Talty

Published on: April 3, 2019

Kaufman County Real Estate Litigation

Kaufman County is in the midst of a historic residential construction boom. Anyone driving through Forney, Terrell, Kaufman or Crandall will attest to this fact. Neighborhoods are popping up, seemingly, overnight. With that, developers, builders and individual home buyers and sellers are seeing an equal rise in the number of real estate disputes.

In our office, the main issues seem to be with individual home builders performing substandard work or failing to complete the construction of new homes. This can create quite the mess for home buyers who took out construction loans and are now paying their current mortgage, on top of the interest on their construction loan. On top of that, due to shoddy construction practices, they are having to pay additional amounts out of pocket, or reworking loans, in order to have their homes completed. With that, Texas provides certain protections under the RCLA (Residential Construction Liability Act) which protects homeowners in the event that a home builder performs defective or substandard work on a new home. Homeowners are also having issues with eminent domain. Eminent domain/condemnation proceedings have been instituted against several landowners in the last few years for rights of way and easements for utility companies and roadways through TxDot. If you face condemnation for all or part of your property, you need to consult with the attorneys at Guest and Gray. We have successfully negotiated and tried condemnation cases for families and businesses across Kaufman County and East Texas.

For developers, we are seeing issues related to re-zoning and zoning variances, land-purchase disputes, disclosure issues and right of way and easement issues. Many of these issues may be addressed in Court through specific performance, declaratory judgment or a breach of contract case.

Published on: March 7, 2019

Terrell Personal Injury and Wrongful Death Attorneys

by Guest and Gray Law Firm

Guest and Gray is Kaufman County’s trusted personal injury and wrongful death law firm. We are proud to serve all areas of Kaufman county, including Terrell, Wills Point, Forney, Kaufman, Kemp, and Crandall, and everywhere in between.

Terrell is Kaufman County’s Budding Business and Recreational Hub

If Forney is the residential complex of Kaufman County, Terrell is its business and recreational hub, and Terrell’s housing market is on the rise. What does this mean for Terrell? People on the roadways. As more businesses and people move into town, Terrell is going to see an uptick in personal injury and wrongful death cases. The numbers simply go hat-in-hand with one another. The bigger the city, the more accidents and deaths related to motor vehicle travel.

Published on: April 4, 2018

Liability for Abnormally Dangerous Domesticated Animals

by Guest and Gray Law Firm

In Texas, a person can find themselves liable for the actions of an animal considered to be “abnormally dangerous”. An animal will be considered “abnormally dangerous” if its dangerous propensities that are abnormal to its class. That means that if the animals breed is typically known for being calm and sweet, yet the animal in question had bitten or nipped at a person in the past, it could be considered to have “dangerous propensities abnormal its class”. A domesticated animal is any animal (i.e. dog, cat, pig, horse, etc.) that is by custom devoted to the service of mankind at the time and place it is kept.

To prove a cause of action for injury by a dangerous domesticated animal, the plaintiff must show that:

1. The defendant owned or possessed the animal;

Published on: March 28, 2018

Kaufman and Rockwall County Truck Accident Lawyers

by Guest and Gray Law Firm

Guest and Gray, P.C. has represented countless Rockwall and Kaufman county residents and their families after devastating 18-wheeler and commercial vehicle accidents in our area. When residents of Kaufman and Rockwall counties are injured in a truck or commercial vehicle accident, they know that Guest and Gray law firm will be there to help them hold the trucking company and their insurance carrier accountable for their actions.

Kaufman and Rockwall Counties are Seeing Growth in Number of Truck and Commercial Vehicle Accidents

Just in the last few weeks, truck accidents have caused havoc on our local roadways. In the last few years, both Kaufman and Rockwall counties have seen spikes in the number of truck related accidents, injuries and deaths. As more commercial vehicles drive on our roadways, that will only increase the risk of serious injuries to our local residents and those that travel on our roadways. When those types of accidents occur, you need to know who to call. Call Guest and Gray, P.C., your local, experienced truck accident attorneys.

Published on: March 16, 2018

Kaufman County Personal Injury: Growth, Congestion and Traffic Accidents

by Guest and Gray Law Firm

Kaufman County is in a weird transitional phase from being a historically rural county with numerous small tightly knit communities to a more commercialized suburban sprawl where the ends of one city meet another.

When many of us originally moved to the area, we did so to “get away” from the sped up lifestyle of the city. However, being good Texans, we embraced the opportunities for economic growth and now Kaufman county is seeing not only incredible growth, but growth that is picking up speed.

Although much of Kaufman county is still rural, with county roads that are lined with small country neighborhoods and small to mid-sized working ranches. However, our cities are becoming bustling centers of commerce and those cities are encroaching on the county roads. Driving down FM 2757, you can see houses over the low rolling hills where Heartland is encroaching on one of the last remaining vestiges of Kaufman county’s relatively untouched beauty. Forney’s population is exploding. Terrell is showing everyone how business and planning for the future is done. Kaufman is growing. Even Crandall and other oft forgotten about areas of our county such as Kemp, Elmo, Warsaw, Talty, all of these areas are seeing growth (the author is from Combine- does anybody remember that Combine is actually a part of Kaufman County?).

Published on: December 5, 2017

Dog Bite Cases in Rockwall and Kaufman County

by Guest and Gray Law Firm

Dog attacks are a frequent occurrence here in the Dallas, Rockwall and Kaufman county areas. Much of our county contains rural homesites where people are more likely to let their dogs run free. Our area can also be densely populated with neighborhoods where dogs are kept in backyards but quite often those dogs find themselves running loose out of the backyard and are not used to coming in contact with new people. However, the most common scenario surrounding a dog bite is where a friend or family member comes over for a visit and is attacked by the homeowner’s dog.

According to handctr.com, there are as many as one million animal bites that happen each year across the United States. It can happen in an instant. You or a loved one is over at a friend’s house or jogging on the street and out of no where the dog attacks. It happens too often. The worst part about dog bite cases is not always the initial injuries sustained but it is the time period of recovery. Dog bites are a mixture of puncture wounds that dig through flesh and deep cuts and scratches caused by the teeth and claws of the animal. As a result, the injuries can take a long time to heal, leave lasting scars and disfigurement as well as nerve damage and nerve pain. Dog bites also impress upon the victim a distinct level of pain and suffering and mental anguish as a result of becoming fearful of dogs and other animals as a result of the attack. Someone who used to be a dog lover may be left being fearful for their life every time they come in contact with a new dog.

Establishing Premises Owner Negligence