Episode 307 – Fighting Back: Warren V. Norred Talks COVID Lawsuit Strategy

Managing member of Norred Law, PLLC, Warren V. Norred, discusses several suits his firm has filed on behalf of plaintiffs in Texas who have faced unfair COVID shutdown infractions. This podcast shares details of these cases but also the bigger picture of how Norred hopes to chip away at the top-down nonsensical enforcements. He explains

• How the shutdown policies have not adapted to what we’ve learned about how the pandemic spreads,
• How certain applications of the Disaster Act violate the constitution of the state of Texas, and
• What specific cases he has filed to show just that.

Warren V. Norred practices bankruptcy law, business litigation, and intellectual property law, which includes patent law and all things associated with it. About ten percent of his work is what he calls “white hat law,” where he files suits due to matters of injustice. He talks about how Texas has moved into top-down mandates regarding COVID business procedures, often resulting in scenarios that make little sense and have hurt businesses. Furthermore, the governor and local bureaucracies are entangled in a way where no one is taking responsibility for these bad policies.  

Norred says his firm is “adding spice to the recipe of the public discussion.”  He then talks about specific cases like that of Shelly Luther who was put in jail for contempt by continuing to operate her business after the court told her to stop. He describes the governor’s retrograde statement about such jail time and then he gives a convincing description of how the Disaster Act of 1975 along with the 2005 amendment gave local leaders too much control in these situations. In addition, the act was written for major disasters, not disease management. He gives powerful descriptions of how unevenly the laws have been applied, which leads him to explain the most effective strategy: filing cases that show the Disaster Act is unconstitutional as applied. 

Norred gives an impassioned explanation about filing these COVID lawsuits: it’s not about the economy, but about people being able to live their lives. He’s happy to take emailed questions from attorneys about how to join in on these kinds of battles.

See the Norred Law website and send him an email, warren@norredlaw.com.

He advises attorneys to look for over-the-top enforcements and think outside the box.

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