U.S. Magistrate Judge Mark Lane has sanctioned Austin attorney Omar W. Rosales nearly $176,000 in penalties for “creat[ing] strife and perpetuat[ing] lies,” defaming opposing counsel with “false and abusive statements,” submitting fabricated evidence, and attempting “to derail the administration of justice with frivolous motions.” Such conclusions are rooted in findings from six particular cases, each of which found Rosales representing disabled clients in ADA-related cases against local places of business. In each case, the attorney for the defendants was either Jim Harring­ton, founder and at the time director of the Texas Civil Rights Project (since retired), or Charles Herring and Jason Panzer. Lane’s findings are contained within a 49-page order delivered Dec. 7. The sanctions include payback for billable hours, business expenses, and legal fees. Lane awarded $32,962.50 to Harrington and $142,711.28 to Herring and Panzer.

Talk About Your Ultimate Backfire

A version of this article appeared in print on Dec 16, 2016 with the headline: Talk About Your Ultimate Backfire

This article appears in December 16 • 2016.

A note to readers: Bold and uncensored, The Austin Chronicle has been Austin’s independent news source for over 40 years, expressing the community’s political and environmental concerns and supporting its active cultural scene. Now more than ever, we need your support to continue supplying Austin with independent, free press. If real news is important to you, please consider making a donation of $5, $10 or whatever you can afford, to help keep our journalism on stands.

SUPPORT US