Mr. R. Michael Northrup

Practice Details

• Languages
  Spanish
• Firm Information
  Position

  Shareholder

  Firm Name

  Cowles & Thompson, P.C.
• Representative Cases & Transactions
  Cases

  Experience: Representative Experience: Successfully challenged a series of trial court's orders on appeal on the basis that the orders did not establish a final judgment, (as the party in whose favor the orders were rendered had argued). The Appellee had obtained an order severing out various claims
  parties -apparently for the purposes of creating a final enforceable judgment
  forcing an appeal. The court of appeals concluded that there was no final judgment because no order disposed of post-judgment interest. The court of appeals also noted that the trial court should not have severed the judgment merely for the purpose of obtaining an advisory appellate opinion.
  Successfully defended a summary judgment awarded in favor of a homeowner's association
  a group of individual homeowners. The plaintiffs were themselves homeowners
  brought suit seeking to declare that the various homeowners were in violation of the association's deed restrictions
  that all the deed restrictions were void because of lack of enforcement. The association
  individual homeowners secured a summary judgment against the claims
  the Plaintiffs appealed. The court of appeals affirmed the summary judgment,
  held that one of the plaintiffs had failed to prosecute an appeal, while the other plaintiff lacked st
  ing to sue because the record showed she was not the record owner of the property at the time she brought suit.
  Successful dismissal of claims against two individual Georgia residents because of a lack of personal jurisdiction. In the same case, he also achieved dismissal of claims for fraud
  conspiracy against a corporate defendant for failure to state a claim.
  Successfully won an appeal in the Dallas Court of Appeals regarding a Municipal Airport Operator's right to charge an access fee pursuant to its regulatory power as a governmental entity because the license agreement
  lease agreement the property owner relied upon expressly made the rights in those agreements subject to future ordinances
  regulations.
  Successfully obtained reversal of judgment against chiropractors
  doctors for alleged fraudulent treatment
  billing practices,
  conspiracy charges.
  Successfully invalidated contractual indemnity clause in appeal of insurance coverage dispute under the Texas Oilfield Anti-indemnity Act.
  Successfully defended in-house insurance counsel against allegations of the unauthorized practice of law.
  Successfully defended a summary judgment in a Will contest involving a Will purportedly signed on the decedent's deathbed.
  Established the right of putative class members objecting to class action settlement agreement to appeal judgment approving the settlement agreement.
  Successfully defended a Trust against a beneficiary's divorcing spouse's claim that the trust was community property.
  Reversed a summary judgment barring a lender from foreclosing on real property due to the expiration of the statute of limitations.
  Successfully defended an appeal asserting that an employer discriminated against its employee on the basis of gender
  retaliated against her.
  Successfully overturned a 5 million medical negligence verdict.
  Successfully overturned an insurance bad-faith jury verdict including punitive damage award.
  A sample of published opinions in which Mr. Northrup wrote the brief
  /or argued: Allstate Ins. Co. v. Receivable Fin. Co. LLC, 501 F.3d 398 (5th Cir. Tex. 2007).
  Myers v. Crestone Int'l LLC, 121 Fed. Appx. 25 (5th Cir. Tex. 2005).
  Domino's Pizza, L.L.C. v. Reddy, No. 09-14-00058-CV, 2015 Tex. App. LEXIS 2578 (Tex. App.-Beaumont, Mar. 19, 2015, pet. denied).
  Levetz v. Sutton, 404 S.W.3d 798 (Tex. App.-Dallas 2013, pet. denied).
  Webb v. Voga, 316 S.W.3d 809, 811 (Tex. App.-Dallas 2010, no pet.).
  Webb v. Glenbrook Owners Ass'n, 298 S.W.3d 374 (Tex. App.-Dallas 2009, no pet.).
  Talkington v. McCurley, No. 05-08-01166-CV, 2009 Tex. App. LEXIS 8826 (Tex. App.-Dallas Nov. 17, 2009, pet. denied).
  In re Estate of Bendtsen, 230 S.W.3d 823 (Tex. App.-Dallas 2007, pet. denied).
  Northrup v. Southwestern Bell Tel. Co., 72 S.W.3d 1 (Tex. App.--Corpus Christi 2001, pet. denied).
  Texas Commerce Bank v. Grizzle, 96 S.W.3d 240 (Tex. 2002).
  St. Paul Surplus Lines Ins. Co. v. Dal-Worth Tank Co., 974 S.W.2d 51 (Tex. 1998).
  Greene's Pressure Testing & Rentals, Inc. v. Flournoy Drilling Co., 113 F.3d 47 (5th Cir. 1997).
  Pansegrau v. National Union Fire Ins. Co., 23 F.3d 960 (5th Cir. 1994).
  Cleaver v. George Staton Co., 908 S.W.2d 468 (Tex. App.--Tyler 1995, writ denied).
  Besing v. V
  en Eykel, 878 S.W.2d 182 (Tex. App.--Dallas 1994, writ denied).
  Beavers v. Northrop Worldwide Aircraft Servs., 821 S.W.2d 669 (Tex. App.--Amarillo 1991, writ denied).