The Firm’s attorneys have enjoyed remarkable success in the past, and a few of those successes are highlighted below. It should always be remembered, however, that every case is different, and these descriptions should in no way be construed as a guarantee of results in any particular case.

  • Successful representation of a corporate client against its former Executive Vice President of Operations in connection with its allegations that the former Vice President coverted company property while misappropriating certain trade secrets and confidential information. At trial, the jury found in favor of the firm’s client, and awarded damages consistent with the value of the property taken, along with attorney’s fees for the prosecution of the claims.
  • Successful trial of age discrimination claim in which the firm represented the former general manager and former office manager of a cattle feed yard in Wheeler County, Texas, a small county in the Texas Panhandle. The jury found in favor of the general manager and awarded damages for his lost wages. For more information on this case, click here.
  • Successful representation of an Austin-based start-up Internet company against one of its service providers for breach of contract in which the firm obtained a settlement in an amount in excess of ten times the value of the contract.
  • Favorable settlement on behalf of an oil-trading company and an environmental company against a major, integrated oil company for breach of a contract to sell off-spec crude oil.
  • Favorable settlement in favor of a radiation treatment equipment company against a major international manufacturer for breach of contract in the sale of a used radiation simulator in which the client obtained in excess of four times the value of the original contract of sale.
  • Successful negotiation of a settlement for an international pipeline trenching equipment company against a major international engineering company in connection with claims for non-payment in a major pipeline construction contract in Mexico.
  • Successful defense of a small Houston health-services provider against the United States Equal Employment Opportunity Commission in a pregnancy discrimination and retaliation case. After the client hired Schmidt & Hoffer, the Houston Chronicle ran a story on the EEOC’s filing of the case, in which Mr. Hoffer called the EEOC’s case "meritless" and promised that the case would be "vigorously defended."[click here for more] As predicted, a year later the Houston federal district court dismissed the case in the middle of trial, and the Houston Chronicle noted the dismissal in a January 14, 2003 article. [click here for more] The district court equated the EEOC’s tactics in the case to "bureaucratic thuggery." To review the transcript from that hearing, click here. The EEOC appealed the case to the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit, and that Court reversed the dismissal and remanded the case for a second trial.  The case was finally tried in July of 2005, and the Jury returned a unanimous verdict for the Firm's client. For more information on the details of the case, click here.
  • Successful settlement reached on behalf of the Texas franchisee of a Central American fast-food company in connection with a dispute among its shareholders.
  • Representation of a start-up telecommunications tower company based in Sao Paulo, Brazil, in connection with corporate record-keeping, negotiation and drafting of contracts with customers, and fundraising.
  • Representation of a Trustee in Bankruptcy against former officers of the Debtors and a well-known non-profit organization in connection with claims that the officers and the non-profit conspired to strip the Debtors of more than $2 million in business opportunities. The firm also represents certain outside shareholders of the Debtors in connection with their claims for shareholder oppression by the insiders.  The firm settled many of the claims favorably, and then represented its clients in a three-week trial against the primary defendant.  The Judge entered judgment on behalf of the Firm's clients in an amount in excess of $1.5 million, including punitive damages awarded for fraud.  Notably, the firm obtained one of the few favorable judgments in Texas on the little-known "minority shareholder oppression" cause of action.
  • Achieved favorable settlement for the daughter of a woman who died as the result of negligent medical care in a small town hospital.
  • Representation of numerous franchisees of an ice cream chain against the franchisor and its attorneys and accountants, alleging fraud in the sale of the franchises.  The Firm achieved a successful settlement against the franchisor and its attorneys, and plans to proceed to trial against the accounting firm.
  • Pro bono representation of a new, non-profit company providing counseling and other services to at-risk children. The firm handles all corporate matters for this entity.
  • Representation of a litigation support services company in connection with claims that two of its officers usurped a major business opportunity of the company and in related shareholder disputes.
  • Representation of a well-known home electronics retailer in numerous matters, including its multi-million dollar claim against its former landlord for fraud in the inducement and wrongful termination of the lease.
  • Representation of the former Minister of Energy of Ecuador in connection with securities fraud claims against a United States brokerage firm.
  • Representation of the author of the novelization of the movie Romancing the Stone and her start-up movie production company in its corporate matters.
  • Successful defense of the art agent for a deceased local folk-artist in connection with claims that the agent usurped numerous works of art from the artist's family. The firm obtained summary judgment for our client without the need for a trial.
  • Preparation of incorporation documents, loan and security agreements, and operating agreements for a new Italian restaurant in Houston.
  • Representation of a female, Native American prison inmate in a religious rights/First Amendment case against the Texas prison system, resulting in a favorable decision allowing the inmate to practice certain elements of her religion and an agreement by the Texas Attorney General to develop and implement a formal religious program for all Native American inmates in the Texas prison system. The case was widely reported in the Native American press.[click here for more]
  • Successful settlement achieved on behalf of the firm's client in connection with claims against a Swiss steel trading company that allegedly breached a partnership agreement and usurped a business deal to construct a power plant on the Caribbean island of Anguilla.
  • Successful defense of a publicly traded private prison operator in a medical malpractice case in federal district court in Fort Worth in which a prisoner accused the prison medical staff of negligence in failing to more quickly diagnose his appendicitis. The federal jury awarded the prisoner zero damages.In Washington v. Occidental Chemical Corporation, Mr. Hoffer authored a Motion for Summary Judgment which resulted in the complete dismissal of seventeen causes of action brought by a former refinery operator employee at Occidental Chemical Corporation's Chocolate Bayou Plant. The former employee brought claims under the Americans With Disabilities Act, Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, ERISA, and state law claims of fraud and intentional infliction of emotional distress. Judge Samuel Kent of the Galveston Division of the United States District Court for the Southern District of Texas dismissed all of the claims in a published opinion that has been frequently cited by other federal courts and legal publications. Washington v. Occidental Chemical Corp., 24 F.Supp.2d 713 (S.D. Tex. 1998).
  • In Harvey v. Chevron U.S.A., Inc., Mr. Hoffer along with co-counsel authored a Motion for Summary Judgment that resulted in the dismissal of a sex discrimination lawsuit brought by a former in-house counsel of Chevron, U.S.A., Inc. Harvey v. Chevron, U.S.A. Inc., 961 F.Supp. 1017 (S.D. Tex. 1997). The former in-house counsel claimed that she had suffered "paramour" sexual harassment because a supervisor showed favoritism to another woman with whom she worked. The decision was later adopted by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit in a different case. See Ackel v. National Communications, Inc., 339 F.3d 376, 382 (5th Cir. 2003).

Not Certified by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization.