Victory on Appeal in Texas Supreme Court
November 1, 2010On October 22, 2010, the Texas Supreme Court upheld a $30 million victory obtained by Beck Redden in the Corpus Christi Court of Appeals. The case (Wells Fargo v. Crocker) arose when Wells Fargo, acting as executor, distributed $460,000 from its deceased depositor’s bank account to the depositor's wife rather than to his children. After a Victoria County jury found that Wells Fargo was liable for $230,000 in actual damages and $30 million in punitive damages, the trial court awarded judgment against Wells Fargo. But the Court of Appeals reversed the judgment, holding that Wells Fargo had caused no harm to the plaintiffs. This ruling eliminated the entire $30-plus million judgment against Wells Fargo. The plaintiffs appealed to the Supreme Court, but the Supreme Court declined to hear their petition.
Beck Redden partner David Gunn was lead counsel on the appeal and was assisted by his colleague Erin H. Huber. They collaborated with San Antonio trial attorneys Joyce W. Moore, Gayla Corley, and Maria Christina E. Nelson.