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House Bill 1711 |
House Author: Fletcher |
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Effective: 9-1-13 |
Senate Sponsor: Duncan |
House Bill 1711 amends Government Code provisions relating to contracts procured through prohibited barratry and civil liability for prohibited barratry to, among other things, authorize a client who enters into a contract for legal services that was procured as a result of barratry to bring an action to recover any amount that may be awarded to a client who prevails in an action to void such a contract, even if the contract is voided voluntarily. The bill adds a $10,000 penalty to the amounts to be recovered in civil actions based on prohibited barratry and specifies that the expedited actions process created by the Texas Rules of Civil Procedure does not apply to such civil actions.
House Bill 1711 removes conduct constituting the Penal Code offense of barratry in which a written communication or solicitation, concerning an arrest of or issuance of a summons to a defendant, is provided to the defendant or a relative of the defendant before the 31st day after the arrest or issuance of the summons occurred.