadley is my coworker. When I work from home, she’ll lie in her bed near my desk, occasionally wandering over to put her head on my leg when she decides I’ve been at the computer
Happy National Dog Day!
- Brooks Schuelke
Civtrial.com | 1
Published by Newsletter Pro • newsletterpro.com
WHEN PARENTHOOD REWRITES THE RULES OF FRIENDSHIP STAYING CONNECTED IN A BUSIER LIFE
Becoming a parent changes many things in a person’s life, and friendships are no exception. At first, the changes may be subtle. Texts sit for days because someone opened them during nap time and forgot to respond, or plans get pushed back because one person is juggling daycare pickup while the other’s life runs on a different schedule. When those types of things keep happening, it can feel personal, but it’s usually because parenthood changes how much time and energy a person has. The friend who was always available for late- night parties and last-minute plans is much harder to reach when they start dealing with the early mornings and constant interruptions that come with having kids. Still, a friendship change doesn’t mean it was weak to begin with or that anyone is to blame. It may just mean it needs a different direction. Some friendships can
survive with new expectations, but others may need to go quiet until schedules become less chaotic. One of the healthiest approaches to this type of change is to stop judging the friendship by how it used to look and start finding easier ways to stay connected. A long-standing weekly dinner may become a quick phone call, or weekend plans might become a walk around the neighborhood with strollers.
It’s also helpful to be honest about the time you have available. Reaching out to let the other person know your time is stretched thin is better than disappearing without a word and hoping they understand. And instead of pretending you can keep up like before, it’s usually better to name what you can actually manage, whether that’s a short walk, a quick call, or a plan made a few weeks out. New friendships may happen differently, too. For many parents, the easiest connections come from seeing the same people again and again in ordinary places like the school pickup line or the local park. That repeated contact gives people a chance to become familiar without forcing it. As a parent, it’s good to remind yourself that friendships don’t have to stay frozen in their old form to still be meaningful. They just have to match the life you’re living now.
A Shortcut With Felony Charges THE MILLION-DOLLAR RIDE HOME
Most of us could understand someone needing a ride home after getting out of prison. Choosing to steal a semitruck loaded with high-end sports cars to solve that problem is where things headed off track. According to Arizona authorities, a 23-year-old man in Cochise County took a tractor trailer carrying 10 Chevrolet C8 Corvettes valued at over $1.25 million. The excuse he gave deputies was that he had just been released from prison and needed transportation home. That may explain the destination, but it didn’t explain the method. How It Started Before the suspect ever got behind the wheel, there was a moment where things could have gone differently. He met the truck’s driver at a truck stop and started chatting with him about the expensive cargo. From there, he built enough trust with the driver to lower his guard.
When the driver tried to get back in the truck, things changed quickly. Authorities say the suspect grabbed him, threw him out, and drove off with the entire load. At that point, this was no longer an issue of getting home. And if someone is going to take a vehicle, it’s hard to imagine a less subtle choice than a semi hauling more than a million dollars’ worth of Corvettes. How It Escalated Once the truck was on the road, things only got worse. When a deputy tried to pull the vehicle over, the driver didn’t respond right away to the lights and sirens. Instead, he kept going and began driving recklessly, which forced other drivers off the road. Driving a stolen semitruck is one problem. Doing it while being pursued by law enforcement and putting other people in danger is another. Each decision the suspect made layered on top of the last, turning a bad idea into something much more serious. Where It Ended Eventually, the driver stopped and was taken into custody. He now faces multiple felony charges, including robbery and several counts tied to the stolen vehicle. The semi and its cargo were recovered without damage, and the original driver was able to continue his delivery. The Corvettes may have made it to their destination, but the suspect’s shortcut home turned into a much longer legal detour. As travel plans go, this one had a few very obvious flaws.
2 | (512) 476-4944
Published by Newsletter Pro • newsletterpro.com
THE SNACK THEATERS TRIED TO BAN
TAKE A BREAK
How Popcorn Took Over the Movies
It’s hard to imagine a movie theater lobby without the smell of popcorn, but for decades, many theater owners wanted nothing to do with it. Early in the film business, movie theaters tried to emulate the classier feel of live theater, complete with decorative interiors and expensive carpeting. A buttery snack that left crumbs everywhere didn’t exactly fit that image. Popcorn itself was popular long before theaters came around. By the late 1800s, people were eating it at fairs, sporting events, and other public gatherings. Charles Cretors’ steam- powered popcorn machine, patented in 1893, made the snack easy to sell on the go. So, when movie theaters became popular in the early 1900s, popcorn vendors were ready. They just had to stand outside the theater doors. Theater owners quickly discovered that people were perfectly willing to sneak in snacks purchased from street vendors, even if the theaters themselves refused to sell them. Unfortunately for those owners, the popcorn still ended up on the carpets
Refreshing Gazpacho
they were trying so hard to protect. Theaters also complained about the noise. During the silent film era, constant crunching and rustling weren’t exactly helping the viewing experience.
