Stratton Horres (Partner-Dallas) and Lee Cameron (Partner-Dallas) resolved five high-profile Dallas suits involving murder for hire, suffocation of three residents of a senior living facility by a serial killer, and a catastrophic elevator accident in the Dallas office tower where Wilson Elser has its offices.

The first suit involved the murder of a woman dentist by three killers hired by the ex-girlfriend of the dentist’s boyfriend as she parked her car after work. Plaintiff’s mother and brother claimed security at the complex was inadequate. Following discovery, Stratton and Lee filed a Motion for Summary Judgment that the criminal acts were a superseding cause breaking the chain of causation, and that the fatal shooting was unforeseeable. The case settled for a very reasonable amount on the eve of the summary judgment hearing. See Texas Monthly, “The Doctor, the Dentist, and the Killer ,” January 2020.

Stratton and Lee also resolved the suffocation murder cases of three residents in a luxury senior living facility perpetrated by serial killer Billy Chemirmir. Plaintiffs alleged inadequate security against the current and former owners/managers of the facility in addition to the firm’s client security company. Stratton and Lee located documents showing that the security company patrolled the facility three times a day as contracted, which convinced the plaintiffs and the co-defendants that the security company was not at fault. One case was dismissed without payment and the other two for de minimis amounts.

The fifth case involved the sudden drop of an elevator in the iconic Bank of America Tower in downtown Dallas where Wilson Elser has its offices. The plaintiff was severely injured and blamed the building’s security for failing to take the elevator out of service the day before when three other riders reported problems. Stratton and Lee resolved the case at a mediation for a reasonable sum with a significant contribution by the elevator company and building owners/management defendants.