Texas Democrat State Representative Ron Reynolds Arrested and Jailed

Southeast Texas Record ^ | 4/25/12 | Marilyn Tennissen

[TexasConservativeRepublican]

from the Southeast Texas Record

A state representative who was named the Democrats' "Freshman of the Year" spent some time in jail Tuesday night.

State Rep. Ron Reynolds (District 27), a managing partner at Brown, Brown and Reynolds Law Firm, is accused of illegally soliciting legal cases.

Reynolds, 38, whose district includes Fort Bend County, was arrested Tuesday. He posted a $5,000 bond and was released after midnight Wednesday. He will make his first court appearance Thursday.

According to Fox 26 in Houston, another Houston attorney, Marcela Halmagean, filed a complaint against Reynolds that led to his arrest.

The complaint alleges Reynolds used an individual to solicit Halmagean as a client when she was involved in an auto crash.

Texas law prohibits soliciting a client for legal services, and just last year, the Texas Legislature passed a statute that makes barratry a civil as well as criminal infraction, allowing civil suits to be filed.

Reynolds, a former municipal court judge, past president of the Houston Lawyers Association and an adjunct professor at Texas Southern University was named "Freshman of the Year" in 2011 by the House Democratic Caucus.

But the barratry charge is not the first time Reynolds has been in trouble. He was previously fined $10,000.00 by the Texas Ethics Commission for refusing to file legally-required disclosure statements.

A KXAN News investigation shows that as of June 1, 2011, Reynolds owed the Texas Ethics Commission nearly $10,260 in fines relating to failure to file the required financial disclosure reports required of candidates for public office and officeholders.

The Texas Attorney General's Office took Reynolds to court to collect the fines, and the lawmakers now owes the AG $2,500, plus interest, in court costs, the investigations shows. The Texas Comptroller's Office is now garnishing his legislative salary to collect the debt.

He also failed to submit his Personal Financial Statement for 2008, 2010 and 2011. Failure to file a Personal Financial Statement is a Class B Misdemeanor. If convicted, the penalty is up to 180 days in jail, a fine of up to $2,000, or both.
read more here: http://www.setexasrecord.com/news/243536-texas-state-rep.-named-freshman-of-the-year-jailed-on-barratry-charges

[Madame Dufarge]

Well, looks like the Democrats’ “Freshman of the Year” has all the qualifications: ethics violations and arrogance.

[dennisw]

Soliciting clients = ambulance chasing

[BluH2o]

Texas Democrat State Representative Ron Reynolds Arrested and Jailed

In Texas they don't pull any punches ... almost everywhere else you would have to read thru the article to almost the end before a 'democrat' party affiliation was mentioned.

[Candor7]

Freshman of the Year must be an big Obama fan, the rules just do not apply to him or his suporters.

[StAnDeliver]

Don’t. Mess. With. Texas.

[samtheman]

Texas sure is a good state.

[DUMBGRUNT]

Texas Comptroller's Office is now garnishing his legislative salary

I have to wonder just how many pols and 'public servants' have a brick on their wages?

[yldstrk]

“barretry”

what is that?

[NYTexan]

One of y’alls rep?

[yldstrk]

what did he do exactly?

This sounds wierd

[IbJensen]

Obama: “Ron could be my son!.”

[TexasConservativeRepublican]

You his the nail on the head. Those seem to be the top three qualities needed to be a Dem State Rep

[mrsixpack36]

He marketed his legal services and business. This is free enterprise. I don’t like someone being arrested for it (even though it is a RAT).

[The Antiyuppie]

I’m beginning to think, that the biggest regret that I have in my life, was not being born in Texas. I’ve read very little about the place that I wouldn’t like. Unlike that stupid, nasty, skinny place to it’s left.

[deport]

“barretry”

BARRARTY

[jimtorr]

He marketed his legal services and business.

Marketing of services is legal. What is illegal nearly everywhere is direct, personal solicitation, also known as ambulance chasing.

A lawyer, or in this case a lawyers helper, catches people when they are most vulnerable and sometimes talks them into doing things they would not normally.

Remember that it is the legal community itself who writes the law. An overwhelming majority of politicians are lawyers themselves.

[Zeppo]

Texas Democrat State Representative Ron Reynolds Arrested and Jailed

For a Democrat, that's what is commonly known as a "resume enhancer".

[yldstrk]

Barratry is most commonly applied to an attorney who attempts to bring about a lawsuit that will be profitable to her or him. Barratry is an offense both at Common Law and under some state statutes. The broader common-law crime has been limited by certain statutes. An attorney who is overly officious in instigating or encouraging prosecution of groundless litigation might be guilty of common barratry under a particular statute. The requirement for the crime of barratry is that repeated or persistent acts of litigation are performed by the accused. Barratry is generally a misdemeanor punishable by fine or imprisonment. In the case of an attorney, disbarment is the usual punishment. Since few cases have been prosecuted, barratry is considered by the legal community at large to be an archaic crime. This is particularly true today due to a highly litigious atmosphere.