Everything changed once theater owners realized how much money they were leaving on the table. By the late 1920s and early 1930s, some discovered they could sell popcorn for much more than what it cost to make. Then came the Great Depression. Movies remained one of the few
• 2 lbs tomatoes, quartered • 2 Persian cucumbers, peeled and chopped • 1/2 red bell pepper, chopped • 1 clove garlic, roughly chopped • 2 tbsp red wine vinegar • 1/2 cup water Ingredients Directions 1. In a food processor or blender, combine tomatoes, cucumbers, red bell pepper, garlic, vinegar, and water. 2. Blend until smooth, then add olive oil and blend again. 3. Season with salt and pepper to taste, then cover and refrigerate until chilled. 4. Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. 5. Add baguette pieces, face down, and toast until golden and crisp, about 1–2 minutes. 6. Remove from pan and let cool. 7. Divide soup into even servings and top with basil, olive oil, cucumbers, or tomatoes as desired. Serve with the toasted bread for dipping and enjoy! • 1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil • Salt and pepper to taste • 1 small baguette, quartered • 6 cherry tomatoes, halved • 2 tbsp thinly sliced basil
affordable forms of entertainment, and popcorn was cheap enough that customers could afford a bag with their ticket.
At first, theaters allowed popcorn vendors to rent lobby space. Before long, though, many owners cut out the middleman and bought their own popcorn machines. That decision helped reshape the movie theater business. By the late 1940s, popcorn had become so tied to the moviegoing experience that most theaters sold it, and audiences fully expected it to be part of the night. Decades later, popcorn is still the treat most associated with the movies, and it continues to be a huge moneymaker for owners. That’s not bad for a snack that theaters once tried to keep outside.
Civtrial.com | 3
Published by Newsletter Pro • newsletterpro.com
PRST STD US POSTAGE PAID BOISE, ID PERMIT 411
1100 B Guadalupe Street Austin, Texas 78701
INSIDE THIS ISSUE
The Gift of a Good Dog
1
The Friendship Shift After Kids
2
A Very Expensive Bad Idea
Refreshing Gazpacho
3
Popcorn’s Hollywood Break
A Case That Tests the Limits of Marital Accountability
4
WHERE RELATIONSHIPS MEET LIABILITY
The Cost of Crossing a Line in Someone Else’s Marriage
Marriage can be the most challenging adventure any of us will undertake. While it can be a rewarding and loving experience when you have the right partner, not everyone is so lucky. According to the experts, nearly half of all marriages end in divorce or separation. Infidelity is often a leading cause for divorce, but in most states, the betrayed spouse has no avenue for reparation from the cheater and their affair partner. North Carolina is one of the few states that allow alienation of affection lawsuits, and a prominent political figure has just found herself embroiled in a scandal. At the beginning of the year, Heather Ammel filed a lawsuit against former U.S. Sen. Kyrsten Sinema for deliberately interfering in her marriage by seducing and having sex with her husband, Matthew, despite knowing he was married. Matthew worked as a security guard for Sinema and regularly joined her on trips to events, festivals, and concerts. Heather claims that Sinema sent racy pictures
and messages outside the bounds of a normal working relationship during 2023 and 2024. She also claimed the former senator encouraged Matthew to bring illicit drugs on a work trip. Heather and Matthew separated in November 2024, and Heather alleges that Sinema’s actions were the final straw for their marriage. Matthew and Sinema currently reside in Maricopa County, Arizona. Sinema has since filed a motion to dismiss the complaint, arguing that their relationship occurred exclusively outside North Carolina. She also stated that their romantic relationship did not start until May 2024, five months before Matthew and Heather separated. Alienation of affection cases are few and far between, as the betrayed spouse has to prove that a third party is responsible for the failure of the marriage. However, they often lead to big verdicts and settlements when they go to trial, especially when prominent names are involved.
4 | (512) 476-4944
Published by Newsletter Pro • newsletterpro.com
Page 1 Page 2 Page 3 Page 4Made with FlippingBook Ebook Creator