As a trial lawyer, Steve Mostyn and Mostyn Law, the Texas firm he and his wife Amber run, have presided over some of the most successful cases stemming from major natural disasters, like Hurricane Rita and Hurricane Sandy. But not all of Mostyn Law’s cases are rooted in storm-related damage. The firm has also worked on important and influential cases against large companies like Chrysler and Boston Scientific, the latter of which Mostyn Law is currently litigating a case against.
Here are 5 cases that rank among Mostyn Law’s most noteworthy.
When Alfred Davis, a paraplegic from the waist down, accidentally switched on the electric seat warmer in his brand new 2004 Jeep Grand Cherokee, he was unable to notice that the seat had reached a scalding 165 degrees. He suffered third-degree burns to his legs as a result and was faced with medical bills that totaled nearly $900,000. David and Mostyn Law filed a suit against the Chrysler Group and Johnson Controls, Inc., the makers of the car seat. They reached a successful resolution in the severe burn case, and Davis’s case, along with three other similar cases, were influential in the Chrysler’s decision to recall 111,700 Grand Cherokees by 2006.
Like Hurricane Sandy many years after it, Hurricane Rita of 2005 and Hurricane Ike of 2008 were responsible for billions of dollars in property damage, with homes, businesses, churches, and schools bearing the brunt of their destruction. After the storms, Steve and Amber Mostyn discovered thousands of cases of insurers’ misconduct, or when legitimate claims filed by insured consumers affected by the Hurricanes were systematically delayed, denied, or substantially underpaid. The work done by Mostyn Law resulted in significant settlements for thousands of families, allowing homeowners to rebuild what was lost in the Hurricanes. These efforts also prompted a special reports by ABC News and other news agencies across the nation as well as investigations by governmental entities for conduct arising after the storms.
Mostyn Law also went head-to-head with Texas Windstorm Insurance Association (TWIA) after Hurricane Ike destroyed much of southeast Texas in 2008. As the acting Plaintiff Liaison counsel for all Ike cases in Harris, Galveston, Fort Bend, Beaumont and Montgomery counties, Mostyn Law filed several suits on behalf of thousands of Texas homeowners after the firm found that TWIA failed to properly reimburse property owners by botching or underpaying claims. In May 2013, Mostyn Law was pleased to announce that a final settlement was reached between TWIA and those who had suffered damage during Hurricane Ike. Mostyn Law’s uncovering of TWIA’s improper conduct during claims handling of thousands of Ike claims, lead to investigations by government agencies that ultimately lead to TWIA being held accountable for their actions during Hurricane Ike.
Mostyn Law has also scored victories against other insurers for Hurricane Ike-related cases, including but not limited to, USAA, State Farm, Cypress Texas Lloyds, Liberty Lloyds, and Geovera. Mostyn Law most recently won a case against National Fire & Casualty, in which an appellate court ruled that the insurer owed homeowners Rene Lampson and Justina Henriquez Lampson nearly $389,000 for improperly handling their claim for damage inflicted by Hurricane Ike.
Hurricane Sandy was responsible for over one hundred deaths and caused an estimated $65 billion in damage. For too many homeowners affected by the 2012 superstorm, the headaches that followed dealing with uncooperative and sometimes dishonest insurance companies were often too much to bear. Many of these companies used fraudulent engineering reports to justify their denial of many insurance filings. After conducting a thorough investigation, Mostyn Law—and Steve and Amber Mostyn—found that there was systemic misconduct committed by insurance companies. According to attorney Caroline Maida, over 1,200 cases related to underpaid insurance claims have since been settled with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) as a result from Mostyn Law’s work. Moreover, while Mostyn Law’s findings have spurred a federal investigation as well.
The two hailstorms that reaped havoc throughout Hidalgo County in 2012 were responsible for over $260 million in damages to countless homes and businesses. Two years later, residents and business owners were hit with another big setback: insurance companies like National Lloyds that were cheating them out of fair compensation for their damages. As a result, a team of attorneys from Mostyn Law worked as the Plaintiff’s Liaison Counsel for thousands of hailstorm cases in the Rio Grande Valley. It is because of their tireless work that many of their clients were able to receive the proper compensation they were originally entitled to. As was the case with Dr. Alfredo Lopez and his wife Melissa, Mostyn Law’s efforts ultimately secured families like theirs a settlement that enabled them to repair family homes that had been considerably damaged by the hailstorm.
Mostyn Law is among the nation’s top law firms that are suing companies related to the damages caused by transvaginal mesh implants, a device used to treat women for many symptoms like pelvic organ prolapse and urinary incontinence. Mostyn Law alleges that Boston Scientific used counterfeit resin to make its mesh implants. It’s major civil suit, Teresa Stevens v. Boston Scientific, is a federal racketeering class action lawsuit and is the first RICO lawsuit filed in transvaginal mesh litigation. The case is still ongoing.