Texas First Degree Felony Crimes and Consequences

By Independent Staff Writer

What is a First Degree Felony in Texas?

Criminal offenses in Texas are charged under the categories of misdemeanors and felonies.  Felonies are the most serious criminal offenses and carry the most severe penalties.  A felony is generally considered any criminal offense more serious than a misdemeanor, and that is punishable by imprisonment of more than one year.  A felony crime is classified as a State Jail Felony, Third-Degree Felony, Second-Degree Felony, First-Degree Felony, or a Capital Felony, the most serious being a Capital Felony that can bring a penalty of life imprisonment or death.

First Degree Felonies are among the most serious crimes in Texas, second only to capital felonies.  Examples of crimes that are considered First Degree Felonies include but are not limited to the following:

Penalties for Assault and Battery in Texas

By Independent Staff Writer

Assault charges in Texas can result from a simple threat or argument, a fistfight, or a violent attack with a weapon.  Assault charges range from misdemeanors to felony charges depending on the circumstances, and are taken especially seriously if injury occurs or if a weapon was used.  The penalties range from fines to prison terms depending on the severity of the assault and the circumstances of each case. Being faced with assault charges of any kind can have drastic negative consequences both personally and professionally.

Texas Driver’s License Fines and Suspensions

By Independent Staff Writer

A. The Texas Driver Responsibility Program and Points on Your License

Texas uses the Texas Driver Responsibility Program (DRP) adopted by the state legislature (TRC §708; Article 10, House Bill 3588, 78^th Legislative Session) to track individuals’ traffic violations, assign points to their records, and assess fines to drivers who receive or exceed a certain number of license points.  Not surprisingly, the point system has been an efficient revenue generator for the state.

Classes of Misdemeanor Offenses in Texas

By Independent Staff Writer

Criminal offenses in Texas are divided into two main categories, felonies and misdemeanors.  Misdemeanors are considered lesser crimes than felonies and are divided into three classes based on the degree of seriousness of the offense and the severity of the punishments.  It is important to take misdemeanor charges seriously, because having a misdemeanor conviction on your record can impact your life in many negative ways.  You may have difficult time getting the job you want, being admitted to an institution of higher education, or even obtaining an occupational license.

Defining Felony Crimes in Texas

By Independent Staff Writer

Texas Felony Criminal Offenses

Criminal offenses in Texas are charged under the categories of misdemeanors and felonies.  Felonies are the most serious criminal offenses and carry the most severe penalties.  A felony is generally considered any criminal offense more serious than a misdemeanor and is classified as a State Jail Felony, Third-Degree Felony, Second-Degree Felony, First-Degree Felony, or a Capital Felony, the most serious being a Capital Felony that can bring a penalty of life imprisonment or death. Criminal felony charges of any kind are a very serious matter.  The penalties for conviction are severe and can have profoundly negative and damaging consequences to one’s personal and professional life for many years.  You may face difficulty in finding employment and may face financial problems.

How Strong is Your Pradaxa Case?

By Independent Staff Writer
If your doctor has prescribed the relatively new drug, Pradaxa, as an alternative to Warfarin, you may have been alarmed to hear of the potential issues with Pradaxa. Pradaxa was approved by the FDA in late 2010 after the manufacturer, Boehringer Ingelheim, presented the drug as a much better alternative to Warfarin, which had been used exclusively since the 1950’s as a treatment for the prevention of systemic embolisms and strokes. Pradaxa is used to treat patients with atrial fibrillation and works primarily by thinning the blood of the patient. While Pradaxa did appear to work slightly better than Warfarin, it has been shown to have serious side effects, some of them fatal.

How Does Pradaxa Work?
The primary issue with Pradaxa lies in how it works in the body. While both Pradaxa and Warfarin are used to prevent strokes in patients with atrial fibrillation, Warfarin works through the inhibition of Vitamin K in the body. Vitamin K is a clotting agent, and should Warfarin cause excessive bleeding in a patient, doses of Vitamin K can be administered to slow the bleeding. Pradaxa works by inhibiting an enzyme in the blood known as a thrombin. Thrombins are also responsible for controlling blood clotting, however at this time there is no known reversal agent to Pradaxa and should it cause excessive bleeding physicians have no way of slowing or stopping the bleeding. In the case of excessive bleeding among Pradaxa users they have no choice but to wait 12 to 24 hours until the drug has cleared their system, allowing the blood to clot as it should.

DePuy Litigation: Statute of Limitations Depuy Lawsuits

By Independent Staff Writer


In August of 2010 DePuy Orthopedics, Inc. recalled two of its most popular hip replacement systems—the ASR XL Acetabular and the ASR Hip Resurfacing System. The recall came on the heels of a study which indicated the five-year failure rate of these products was as high as one in every eight patients. Severe pain and metal toxicity in the blood have required many of those who received a DePuy hip replacement to have revision surgery to replace the defective implant. Although the DePuy Pinnacle system has not yet been recalled it utilizes the same metal-on-metal design as the ASR, and many of those who received the Pinnacle implant have experienced the same symptoms including loosening of the hip implant, unsafe chromium and cobalt levels in the blood and extreme pain.  

What is a Statute of Limitations?
All lawsuits filed in the United States have an expiration period known as the Statute of Limitations. After this time period has passed an injured party is prohibited from filing a recovery case. These statutes are meant to guard companies from being exposed to lawsuits for long periods of time as well as to ensure the suits are filed while evidence is preserved and memories are clear. Depending on the state you reside in the statute of limitations for product liability can range from two to six years.

DePuy’s “Offer”
Following DePuy’s recall of their hip implants the company stated that patients who met specific criteria might be able to have some of their medical costs covered. Before any type of reimbursement is issued, however, DePuy will review patient’s medical records to determine whether the patient is eligible for reimbursement. The problem with this is that DePuy states the patient’s medical records must confirm a revision surgery is definitively related to the ASR recall rather than another cause such as a “traumatic fall.” In other words, the company is likely to attempt to blame the failure of the hip implant on a pre-existing condition, an underlying disease, physician error or misuse, therefore providing DePuy with sensitive medical records could well mean you would receive no money at all for the defective product implanted in your body.